We are fast approaching our 1 Year anniversary with ADNZ, where we first showcased Red QS to the National Conference held in our home town of Christchurch.
The response we received at that conference far exceeded our expectations and prompted us shortly after to join the ADNZ as a Business Partner. A Partnership that has proved to be beneficial to us in more ways than just a logo to add to our website, or an introduction here and there.
The response has been significant.
We have been around the country meeting designers face to face, and attended Regional Meetings in Nelson, Dunedin and Auckland. We have seen the market shift, and have witnessed first hand the delays in projects and the uncertainty around progress. We have experienced increased price pressure added to the cost of construction and we have seen resilience and resolve to push forward and make projects happen regardless.
It’s been an interesting year to say the least.
A year on, and what have we really learnt.
We have learnt……
Architects / Designers are busy people and are extremely hard to get in front of.
We have made literally hundreds of phone calls, and travelled from one end of the country to the other and are yet to meet even one tenth of the designers out there. We get it, you are bombarded with sales reps on a daily basis, promoting the latest in this and that, and you just want to get on with your work. We are not offended. Honestly.
Once we meet with a designer, and working together we get the first Quantity Surveying job across the line, we invariably become part of the team.
We now have numerous designers around the country who use our services on every project. We are part of their team. The Designer, the Geotech, the Engineer and the QS. What a team it makes.
Getting a project off to good start takes great design, great communication and a trust that the team will pull together to make the project work. It all starts at Concept Stage.
We have paid particular attention to Concept Plan pricing, and we have been speaking to everyone we can about the importance of understanding the budget right from the start. As early as possible in the project life, we want to be involved. We want to provide the clarity of cost knowledge to your clients. When cost is understood, decisions can be made. In an ever evolving market where costs are fluctuating, mostly in one direction, cost clarity is the key to being able to progress. Our Concept Plan pricing schedules are an absolute must if you want to keep your clients and your projects moving.
Canterbury is the toughest market to crack.
Even though we call Canterbury Home, we still find this market to be the toughest in the country. For some reason Canterbury is focused on cheap. Cheap to design, cheap to build, and a focus based solely on square metre rates that is not seen anywhere else around the country. We find that the clients in Canterbury exert so much pressure on their designers to drive the design price down, that the designers are reluctant to “induce” further costs into a project by recommending a Quantity Surveyor, and as such projects stall. The clients might be cost driven by nature, but then cannot make decisions because they don’t have information to do so. Then the project stalls.
Come on Canterbury. We have made some good progress with some of Christchurch’s top designers, and are now seeing repeat custom from them, but there is a long way to go before we feel like a shift has happened.
We will be back at the ADNZ Conference again this year, and we are looking forward to seeing many of the designers we have met along the way this past year, and of course looking forward to meeting with all the new faces we are yet to see.
From Concept pricing, to Fully Tendered Projects, we are here to support you and your clients.
Why not give us a shot.
Give Jeff a call on Ph.027 238 1396, or email : jeff.root@redqs.nz