Blog

!!!Get your free OTB Live Tickets here – Own The Build Live, October 23rd!!! ———————————– This week on Own the Build, Paul is joined by Dave Stitt, a leadership team coach with 25+ years of experience working with boards and senior project teams across the UK construction industry. In this episode, Paul and Dave deep-dive… Continue reading Trust is Earned: Building Better Leadership in Construction (EP 238)

In Episode 246, Paul is joined by Mike Rigby, Managing Director of MRA Research and architect of the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI). With 35+ years in the industry and a mission to bring clarity to construction data, Mike pulls back the curtain on how our sector is being misrepresented — and why it matters.… Continue reading Can We Trust the Data? Construction Metrics That Actually Matter (EP 246)

!!!Get your free OTB Live Tickets here – Own The Build Live, October 23rd!!! ———————————– In this episode of Own the Build, Paul is joined once again by his co-founder and sidekick, Chris Barber, for another round of Question Time. This time, the duo dives deep into one of the most shocking industry stats of… Continue reading Question Time: Bonuses, Burnout, and the QS Brain Drain – What's Going On? (Ep 240)

In this episode, Paul is joined by Simon Rubinsohn, Chief Economist at the RICS, for a deep dive into one of the most pressing and under-discussed challenges facing the industry: the critical shortage of quantity surveyors — and what it means for productivity, cost, innovation and delivery across UK construction. Drawing on the RICS 2025… Continue reading What RICS Data Tells Us About the Future of UK Construction: Insights from the RICS Chief Economist (EP 252)

In this episode, Paul is joined by Davin Dillon, founder of Clearnorth — known in the industry as “the QS people” — to unpack one of the most important career questions in construction: What does it really take to become a Commercial Director? Drawing on insights from more than 40 in-depth interviews with Commercial Directors,… Continue reading The Road to Commercial Director: What 40 Leaders Taught Us (EP 257)

In this lively episode, Chris joins Paul again to tackle YOUR questions in the return of Question Time. From the realities of AI in construction to the headaches of back-to-back contracts, we dive into the heart of what QSs are really facing on site. Highlights include: How AI is transforming tender analysis and improving subcontractor… Continue reading Question Time Returns: The QS Career Clinic (EP 236)

In this episode, Paul is joined by David Longman, Managing QS at Rendesco, a £15m M&E specialist contractor, for a frank and wide-ranging conversation about quantity surveying from the subcontractor’s perspective — an angle that is often misunderstood higher up the contracting chain. David’s career path is unusual and valuable: starting in main contracting, moving… Continue reading The Subcontractor’s Perspective: From Tender to Final Account – What a Main Contractor needs to know (EP 253)

In the final part of the Contract Clarity Series, Paul is joined once again by the brilliantly practical contract expert Sarah Fox to explore the future of contracting in construction. They dive into the rise of AI, what it means for lawyers and quantity surveyors, and how contracting must evolve in a digitised world. From… Continue reading Can AI Empower the Subcontractor? (EP 230)

The Contract Clarity Series with Sarah Fox (Part 2) In this second instalment of the Contract Clarity Series, Paul is once again joined by construction’s contract queen, Sarah Fox — contract strategist, author, and keynote speaker — to explore a topic every subcontractor, QS, and contractor needs to understand: liability. Sarah breaks down the risks… Continue reading Capping Your Risk – Why Every Contractor Needs to Limit Their Liability (EP 227)

In this episode, Paul is joined by Andrea White, Independent Fire Engineer, Chartered Safety Professional, and one of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction (2023). Andrea is also the founder of Women Talking Fire and a leading voice on fire safety strategy in a post-Grenfell landscape. Together, Paul and Andrea unpack the critical… Continue reading The Building Safety Act: How QSs Need to Procure Differently (EP 235)