Guest Blog: How to Avoid Disputes in the Construction Industry
Why Disputes are Messy, and How you can Avoid Them Some construction projects become embroiled in disputes between the General Contractor and the client, or the General Contractor and their Subcontractors or Suppliers. These disputes often end in legal action, create media attention and often disrupt the project – even bringing it to a halt. […]
Guest Blog: Make your Construction Variation Claim Successful
How to Ensure that your Construction Variation Claims are Successful Have you had a variation claim rejected even though you believed it was totally legitimate? You probably blamed the client for being unfair? But is this the full story? Construction projects invariably have some changes and variations. These may be due to the client changing […]
Guest Blog: Steps to Improve your Project
Make Your Construction Project More Successful: Follow these Simple Steps Often construction projects run into difficulties because basic issues are overlooked or forgotten. The contractor’s project manager is often rushed off their feet, attending to the client, organising the project and solving problems. Business owners and managers have little time to spend on projects, and […]
Guest Blog: Are you Working for Free on your Construction Project?
Is your company working for free? What you need to know This sounds a strange question! Which construction company works for free? Yet it’s something that happens often on construction projects. Contractors regularly unwittingly carry out work for which they aren’t paid. I’m not talking about dishonest clients who don’t pay their contractors, which is […]
How Important is a Pre-Start Meeting?
The Importance of a Pre-Start Meeting I have discussed in previous blogs the importance of mitigating risk. Mitigating risk will reward businesses with either an increase in margins, or worst case scenario more accuracy with their costs. One of the main financial fluctuations that a Contractor can experience in a contract is that from their […]
What is Really Meant by Change Management?
Change Management Explained I think it is important to determine what is meant by the phrase “Change Management”. This can be summed up as follows: During any construction project it is inevitable that something is either changed or added to. Within industry, these would be determined as a variation to the project/contract. A change in […]
Variations: Do Contractors Receive all Monies Due to them?
Variations are Inevitable, but do Contractors Receive as much as they are Due? Additional works (most commonly known as Variations) to the contractor’s contractual scope of work are, of course, inevitable. Where they occur, you need to be clear on: The action the construction contract demands you take. Invariably, most construction projects overrun. Are there […]
Retention Monies – Who does this Really Benefit?
Issues with Retention Monies Most of you will be aware of the “Retention” clauses in construction projects, but really who do they benefit? The simple answer in my opinion – the Main/Principal Contractor. The main issue I have with retention monies is with the cashflow of small to medium sized businesses/subcontractors.Typically, depending on the size […]
The Importance of Qualification in Relation to Tenders and Quotations
Qualification of Tenders and Quotations is a Must! In my experience, whether as the contractor or the client, the production of a qualification sheet to go with tenders and quotations is a must from a commercial perspective. Historically, a qualification sheet submitted with a cost for a project has either been seen as making the offer unattractive […]
Key Tools Required for Change Management
Change Management Tools/Strategy We have previously spoken about a contractor having a change management strategy in place. This strategy will really be made up of tools that are at the disposal of the Contractor. These tools can be split into 2 division and deemed as “upline” and “downline”. “Upline” is where there is a change […]