One of the biggest performance drivers I see between contractors that consistently perform well and those that constantly seem to be firefighting is how they manage their supply chain. Side note - I won’t go too far down this road, but make sure you’re known for paying on time. The contractors with the strongest commercial performance rarely start looking for subcontractors when a project lands on their desk. They've already built the relationships. They've already agreed the

Recently, I was involved with a large tender working with contractors of all sizes, from specialist subcontractors through to larger organisations delivering the complex programmes of work. One thing I noticed is that the contractors with the strongest commercial controls had one thing in common: they had all developed their own internal library of rates. It sounds simple, but it's one of the most valuable commercial tools a contractor can build. Yet surprisingly few business

Whilst working in a client-side role, one thing I saw time and time again was contractors leaving variations until final account. On the face of it, it seems harmless enough. Everyone is focused on delivering the project, managing labour, dealing with programme pressures, and keeping the project moving. The variation gets noted down somewhere with the intention of dealing with it later. The problem is that "later" often becomes six months down the line. What I repeatedly saw

If you asked most contractors what keeps them awake at night, the answers would probably sound familiar: • Labour shortage • Material price increases • Where is the next project coming from • Programme pressure • Margin erosion From a commercial perspective, we often get involved when a project starts drifting off course. The reality is that cost overruns rarely happen because of one major event. More often, they result from lots of small issues and missed opportunities