7 Elements Of Successful Construction Project
Starting a construction company can be a challenging process for most people.
Without any experience in the field of construction, it can be extremely hard to make sure that you take the right steps along the way.
The UK is seeing a severe shortage in skills in the trade industry, with around 56% of organisations expressing this sentiment.
While a skills gap is not always good, it can present the opportunity for skilled tradespeople to set up their businesses and take advantage of the shortage.
Below are the most common mistakes new business owners make when setting up a construction company:
1. Not having a business plan
You have to have enough money to get your company off the ground. You should have a business plan that clearly shows the costs of running the business, as well as revenue streams.
There are 3 main ways to finance a construction business:
1. Bootstrapping: fund your start-up yourself
2. Get support from friends and family
3. Request a small business grant from a government or a loan from a bank
Estimate your start-up costs and ongoing expenses, and make sure you have a solid plan for generating revenue.
2. Finding great and loyal employees
Due to the current tradespeople shortage in the UK, it can be difficult to find employees you can trust.
Ivy is an established construction recruitment agency with years of experience in supplying temporary, contract, and permanent staff to the construction industry, including Trades & Labour, Shopfitting & Interiors, Civil Engineering & Infrastructure, Mechanical & Electrical, Rail, Maintenance, Facilities Management, Construction Professionals, Asbestos & Demolition and Business Support.
3. Finding reliable suppliers
Reliable suppliers provide quality materials and goods, which means they directly impact customer satisfaction, profitability, and overall efficiency.
Take the time to research potential suppliers before making any commitments.
Your suppliers include material suppliers, skip hire services, couriers, and more.
Ideal suppliers should meet or exceed your expectations regarding the quality of their goods and services and ensure a certain level of consistency.
When purchasing items like pneumatic actuator valve, you must ensure that your supplier can provide material with consistent performance characteristics.
4. Legal knowledge
Having a basic understanding of commercial construction law in your area will be vital before you can start something like this.
Assuming you have land available, it should be fairly easy to figure out your legal obligations before you start.
In most cases, your building will need to meet specific standards, but you will also need to get things like planning permits and permission before you can break ground on your project. It is crucial that you don’t break the law when you are working on your building.
5. Construction knowledge
Alongside knowing the law, you also need to understand construction.
There are loads of methods available for those who want to put together a business building. You can gain this knowledge from a variety of sources, including courses on the internet. This is something you need to do before you get started, or you could quickly find yourself getting into a mess with your planning.
Why is this important?
Because it’s easy to get stuck with a job you can’t complete. Your goal is consistently complete jobs within your abilities and not taking on work that is too difficult or not profitable enough.
6. Professional support & oversight
Even if you plan to do the bulk of the work for yourself, it is recommended to seek out professional support when you are working on a bigger building project.
Companies like The Oakland Group can make your construction process much smoother, where they provide help in every aspect of your project. This is especially important once you get to the stage when you are testing your building and making sure that it meets the right standards.
If you’re looking for help with something specific, for example plumbing, you could go straight to a specialist. For instance, packaged pump systems can be complicated to install and maintain, so it’s worth bringing in a professional who is experienced in this area.
7. Health & Safety knowledge
According to government statistics, 1.7 million people in the UK dealt with a workplace illness or injury in 2021 alone
As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that your employees are safe at work.
Below are some tips that you can use to start improving your workplace safety:
• Carry out regular risk assessments at your workplace, to ensure that there is no hazards present that may not immediately be obvious.
• When updating your workplace safety policy, consider adding a section that deals with drug and alcohol consumption. This is due to the fact that substance use can significantly inhibit a person’s judgement and behaviour. Many workplaces use Drager Alcotest to monitor these behaviours within the workplace.
• Ensure that several members of your team are highly trained in first aid or similar skills so that they are able to offer support whenever an accident takes place.
• Ensure that employees are provided all of the necessary health and safety equipment and training they need in order to carry out their work. That may mean that you need a portable office to manage the site and as a base where you can direct operations and keep tabs on everyone working on site.
