Navigating Gateway 2: Keys to a Successful Project

Approvals are coming through much quicker

ACS is committed to helping architects, engineers, contractors, and developers navigate change and, in this article, our technical specification manager Jack Little, explains this shifting landscape and how we instil confidence in our clients from the very beginning.

“Things have changed for the better with Gateway 2,”  that’s the view of our colleague Jack Little who has closely monitored this major industry change. 

Though frustrations are evident across the industry Jack said, “We’ve turned a corner in 2026. From a subcontractor perspective, initial submissions used to feel like they were falling into a black hole. We had one early project that took a gruelling 56 weeks to receive Gateway 2 approval. But over the last six months, turnaround times have become significantly faster. Approvals are coming through much quicker, and we expect those windows to shrink even further.” 

A team focused on early stage design collaboration

“The industry is constantly evolving, and we’re actively learning every single day. For a recent submission for Ionic, a Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) in Bristol, where the project varied in height with the highest point being nine Levels plus parapet, the project was demanding, but our team pulled out all the stops and it resulted in one of the best submissions we have ever delivered.”

Jack shared how his team focuses on early stage design collaboration, now investing more time and knowledge of each project they work on than ever before.

He explained: “The biggest challenge for main contractors and developers is that everything has shifted forward. Stage 4 level of detail now needs to be developed during Stage 3. A compliant and coordinated Gateway 2 submission requires immense resource and careful project planning to manage.”

“You cannot accurately cost a project if there is still significant design development to undertake, so Stage 3 budgets must be much firmer than they used to be. We’re working on encouraging an industry mindset switch to bring us in earlier, sometimes this is a hurdle but forward-thinking developers engage with us right at the start of Stage 3 because they know they can’t afford to wait.”

Working side-by-side with Architects and Engineers

“Our Technical Specification Managers work side-by-side with architects and engineers at Stage 3 to ensure the design is robust, compliant, and cost-effective. This early input is a genuine investment of our time and expertise, focused entirely on getting the details right before they become locked-in. Why? Because once you hit Stage 4, making changes is fundamentally difficult and costly. Our customers value this early-stage dedication. When we move into Stage 4, the transition is incredibly smooth because all the heavy lifting has been done during Stage 3. It prevents hiccups, protects the budget, and ultimately ensures a structurally safe building.” 

“Ionic was one project where ACS joined the team at Stage 3: The Watkin Jones team had seen our technical presentations, and they wanted that exact expertise on this build. We started working directly with the lead architect from Tim Groom Architects, to review the constraints – notably a façade with significant depth and complex brickwork, with certain details having several full-brick recesses, and complex brick-slip soffit arrangements.” 

“We engineered a strategy to support this complex façade, maintaining the architectural language / planning constraints, whilst still keeping product to a minimum where possible, to keep costs aligned with our initial budgets.  We then moved through to Stage 4 with the customer. We built a comprehensive structural model detailing every masonry support bracket, allowing the customer to simply drag and drop our components directly into their master 3D model. There were zero gaps left uncoordinated.”

The alignment between ACS and the design team was amazing, we would often have to arrange meetings quickly for solutions, agree an approach, and proceed, to not cause any delays to programme.

The evolving role of ACS

Jack cites these projects as examples of progress with Gateway 2, and the evolving role of ACS: “Ionic and others demonstrate that the technical team at ACS have the specialised knowledge required to design complex building’s correctly, legally, cost effectively and safely. And I continue to enjoy this process for every project we deliver.”  

At ACS, we are fully committed to working with our customers in partnership. Whether you are looking to navigate the complexities of Gateway 2 or wanting to discuss a project further, please get in touch with our expert technical specification team.