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Is the QS role going to be dramatically different in five years because of AI? Mark Walker, Managing Director at Seddon Housing Partnerships (part of the £250m+ Seddon) answers withan immediate no. AI will help with efficiencies, and the industry should embrace it, but he is clear on what will not change. AI is not going to build trust across the supply chain. AI is not going to give you judgment. AI is not going to build relationships. Paul Heming makes a great point alongside it, tech is an unlock. It frees up time so QSs can do more of the work that actually moves projects forward. And the best use of that time? Building the relationships that make delivery smoother, decisions faster, and outcomes better. 👉 Watch the full episode now: https://lnkd.in/eJZyS4H9 #Construction #Podcast #CommercialLeadership

Paul Heming is joined by Mark Walker, Managing Director at Seddon Housing Partnerships (part of the £250m+ Seddon), to unpack the real journey behind that progression... From starting in construction at 16, through the full QS ladder, to leading an £85m social housing contractor. They get into: 🔹 Stepping up before you feel ready 🔹 Why tough projects build the judgment leaders need 🔹 Leading teams older and more experienced than you 🔹 The shift from project delivery to full commercial oversight 🔹 Building collaborative two-stage tendering cultures & much more! 👉 Listen to the full episode now: https://lnkd.in/emnPCXB2 Tune in to the Own The Build YouTube channel at 7pm to watch the full episode. #Construction #Podcast #CommercialLeadership

How do you unlock more time for commercial teams over the next 3–5 years? Christopher Hartley, former Commercial Director at McLaren Construction Group, puts it simply... Take them out of document production. Automate most of the procurement documentation, the repeatable outputs, so their time goes into what actually matters. However, this only works when information is properly managed. Using templates, subcontracts, tender enquiries all pulled from a central source gives you consistantcy across projects and regions And even with that structure in place, he makes a crucial point: Do not stop listening to your team. Templates create consistency. People create improvement. The best systems stay standardised, while still learning from the people using them every day. 🎥 Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eJZyS4H9 #Construction #Podcast #CommercialLeadership

Audits are rarely stressful because the rules are unclear. 👀 They are stressful because the gaps show up late. The fastest way to remove the surprise (and the panic) is to pressure-test your procurement process before an audit. That is exactly what our Procurement Compliance Checklist for Commercial Teams is built for 👇 It helps you review your workflow end-to-end, identify where controls break down, and tighten up the areas that create risk. Less uncertainty. Less last-minute scrambling. More confidence when it matters. Download the checklist and pressure-test your procurement process. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYrc5kM5 #Construction #Compliance #Audit

👀 Do you want a project delivered on time, on budget, and to an epic standard? Or a “perfect” contract that pushes every risk onto someone else? Kate Kennedy, Head of Legal Bids & Contract Transformation at Laing O'Rourke, puts it brilliantly in this clip. 👉 Get clear on the outcome first. Because most clients would choose the former every time… so the real question becomes: how do we set contracts and behaviours up to actually achieve that? Paul Heming makes a great parallel with leadership and management, set the outcome, avoid micromanaging the process. 🔹 Explain what success needs to look like. 🔹 Give teams room to deliver it. 🔹 Stop obsessing over every tiny lever of risk at the expense of results. A strong moment from the new Own The Build episode with Kate, focused on outcomes, trust, and what projects are supposed to achieve in the first place. Watch the full episode on YouTube👇 https://lnkd.in/esGE7qGY #Construction #Podcast

Struggling to make sense of construction contracts? 👀 In the latest Own The Build episode, Paul Heming sits down with Kate Kennedy (Head of Legal Bids & Contract Transformation at Laing O'Rourke) to dig into a big idea: What if construction contracts were actually easy to understand? Kate shares how Laing O’Rourke is piloting a simplified subcontract model, built to be shorter, easier to navigate, and far more usable day to day. They cover: - Why contracts have become so complex over the last 40 years - Why most business users struggle to understand what they’re signing up to - How clearer structure, timelines and diagrams can improve outcomes - Why real reform will need industry-wide collaboration Watch the full episode on YouTube👇 https://lnkd.in/esGE7qGY #Construction #Podcast

What if construction contracts were actually written for the people expected to use them? That is the question at the centre of the latest Own The Build episode. Paul Heming is joined by Kate Kennedy, Head of Legal Bids and Contract Transformation at Laing O'Rourke, for a fascinating conversation on why construction contracts have become so complex, and what it takes to change that. Kate shares how Laing O’Rourke is working on an industry-first initiative to simplify subcontracting, making contracts clearer, shorter, and far more practical for the people delivering projects in the real world. The conversation covers: 🔹 Why so many contracts have become harder to understand 🔹 How clearer structure, timelines, and visual design could improve understanding and outcomes 🔹 Why simplification comes before the wider conversation around fairer risk allocation 🔹 How real change may depend on collaboration across the industry A really strong episode on contract reform, practical thinking, and what better outcomes could look like for clients, contractors, and the supply chain. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eqzKfs-k #Construction #Podcast

Which is more Rock 'n Roll? On site or in the office? 👀 Definitely on site! But underneath the joke there is a valuable point. Time on site gives you a different kind of understanding. You see how jobs actually move, where pressure builds, how decisions land, and what matters in the day-to-day reality of delivery. Office experience matters as well. So does the commercial discipline that sits behind it. The value comes from having both. That broader view is what helps commercial managers make better calls, work better with teams, and understand the job beyond just one side of it. 🎥 Watch the Full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eJZyS4H9 Shout out to our guest Mark Sheridan & Host Paul Heming #Construction #Podcast #CommercialLeadership

One non-compliant purchase rarely stays as one problem... It can create delays. Extra cost. And disputes that were entirely avoidable. In complex procurement environments, compliance cannot be left to manual checks or individual diligence alone. It needs to be built into the process from the start. That is why we created the Procurement Compliance Checklist for Commercial Teams 👇 A practical resource to help teams assess their current process and spot where stronger controls can create more certainty, consistency, and visibility across the supply chain. So every procurement decision stands on firmer ground, backed by ISO-certified controls. Download the checklist and pressure-test your current process 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYrc5kM5 #Construction #Compliance #Audit