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As activity ramps up across the construction and civil engineering sectors, the risks quietly eroding profitability remain stubbornly familiar. Waste and material substitutions, often overlooked in the rush to deliver, continue to put margins, compliance, and quality at risk. Brittany Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Qflow, explains why tackling these issues with robust data strategies is more critical now than ever.
Persistent challenges in a changing market
With construction output on the rise and industry confidence gradually recovering, the demand to do more with less has never been greater: less carbon, less waste, and less tolerance for inefficiencies. Yet, two persistent challenges continue to undermine progress: waste and material substitutions. These issues are no longer simply environmental or compliance concerns. They present direct commercial risks that can threaten the viability of even the most rigorously managed projects.
Poor data: the root of costly waste
Despite years of investment in digital tools, fragmented and unreliable data remains a significant obstacle to operational efficiency. As a result, project teams continue to make decisions based on incomplete or inconsistent information, which is leading to widespread inefficiencies from design right through to delivery.
Industry reports highlight the scale of the issue, the State of Data Quality in Construction report, identifies an average loss of £ 2 million per UK project through rework, delivery errors, and procurement inefficiencies, all linked to poor data management. This demonstrates that poor data is not a theoretical or back-office issue; it impacts every stage of how buildings and infrastructure are designed, priced, and built. Waste, in particular, represents both an environmental burden and a financial drain. Construction contributes over two billion tonnes of waste globally each year. In the UK alone, the sector accounts for 61 per cent of total waste generation, equivalent to around 100 million tonnes annually. But beyond the obvious environmental impacts, this waste translates directly into lost materials, additional storage and handling costs, disposal fees, and the administrative burden of compliance.
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◀ Jade Cohen & Brittany Harris Co-founders of Qflow
Material substitution: an escalating risk
Waste isn’ t the only margin killer linked to poor data and weak processes. Material substitutions are becoming more frequent, driven by supply chain disruptions, price volatility, and changing