STAYING UP TO SPEED

Quantity surveying practices go hand-in-hand with estimating, quoting and tendering for work. These business practices are essential to operating a construction company, and getting it right is more important than ever during a period of high industry activity

As an LBP, keeping up to date with the latest information is paramount to running a successful business. We are lucky in New Zealand, as there are lots of opportunities and tools to learn and grow your business, as long as you know where to look! This article is the third and final article tying quantity surveying to being an LBP.

We often hear that LBPs are unsure where to start learning about business practices. Here are some tools and tricks for small to medium sized-enterprise (SME) builders from a quantity surveying perspective.

Business practices are relevant to your skills maintenance. Contractors have a range of regulatory obligations alongside LBP obligations, so knowledge in this area is relevant to being able to contract with consumers and participate in our building industry.

TRADE EVENTS

Get along to as many trade events as you can. Hearing from a range of informative speakers, alongside the general camaraderie these events encourage, is something you can’t put a dollar value on. Trade events are often held by different institutions, as well as merchants or other trade suppliers.

Another great place to meet and share your knowledge and listen to a range of speakers is your local Chamber of Commerce. They will generally cover more than just trade information and also give out free information for those interested in HR, business acumen, accounting, and all those other things SME builders need to understand to run their businesses profitably and efficiently.

NZTE – REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP NETWORKS

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise offers learning opportunities and funding to SMEs across New Zealand, and in many cases this includes our local trades. They can offer business mentoring, financial acumen, human resources support and training and marketing. Support is offered by way of courses around the country and one-on-one consulting and training with regional partners.

You can apply for funding for this assistance if you go to the website and become part of the network – it is definitely worth checking out. Suppliers to the NZTE have to be thoroughly vetted to ensure they are going to give value and help businesses, so it is a great place to find real value and help with funding.

You can find information on the NZTE Regional Partnership Networks on the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise website.

ESTIMATING TOOLS

There are lots of online tools – some free and others by subscription – which provide data-based industry averages across the regions for labour constants, built-up rates, and cost-planning information. Quantity surveyors use this information for estimating purposes, but it can also be useful for builders looking for estimating guidance, as it is a fantastic wealth of information.

You can also find old-fashioned paperback books that hold a wealth of information about quantity surveying. These are a common tool quantity surveyors use, alongside online services, to obtain information about labour constants. You’ll often find one within easy reach of a quantity surveyor’s desk.

Using resources to make the process quicker and easier is an added bonus. The information in these resources has been gathered through years of data analysis, and is a good basis to use when completing your own pricing work. A very handy tool to have in the office!

This article is from Codewords Issue 88.