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Understanding your Business - 10 Point Checklist

Whether you’ve been in business for decades, or just getting started, knowing where you stand now and where you want to be in the future can help set you on the path towards your goals. It’s a simple process but one so often overlooked, and the benefits are well worth the time. Coming up with a list of core business objectives will help you identify your speciality and target market. It’s all about recognising your personal and professional ambitions and making decisions that will steer you towards those goals. 

Contract Administration

An essential part of a construction company’s daily routine is the administration of contracts, between it and suppliers, sub-contractors, or clients. All payments and delivery terms will be detailed within a contract, with any disputes generally settled by reference to it. This is why contact administration is important to the smooth running of individual projects, its components, and the construction company as a whole.

Essentially there are three parts to a contract, which is best produced as a formal written document:

Contract Checklist (Residential Construction)

When preparing to go to contract with a client, you’ll need to pay particular attention to clauses that may need to be added over and above those found in standard contracts available form State governments and building associations.

Working to a checklist will help both builder and client consider all contract information that will be needed.

What does a contract cover?

The Importance of Understanding the Mediation Process

Disputes are not uncommon within the building industry. Mediation is a process by which these disputes can be resolved without recourse to the courts, an action which can be both time consuming and expensive. The mediation format is structured to encourage open communication between the parties in dispute.

When a dispute cannot be resolved internally the issue can be directed to the courts, but there are also other alternatives:

Ensuring Environmental Compliance Through Planning

Environmental compliance is an important issue. It applies to construction worksites, building companies and contractors who must adhere to all current legislation.  The penalties for breaches of environmental law can be severe and land you in court (with even accidental breaches possibly resulting in prosecution).

Ignorance is no defence and everyone in your business is responsible for minimising risk and being aware of the issues relating to your business and the site.  Compliance is achieved through a comprehensive approach which involves:

Achieving Success by Programming Your Project

The success of any building project depends upon how it is managed from beginning to end. A project plan is an invaluable tool in the initiation, continuation, and delivery of any project, with wide ranging benefits, such as:

  • A timetable of tasks to be completed;
  • Resource requirements diarised;
  • Milestones to work to;
  • Flagging of statutory building inspections.

Such a program helps management to work on the project rather than in the project.

Site Establishment

Effective site layout has an understated effect on workforce morale, and directly flows through to site productivity. On top of this, a well-designed and properly maintained site is rewarded by client recognition of professional management and high quality work.

This course examines key areas of site establishment, including:

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