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Why should a construction subcontractor use Quantum CPM's services?

If you're a subcontractor in the construction sector and you use the services of an accountant, a bookkeeper, a health and safety consultant or other specialist provider, you are already outsourcing the tasks that you either haven't got time to do, or those things you don't feel you have the skills or knowledge within your business to do them well.

But what about the administration and management of your contracts? After all, as any subbie will know, there are lots of deadlines, processes and obligations to remember in the course of every contract - and if you get these wrong or forget to do them, you will probably end up losing out financially.

This is why outsourcing contract admin to Quantum CPM (cost and project management) can be extremely beneficial, as Quantum's MD Stephen Pilling explains.

"What's important to us in terms of delivering quantity surveying services is making ourselves available to all sizes of contractors," says Stephen.

"The skills that exist in quantity surveying are very niche and they can be expensive. But we see no reason why companies, irrespective of size, can't see this service as something they can outsource just like they might an accountant.

"Bigger organisations might have their own accountants, they might have their own bookkeepers, but they still tend to have an audit firm - an outside company that oversees aspects of their business. That should be no different in any size of business, in so far as they all have to do these things, which means they all require QS services, because they are in construction."

This universal need for QS services across construction contracting and subcontracting is what prompted Quantum to redefine how it operates and its package of services several years ago. Today, it offers everything from contract vetting and procurement support, through monthly variations and progress auditing, to final account control and retention fund management.

Stephen continues, "All specialist subcontractors value things, they all present progress reports, they all might have problems with delays in construction. So in respect of requiring a solution for all those things, what we are saying is, we do this for our living, this is our job, our profession, our skillset, our training.

"We do what we do to a level that means our clients can compete with any other company because we are delivering the service an expert level, and because they are outsourcing the service it is affordable and tailored to suit their size and their needs.

"What we want to achieve is for the industry to see what we do as something they buy in, just like they do accounting or health and safety or any other specialism. This can ensure they stop neglecting those things that need to be done well, that need to be done at an expert level, so that they are competing and protecting their own interests, their own business health."

By offering quantity surveying services to all construction businesses, regardless of size, Quantum gives subcontractors a chance to compete on a level playing field.

Stephen concludes, "Contractors can do well for themselves, but they could do better. Subcontractors, because they are within the tiered system, can suffer from not presenting their case in the best way. They can suffer from not reporting very well and not buying the works that they do very well. And all of those deficiencies affect the bottom line.

"A good example is where contractors are busy getting the job done. Inevitably in construction, things are around the corner that change, and it's important that when changes occur, they update their programme. If it is apparent that a delay is going to occur, they must give notices.

"All of these kinds of admin tasks are not things that actually deliver the project, so contractors and subcontractors tend to lose focus - or should I say they don't intentionally neglect it - but because they are focussed on delivering the project, those things get neglected and that can penalise them.

"They fail to protect themselves in things that are important and overlook that 'the pen is mightier than the sword'. They neglect things like reporting, record keeping, giving notices - all that sort of thing - and that's what we do."

To find out more about the quantity surveying services provided by Quantum CPM, and the complete range of specialist services provided by the group, visit www.quantumgroup.info.