Have you ever come across a situation in which the penthouse balcony of a new residential block seems to be occupied with a family going about their daily lives even though the lower floors of the development are still swarmed with site operatives completing the final fit out? Or why the ground floor of a… Continue reading Practical Completion vs Partial Possession
Blog
How to improve the performance of an underperforming subcontractor
Subcontractor underperformance happens within the construction industry, as I am sure it does across all industries. However, in our industry, managers and surveyors are often relying on the expertise of the subcontractors they employ to carry out trades and works they themselves cannot undertake. Trusting that expertise is a vital part of delivering multifaceted projects… Continue reading How to improve the performance of an underperforming subcontractor
Nominated vs Named Subcontractors
If you are a developer operating as a management contractor whereby you procure packages with works contractors (i.e. groundworks, civils, roofing, cladding, M&E), you will likely be using the skills of an architect and structural engineer to develop your design brief and provide detailed design to these package contractors. This means you are free to… Continue reading Nominated vs Named Subcontractors
How you build marketing personas for property buyers
Marketing is most effective when it sits right at the heart of a property company, playing a key role in informing business decisions, pricing, and communication with customers. Marketing is also crucial in ensuring that a company fully understands its target audience so it knows how to meet their needs and solve their problems in… Continue reading How you build marketing personas for property buyers
The importance of the Information Release Schedule (IRS)
What is an IRS? An IRS is, quite simply, a schedule that outlines what design information is going to be released during a construction project and when. As we all know, it’s common for not all of the necessary design information to be available at tender stage or when contracts are being exchanged. The IRS… Continue reading The importance of the Information Release Schedule (IRS)
Structuring project cash flow
In construction, we often hear that ‘Cash is king.’ If you think of the demise of large main contractors over recent years, it was not the lack of a full order book that lead to their collapse, it was insolvency due to a lack of cash at hand to fund operations and their funder’s confidence… Continue reading Structuring project cash flow
Where should I be looking for the best land opportunities?
Land is at the centre of any deal that property traders and developers are looking at. The deal is the land, and all the potential profit and success of any deal stems from what can be achieved from a particular parcel of land. When considering a purchase they intend to construct upon, whether the site… Continue reading Where should I be looking for the best land opportunities?
Early contractor engagement in two stage tendering
A brief introduction on two stage tendering Where time is at a premium, typically on larger more complex projects, two stage tendering has become a unique building procurement process. It allows the design to be developed and the tender process to run in parallel, early in the life of the project. Both the design and… Continue reading Early contractor engagement in two stage tendering
Handing over finished works
Handing over finished works is part and parcel of any project. Whether it is a sectional handover; per area, per floor, per block, per development or a handover for the entirety of a contract – it happens all over the world every day throughout the construction industry. Regardless of the size or nature of the… Continue reading Handing over finished works
Building Information Modelling (BIM) and JCT
BIM can trace its roots back to the 60’s in terms of a concept, the idea then developed in the 70s. However, this was in an era whereby drafting of construction drawings was almost entirely done by hand. It wasn’t until the computer boom of the 1980’s that allowed the development of BIM to take… Continue reading Building Information Modelling (BIM) and JCT