Show Notes
In this episode, Paul is joined by Marc Preston —Quantity Surveyor, dispute resolution specialist, registered counsellor and CEO of New Foundation Counselling—to discuss one of the construction industry's biggest challenges: Why are we still losing so many people to poor mental health? Drawing on decades of experience across Tier 1 contracting, development, dispute resolution and counselling, Mark shares a unique perspective on the commercial and cultural changes needed to make construction a...
More from Own The Build
In this episode, Paul is joined by Martin Balaam, CEO and Founder of Pimberly, to explore a problem almost every Quantity Surveyor has encountered: You've been asked to value engineer a package and find an equivalent product. Where do you actually start? Paul takes the conversation back to his time working on Battersea Power Station, where finding an alternative to a specified product eventually unlocked around £1.5m in commercial savings — but took months of research, conversations, technica...
In this episode, Paul is joined by Len Foster, construction professional turned communication coach and founder of The Referral Edge, to explore one of the most important — yet rarely taught — skills in commercial management: how to communicate effectively and read the room. Len started his career on the tools as an apprentice joiner before progressing through site management, contracts management and planning, including senior roles with major contractors such as John Sisk. Today, he special...
In this Own the Build Question Time episode, Paul is joined once again by Chris Barber, COO and Co-Founder of C-Link, to tackle four real-world commercial dilemmas faced by Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers. First up: would you pay £100,000 more for a subcontractor you already know and trust? Paul and Chris debate the value of certainty, relationships and proven performance against the very real pressure to protect project margin. They explore how work references, site visits, supply...
In the ninth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by Jonathan Solly, Cost Management Partner at Ridge, to explore the consultancy-side journey from Assistant QS to Partner — and what it takes to make the transition from being a technically strong QS to becoming a business leader. Jon started his career in accountancy before moving into construction as an M&E subcontractor QS. After joining Ridge as an Assistant QS, he progressed through the business over th...
In this episode, Paul is joined by Matt Mackey, Director at Contollo, who has recently returned to UK construction after spending 16 years working in Australia. Having left the UK during the aftermath of the financial crisis, Matt went on to build and lead cost and commercial management teams in Australia before returning to Manchester in 2026. So, after 16 years away, what does someone coming back into UK construction notice? The conversation explores: why many of the problems Matt remembers...