Marcus Jefford, managing director of Build Aviator explains how estimating software can help new build projects stay on track despite shortages in materials and labour.
The coronavirus has had a profound effect on every aspect of our daily lives, and unfortunately, the new build sector wasn’t spared. The number of starts on site dropped an eye-watering 52 per cent between April and June 2020 versus the previous quarter according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and, likewise, the number of completions fell by a massive 62 per cent.
While confusion on whether construction workers were able to be on site, and more recently the challenges of social distancing, haven’t helped the situation, supply and demand has disrupted our industry enormously, and in many ways.
The construction supply chain was particularly hard hit. Some building product manufacturers had to close during lockdown and run with limited staff. Then port restrictions and a blockage in the Suez Canal led to a lack of raw materials. When you then add in the challenges of adapting to social distancing, you can see why the Manufacturers’ Organisation predicts it won’t be until 2022 before companies are back to pre-COVID form.
While we’re all understanding of the challenges of the past 16 months, that doesn’t help when we’re stuck for materials mid-build, and especially as demand for products – as well as labour – have likely never been so high.
A cunning plan
While we all know someone who’s found ways around product availability with underground WhatsApp groups for bricks, blocks and plaster, this approach isn’t sustainable or a productive use of time. Instead, estimating services and/or software could hold the key to many of the challenges we now face and help us deliver new build projects on time and on budget.
Leading estimating services and software can help with product availability by integrating with merchant software, giving a truer picture of lead times and flagging potential supply issues even before the start of a project.
What’s more, as robust estimating reports also include a schedule of works, you can easily see when you’ll need harder-to-source materials and how much you’ll need too. This means you can work with your merchant to make sure it’s ordered well in advance and it’s there ready and waiting when you need it.
But of course, there’s always a time when something you need just isn’t available. In these instances, our estimating service can help too.
Smart comparison tools created by construction software providers can show the difference between an original estimate and an amended one, as well as highlight changes that may impact on safety, performance and an EPC.
Removing the need to go through a quote line by line and side by side, these tools can save you lots of hassle, mean you’re developing better quality buildings, and make it easier for you to understand why the price of an estimate has changed.
Beyond materials, these services can also help with labour, with the complementary schedule of works giving you a better idea of when you’ll need to find an electrician, a plumber or a plasterer, rather than knowing a few days before.
Drop the guestimate
As well as helping builders to overcome product and people shortages, using estimating services is also good practice for your business.
By working with an estimating service provider rather than using guestimates for your new build projects, you can ensure you save valuable time and achieve a more accurate and detailed estimate.
After uploading your plans, you’ll be assigned a dedicated estimator who has tonnes of experience in costing jobs and often, is ex-trade themself. Working together, ensuring accuracy can be the difference between profit and loss, a satisfied customer or a complaint, and a night off or a night number crunching.
When that’s done, they’ll also produce a full, professional report – including one for you and a client version if required. Your reports will contain a full materials list, schedule of work and a quote broken down section by section using your defined labour rates and profit margins.
A SAP assessment including Registered Construction Details (RCDs) can also be provided to help you translate design into build, while avoiding thermal bridging issues.
While supply and demand looks set to be a challenge for our industry for the medium term, it’s possible to overcome some of these challenges with forward planning. As well as helping you keep building, working with an estimating software provider gives you more time to run your business or be on the tools, ensures you’re working with a more detailed, accurate estimate and enables you to make more profit on your jobs.
For further information on Build Avaiator visit https://www.buildaviator.co.uk/
