Technical enquiry intake banner — enquiry form, technical notebook and construction board samples

Submit a technical enquiry

Submit a technical enquiry.

Send us the project question, construction detail and evidence you already have. We will review the enquiry and advise on the most suitable next step.

The Bench uses a structured intake process to understand the technical question before review begins. The more clearly the enquiry is described, the easier it is to identify the evidence needed, the likely review route and the most suitable written output.

Choose your route

How would you like to contact The Bench?

Quick question

For simple questions, early-stage enquiries or "can you point me in the right direction?" messages. Name, email and your question — nothing else needed.

Ask a quick question →

Guided technical enquiry

For product evidence, Building Control queries, system build-ups, fire, moisture, thermal, racking and sheathing, walls, floors and ceilings, façades, renders and brick slips or product comparison reviews — one step at a time.

Start a guided technical enquiry →
Quick question

Ask a quick question

No project details or documents needed. Send the question and we will reply by email. If it turns out to need a fuller technical review, we will explain the guided enquiry route.

The Bench provides technical evidence review and written guidance only — not certification, statutory approval, Building Control approval, fire engineering approval, design responsibility or product approval. Replies confirm receipt and next steps; no automatic technical advice is provided.

Thank you. Your question has been sent.
The Bench will review it and reply by email.
Before you submit

What to include

Please include as much relevant information as possible. A useful enquiry usually includes:

  • Who is asking the question
  • The project name and location
  • The product, system or construction detail involved
  • The technical question being asked
  • The proposed build-up or detail
  • The evidence already available
  • The project stage or urgency
  • The output required

You do not need to have everything ready before contacting us. If information is missing, we can identify what is needed during intake.

Evidence Readiness Checker

Evidence Readiness Checker

Answer the eight questions below to see whether you appear to have enough information for an initial evidence review.

This checker does not provide technical approval, compliance confirmation, certification, fire rating confirmation, product suitability confirmation or Building Control acceptance. It is a fixed-question readiness indicator only. This is not AI.

Question 1 of 8

Do you have a clear project question?

Question 2 of 8

Do you have project drawings, details or marked-up sketches?

Question 3 of 8

Do you know the proposed build-up or product arrangement?

Question 4 of 8

Do you have product evidence?

Question 5 of 8

Do you know the required performance or reason for review?

Question 6 of 8

Do you know the substrate, support condition or installation context?

Question 7 of 8

Do you have Building Control, fire consultant, designer, contractor or client comments?

Question 8 of 8

Is the enquiry asking for suitability, compliance, approval, fire rating or statutory acceptance?

Technical Enquiry Guide

Not sure what to submit?

Use the Technical Enquiry Guide to route your question. It will ask a few fixed questions and help identify whether you need general guidance, evidence preparation or a full technical review.

Technical Enquiry Guide

Answer the four questions below to identify the right next step for your enquiry.

The guide does not provide certification, statutory approval, Building Control approval, fire engineering approval, design responsibility or product approval. It provides routing guidance only.
1
2
3
4
Step 1 of 4

What are you trying to do?

Step 2 of 4

What does the question relate to?

Step 3 of 4

Do you have project-specific documents?

Step 4 of 4

What type of answer are you looking for?

What to send us

What to send us

The most useful enquiries usually include the project question, the proposed detail and the evidence already available. This helps The Bench review what appears supported, unclear or missing.

  • Exact project question
  • Drawings, sections or marked-up sketches
  • Proposed build-up or system arrangement
  • Product datasheets
  • Test reports
  • Classification reports
  • Certificates or Agréments
  • Installation guidance
  • Fire strategy extracts, where relevant
  • Building Control, approved inspector, fire consultant, designer, contractor or client comments
  • Photos, where the issue is site-specific
  • Deadline or decision point
Sending these documents does not guarantee that a technical position can be confirmed. It helps The Bench understand the question, review the available evidence and identify what appears supported, unclear or missing.
Scope and limits

When The Bench is not the right route

Some enquiries need a formal decision from another project role, authority or specialist. The Bench can help organise the question, evidence, gaps and next steps, but it should not be treated as the final approval body.

  • Product certification
  • System approval
  • Building Control approval
  • Statutory approval
  • Engineering judgement or specialist sign-off
  • Structural design
  • Installation approval
  • Legal advice
  • A guarantee that an authority or project team will accept a position
  • A final design or compliance decision that belongs to another duty holder
Where an enquiry requires one of these roles, The Bench can still help organise the question, evidence, gaps and next steps, but the final decision must sit with the appropriate duty holder, project professional, regulator, certifier or approving body.
Guided technical enquiry

Submit a technical enquiry

Use the form below to give us the key information needed for initial triage.

Contact details
Project details
Technical topic
The question being asked
Please describe what you are trying to prove, clarify, compare or decide.
Include any project background, Building Control queries, product substitution issues or relevant constraints.
Construction detail or proposed build-up
Please describe the build-up, layers, substrate, fixing method, cavity, board thickness, insulation, finish, dimensions or any relevant detail.
Evidence already available
Optional. Attach up to 5 supporting files, 10 MB total. Accepted file types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TXT and ZIP.
Required output
Important confirmation

Submitting this form confirms receipt only. The Bench will review the information and advise on the most suitable next step. No automatic technical advice will be provided.

Thank you. Your enquiry has been submitted.
We will review the information provided and identify the most suitable next step. If further documents or clarification are needed, we will contact you.
The Bench will review the information and respond by email.

Prefer to email?

You can also contact The Bench by email and include the same information listed above.

enquiries@thisisthebench.co.uk

Confidential information

Please only share documents you are authorised to provide. Information provided through the enquiry form will be used to review and triage the enquiry. Project documents, drawings and technical evidence should be treated as project-specific information and may require confidentiality controls depending on the enquiry.