In the past, FAME has been approached to take part in various proposals to set wages, usually through the Industry Working Group (IWG), and FAME has always declined to participate. However, recently, we were alerted to the possibility that even being a member of the IWG may lead to a breach of competition law. As a result, FAME have consulted with solicitors, at two different law firms, on the legality of coordinating pay. Below is a summary of those discussions and an explanation as to why FAME has withdrawn from the IWG.
Category: FAME News
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FAME AGM and Forum 2023
This year’s FAME Forum will be on June 30th, at Merchant Taylors, York, and the AGM will be the night before at Barley Hall, York.
Book your Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fame-forum-agm-2023-tickets-616512474407
The Forum always offers a stimulating mix of speakers from within and outside our sector, but it also to provides a space for senior managers, those managing projects, functions and the organisation overall, a space to meet, network, catch up and enjoy talking shop. It’s more intimate and more focused than other events and we try to ensure it’s all relevant to the hugely challenging job of delivering great archaeology, great jobs, and great businesses.
Tea, coffee and a buffet lunch will be provided on the day and once again we are delighted to be based at the beautiful and historic Merchant Taylors Hall.
All members and partners can claim up to two free tickets + one free early/mid career ticket. To help support the next generation of managers and employers this year FAME will be offering one additional free ticket to members who bring an early/mid career member of staff to the Forum.
All other tickets are £85.
We look forward to welcoming you in York.
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FAME Member only Webinars: Performance Management & Mergers and Acquisitions
FAME is pleased to share with our members the recordings of two recent webinars. The first is from our business support service Quest, on the HR topic of Performance Management. The other is a recording of our webinar on mergers and acquisitions delivered by Chris Dore of Heritage Business International. Both can be accessed in our members only library area of the website. If you need help logging in, please let us know. https://famearchaeology.co.uk/members-area/library/
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FAME Forum Presentations
Did you miss the FAME Forum or want to see one of the presentations again? We recorded the presentations and you can now view them, for free, on the links below:
Trailblazing apprentices as a revolution in staff development
Phil Pollard & Jasmine Fowler – Historic England, Martin Locock – University of Wales Trinity St David https://youtu.be/BapKAu4upkI
Data standardisation and the future of recording our past
Iain Rockley & Natacha Chenevoy – Diggit Archaeology
A glitch in The Matrix?
Keith May – AHRC Leadership Fellow & Historic England
Archaeological Standard Method of Measurement
Mike Heaton – Michael Heaton Heritage Consultants
Archaeological Archiving, FAME and the Future
Duncan Brown – Historic England, Tim Malim – FAME
The 2021 CIRIA Guide on archaeology and construction – changing the value conversation
Sophie Jackson – MOLA
Valuing and investing in training & professional development
Amy Atkins – MOLA
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National Insurance threshold is increasing
For FAME members working in the UK – the NI threshold has just increased!
You need to ensure you understand the changes and implement correctly. Failure to pay the correct rates could result in a HMRC investigation or an ET claim for unlawful deductions. If you have any questions, concerns or problems regarding NI rates please call The HR advice line which is free to FAME members. You can get the hotline number from the members area of the FAME website. Please contact us if you have any problems with access. -
State of the Archaeological Market 2021
The State of the Archaeological Market 2020-21 report, during the height of COVID, is now finished. This forward from FAME’s chair sums up its unexpected findings:
This year’s report is remarkable because of the counter-intuitive picture it provides on how commercial archaeological practice successfully managed the risks that Covid 19 and associated lockdowns brought to the economy. The fact that archaeological organizations did not close down, and many have flourished during this period, is testament to the adaptability and inventiveness of managers and staff who appreciated the need to find safe methods of working so, as an industry, we could continue to support our clients in the delivery of essential services.
Although the big transport schemes were obvious essential projects of strategic importance which underpinned some of our income, the survey has shown surprisingly that residential housing was marginally more important as a revenue stream during this period. The effect of HS2, Crossrail and large road schemes had changed the pattern of funding over the past two years from what had previously been a business environment dominated by housing, and now the two sectors are of equal importance as clients for commercial archaeological practice.
It is also reassuring to witness the gradual increase in rates of turnover per staff member and the percentage of profit/surplus that is being achieved. This enables growing levels of investment and training of staff, and provides a stronger foundation for the sustainability of archaeological organizations servicing the private sector.
A record number of archaeologists are now employed in our industry, and yet we are finding recurrent problems in recruitment. On the evidence from the survey it appears that we need to focus on how best to attract, train and retain a larger number of archaeologists, and construct a clearer career trajectory, so that we build in resilience for the future, continue to help the UK economy flourish, and enrich society through dissemination of the results from our investigations.
Tim Malim, Chair: Federation of Archaeological Managers and EmployersYou can download the report here – always check here for the most recent version, on occasion changes are made, this is version 1.1:
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Notice of FAME Forum Programme
The programme for the FAME forum will be as follows:
17th June 2022
The Next Normal: Developing Commercial Archaeology Business and Practice
Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Aldwark, York YO1 7BX
0900 Coffee
0945 FAME Forum opening
1000 Mike Heaton – Michael Heaton Heritage Consultants
Archaeological Standard Method of Measurement: a FAME initiative
1045 Amy Atkins – MOLA
Valuing and investing in training & professional development
1115 Keith May – AHRC Leadership Fellow & Historic England
A glitch in The Matrix?
1200 Duncan Brown – Historic England, Tim Malim – FAME
Archaeological Archiving, FAME and the Future
1230 lunch
1315 Iain Rockley & Natacha Chenevoy – Diggit Archaeology
Data standardisation and the future of recording our past
1345 Sophie Jackson – MOLA
The 2021 CIRIA Guide on archaeology and construction – changing the value conversation
1415 tea
1430 Phil Pollard & Jasmine Fowler – Historic England, Martin Locock – University of Wales Trinity St David
Trailblazing apprentices as a revolution in staff development
1500 Doug Rocks-Macqueen & Tim Malim – FAME
FAME’s Future
1545 close
1600 disperse
Book your tickets here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/292309885737
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New member: MAP Archaeological Practice
FAME welcomes new member MAP Archaeological Practice.
MAP Archaeological Practice Ltd are one of the leading Archaeological Contractors in the North of England, delivering high quality and customer focussed services to their clients. With an extensive portfolio of works across the UK, they have built a reputation for meeting client’s needs, while contributing to our understanding of the history and archaeology in each region. All their work is carried out to the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIFA) Code of Conduct.
Learn more about them on their website: https://maparchltd.co.uk/
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FAME welcomes new member Humber Field Archaeology
Humber Field Archaeology has joined FAME.
Experts in the archaeology and heritage of Hull, East Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire, Humber Field Archaeology (HFA) have been delivering concise and effective professional archaeological services across this region for over 25 years. Their work is tailored to meet the requirements of their clients, from small scale single dwelling developers to large scale quarry companies and infrastructure enablers, to consistently provide the best, cost-effective archaeological processes with integrated artefact management. As the most successful, continuous provider of archaeological services across the Humber region they have the expertise to provide locally embedded community, outreach and public archaeology.
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FAME welcomes new member GHC Archaeology and Heritage
The Board has approved the new membership fro GHC Archaeology and Heritage. About our new member:
GHC Archaeology and Heritage provide independent advice on all stages of promotion and construction of developments from land acquisition/due diligence right through the design process and to the eventual discharge of archaeological and built heritage conditions. They operate across the UK and have a strong reputation for practical, commercially focussed advice and are free of any links with local authority departments and fieldwork contractors. Their aim is to minimise planning constraints and financial risks posed to development by archaeology and built heritage.