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Interview
“ I have a successful model in place for my resolution clients , which helps them with the costs of pursuing the monies they are owed . While I don ’ t win every case , I do have a 95 per cent success rate . Fundamentally , what I want to do is tackle the issue before it gets to the adjudication stage . Billions of dollars are spent on legal fees every year because of disputes . My vision is to coach specialist contractors to value their own worth and sign terms and conditions that are beneficial to their businesses . I tell my clients that they are not subcontractors , they are specialist contractors . Their work is essential to the successful completion of projects and should be valued accordingly . Setting terms and conditions and sticking to them is crucial . I want to help give people the confidence to walk away from jobs that put them at a disadvantage . Very often , main contractors will win bids on razor-thin margins , knowing that their profits will be achieved by pushing costs back down through the supply chain by means of discounts and underpayments . There ’ s too much fear in the industry . For me , a contract should be an equitable division of risks and opportunities between parties who understand and can manage those risks .
“ This is our industry , and we need to create a community in which people look out for each other . While we do benefit from The Construction Act , which sets out the requirements for making and responding to payment claims , ensuring that both parties understand their rights and obligations , to my mind , it needs to be reformed ; to be better fit for purpose . Equally , the existence of the Technology and Construction Court is a good thing , but it saddens me that it needs to exist at all . It just goes to show how many industry disputes there are .
“ A starting point to shift this imbalance would be to act from a human level . While we are professionals in this industry , we ’ re fundamentally people . When someone recognises their worth , it ’ s brilliant to see their eyes light up in realisation . We just need to get a few million more people to that tipping point . The vision is to achieve a united front in the industry and for specialist contractors to stand firm on the value of their services . Ensuring budgets , management structures , and associated risks and rewards are established and remunerated accordingly are all essential for specialist contractors . It ’ s about emboldening people to understand their own position in the market , so much so , that it sets a new standard for the sector ,” he concludes . ■ ccemagazine . com 13