In episode 51 of The Subcontractors Blueprint podcast, Jacob Austin of QS.Zone talks about the practicalities of managing change during live construction projects. Drawing from his extensive experience, Jacob offers valuable insights and actionable advice tailored specifically for construction business owners. He emphasises the importance of proactive planning, effective communication, and adaptability to ensure smooth project transitions and successful outcomes. This episode is a must-listen for those looking to enhance their project management skills and navigate the complexities of change in the construction industry.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The practicalities of managing change during a live construction project.
• Timing is crucial in managing changes.
• Consideration of time, cost, and quality in change management.
• Assessing the impact of changes and the need for alternatives.

BEST MOMENTS:

"Timing is absolutely key. Timing is everything. Timing is the difference between you moving those two lines on the drawing, or you're having to break something down and reconstruct it completely in a completely different place."

"Sometimes instructions are dished out because a problem is seen with how the works are unfolding. I don't know, maybe a room can't be used for its original intention and something needs to be changed. Maybe a more powerful piece of plant is required. There's 1,000,001 reasons for making a change."

"If you can minimise these kinds of things, particularly if you can minimise time, and that's going to prevent an extension of time from the contractor or from the client, and potentially prevent lads from being deducted. Then you're definitely onto a winner, and there definitely should be some recognition that you're able to achieve a solution here."

"Maintaining momentum, maintaining morale, maintaining good communication and a proactive approach go a long way towards avoiding issues when changes come about and finishing on time against all odds. Because you've worked together as a collective, that is one of the most rewarding and satisfying things about construction work, and one of the key things that can lead to you getting that reputation of delivering and the all-important repeat business that, in the long run, can be so much more profitable."

Jacob is on a mission to help the 1 million SME contractors working within the construction industry. If you've taken something of value from this episode, please share the podcast with someone you know, and pass the value on.

HOST BIO: Meet Jacob Austin, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a rich background at construction industry giants Balfour Beatty, Kier, and Vistry Group. With extensive involvement in education, health, and residential projects spanning various scales, from £1000s to £100M in concurrent developments, Jacob brings a unique perspective. Having collaborated with numerous small businesses, he's now committed to sharing his expertise to drive their success. Join Jacob on his podcast, where he blends his profound insights and personable approach to offer guidance, industry secrets, and inspirational stories.

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-austin/

Instagram - www.instagram.com/qs.zone/

www.qs.zone/all-links

In episode 50 of The Subcontractors Blueprint podcast, Jacob Austin of QS.Zone delves into cash flow challenges faced by subcontractors and offers practical financial management strategies. Joined by a friend who owns a subcontracting firm, they discuss the importance of working with prompt-paying contractors, setting accurate prices, and managing retention. Jacob emphasises the value of setting up separate accounts for taxes and supplier payments to ensure financial stability. The episode provides actionable advice for improving cash flow and profitability, encouraging listeners to adopt these practices to protect your business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Strategies for improving financial management and profitability.
• Insights from a subcontracting firm owner on improving cash flow.
• Importance of setting up separate accounts for specific financial purposes, proactively setting aside funds for annual expenses and supplier payments.
• The importance of getting the price right to maintain not only your margin, but your cashflow too.
• A simple and effective method for tracking retentions due and reminding yourself of the facts to collect it.

BEST MOMENTS:

"And then also the likes of your payday lenders and these kind of organisations, they're really capitalising on people's need for money by pushing up their interest rate to some silly percentages. And that feels morally wrong to me. But at the same time, this is just the bank hedging their bets."

"So the first thing that he swears by is working for contractors that will pay him promptly and regularly. And what I mean by that is he's got a short payment period and regular valuations."

"Now, this makes the business not quite self-financing, because he's still got to cover the labour, which he pays on a weekly basis for the period that he's waiting for his first lot of money."

"And the issue is, as much as it was consistent, the inflation that had been consistent alongside it was eroding how much money he was making on every job. So regularly reviewing how much you're making out of your subcontract rates is a vital component of making the right margin on your job."

Click to listen to episode 28 mentioned in the show: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-subcontractors-blueprint/id1701638267?i=1000644284764

Jacob is on a mission to help the 1 million SME contractors working within the construction industry. If you've taken something of value from this episode, please share the podcast with someone you know, and pass the value on.

HOST BIO: Meet Jacob Austin, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a rich background at construction industry giants Balfour Beatty, Kier, and Vistry Group. With extensive involvement in education, health, and residential projects spanning various scales, from £1000s to £100M in concurrent developments, Jacob brings a unique perspective. Having collaborated with numerous small businesses, he's now committed to sharing his expertise to drive their success. Join Jacob on his podcast, where he blends his profound insights and personable approach to offer guidance, industry secrets, and inspirational stories.

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-austin/

Instagram - www.instagram.com/qs.zone/

www.qs.zone/all-links

In episode 49 of The Subcontractors Blueprint podcast, Jacob Austin of QS.Zone explores the evolving landscape of main contracting and its implications for subcontractors. He differentiates between main contracting and subcontracting, emphasising the shift from traditional models to modern practices that rely heavily on subcontractors. Austin discusses the challenges faced by both main contractors and subcontractors, including reduced risk, lower profit margins, and workforce stability. He highlights the broader industry impacts, such as the sustainability of skilled labor and mentorship for apprentices.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Explanation of the differences between main contracting and subcontracting, and the role of principal contractor.
• Comparison of the historical and modern roles of main contractors, including labor, divisions, and profitability.
• The trend of main contractors reducing risk by subletting to multiple subcontractors.
• The impact of industry practices on skilled labor, mentoring, and the need for consistent employment.
• Challenges faced by main contractors, including insolvencies, and the impact on subcontractors' workforce and income stability.

BEST MOMENTS:

"Main contracting typically comes from the role of the main contract, as in the document in force between the client and the contractor delivering the work on the client's behalf."

"Main contracting almost was more entrepreneurial previously, because what you would see is that a lot of main contractors had their special civil division, and they had a housebuilding team."

"If people only knew that this is the way that one of the largest industries in the country is operating regularly, I think there'd be a similar load of uproar about it."

"Consistent employment is the only way that we're going to see any kind of rise in the number of skilled operatives coming into the industry."

Jacob is on a mission to help the 1 million SME contractors working within the construction industry. If you've taken something of value from this episode, please share the podcast with someone you know, and pass the value on.

HOST BIO: Meet Jacob Austin, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a rich background at construction industry giants Balfour Beatty, Kier, and Vistry Group. With extensive involvement in education, health, and residential projects spanning various scales, from £1000s to £100M in concurrent developments, Jacob brings a unique perspective. Having collaborated with numerous small businesses, he's now committed to sharing his expertise to drive their success. Join Jacob on his podcast, where he blends his profound insights and personable approach to offer guidance, industry secrets, and inspirational stories.

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-austin/

Instagram - www.instagram.com/qs.zone/

www.qs.zone/all-links