Insights

Here are a few insights from a career in construction spanning nearly 25 years....

From procurement to project delivery and why this industry should be more straightforward than most make it.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Why documentation matters

After more than a decade leading preconstruction for a regional design and build contractor, I’ve seen the full spectrum of procurement approaches. One consistent theme? The quality of tender documentation matters more than many realise.

Too often, clients issue poorly structured, incomplete, or uncoordinated packs. The result? Confused tender returns, endless clarifications, and pricing that doesn’t reflect the true project intent. When main contractors receive these enquiries, they cascade them out to dozens of subcontractors – often across 40+ trades (that's 240 organisations...). Without clear requirements, subcontractors make assumptions, price risk, and submit caveated responses.

Well-structured documentation doesn’t just look tidy. It gives the supply chain a window into the project’s goals, delivery strategy, and execution plan. When subcontractors understand what’s needed, they return better, more compliant prices. That, in turn, strengthens the contractor’s overall bid – and sets the entire project up for success - and of course, it is the bedrock of a contract.

Gateway 2

Everybody needs each other, but let's not get too cosy just yet.

Gateway 2 under the Building Safety Act has transformed how high-risk residential schemes are planned. For developers in the BTR and PRS space, it brings a significant investment of time and money. On a £50m scheme, fees alone post-RIBA Stage 2 can reach £750k.

Funders typically require a JCT Design and Build contract, with clearly defined risk allocation and cost certainty. During the Gateway 2 process, the main contractor and key supply chain parties must be involved early, often under a PCSA.

Machel acts as the coordinating force - ensuring design team, contractor, supply chain and wider stakeholders perform in line with the project strategy.

We steer and maintain full control of the process while enabling the contractor to lead programme, design coordination, and procurement planning - this ensures momentum without compromising commercial or contractual positioning.

Subcontractors are critical at this stage. Detailed input is needed for fire safety systems, AOVs, lifts, MEP, cladding, and more. But their involvement must be carefully managed to avoid locking the contractor (and therefore developer) into commercial terms prematurely.

Change after Gateway 2 approval is complex and comes with risk; Machel understands the statutory change control protocols and this allows us to guide how far commitments need to be taken with the supply chain (and main contractor) until all parties are ready for the main contract - by keeping stakeholders together, in a state of readiness, without unfair commercial positioning maintains viability and serves to secure a committed delivery team - when the time is right.

Innovate. Enable. Accomplish.

A good old race to the bottom

And then the 'Procurement Officer' wants a 'chip'.....

The project information is spot on - coordinated, structured, and complete. But then procurement policies kick in, and suddenly it's back to the age-old race to the bottom.

Cost dominates. Quality becomes a formality, a compliance check rather than decision-informing.

Then comes the final twist. The Procurement Officer asks for a further discount. But why? The lowest price has already been awarded. What message does that send to the supply chain?

Procurement needs a rethink. It shouldn't be about paying more, but about smarter alignment between cost, quality, and risk. Until that happens, even the best pre-construction work can be undone by outdated, value-eroding processes.