Own The Build

In the tenth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by Mark Cahill, Commercial Director at Rowland Homes, a family-owned housebuilder delivering over 400 homes annually across the North West, with a turnover exceeding £120m.

Mark's journey into construction began with a simple email.

As a student, inspired by his father who worked in commercial management, Mark contacted Wainhomes asking for two weeks of work experience. That opportunity turned into three months, then a full-time position, and ultimately a career that would take him from Commercial Trainee to Commercial Director.

Today, Mark leads a commercial team of more than 10 people at Rowland Homes, having previously held senior positions at Wainhomes and Countryside/Vistry.

The conversation explores:

• How a simple email and a willingness to put himself forward helped launch Mark's career in Quantity Surveying.
• Why the skills that make you a successful QS or Commercial Manager aren't necessarily the skills that make you a successful Commercial Director.
• The distinction between margin protection and margin creation — and why understanding that difference is fundamental to progressing into senior leadership.
• Why aspiring Commercial Directors need to get involved earlier in projects, particularly during land acquisition, investment decisions and preconstruction.
• How consistently volunteering for additional responsibility can accelerate your career.
• Why some of the best future commercial leaders aren't necessarily the strongest technical Quantity Surveyors.
• The importance of communication, delegation and developing the next generation of commercial professionals.
• How housebuilders are navigating a challenging market, skills shortages and the increasing influence of AI.
• Why composure is one of the most underrated qualities in commercial leadership.

One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is Mark's belief that you need to put yourself forward for opportunities before you're necessarily ready for them.

Whether that means volunteering to support a colleague, asking to attend an investment meeting or stepping into a leadership position unexpectedly, Mark's career demonstrates the value of taking responsibility beyond your immediate role.

Mark also shares a particularly important distinction for ambitious Quantity Surveyors:

"Margin protection gets you to management. Margin creation gets you to directorship."

The episode closes with a reflection on the importance of giving others the opportunities you were once given, and why great commercial leadership means looking beyond individual projects and short-term financial results to the long-term success of the business.

A practical and inspiring conversation for Quantity Surveyors, Commercial Managers and aspiring Commercial Directors looking to understand what it really takes to progress into senior leadership.

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This episode is sponsored by:

• clearnorth — The QS People: https://www.clearnorth.co.uk/
• CLIC — The Commercial Leadership Collective: https://www.the-clic.co.uk/

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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s eBooks Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Martin Balaam, CEO and Founder of Pimberly, to explore a problem almost every Quantity Surveyor has encountered:

You've been asked to value engineer a package and find an equivalent product. Where do you actually start?

Paul takes the conversation back to his time working on Battersea Power Station, where finding an alternative to a specified product eventually unlocked around £1.5m in commercial savings — but took months of research, conversations, technical reviews and meetings to get there.

Why should finding a genuinely equivalent product be so difficult?

Martin explains how fragmented construction product information remains, with critical data spread across specifications, manufacturers' websites, technical PDFs and different systems — often described completely differently by different suppliers.

The conversation explores:

• what "or equivalent" really means when trying to value engineer a specification;
• how QSs should distinguish between technical requirements and more subjective considerations such as aesthetics, carbon, origin and client preference;
• why poor and inconsistent product data makes comparing alternatives so difficult;
• how better structured product information could transform value engineering and procurement;
• what happens when AI gets access to properly structured construction product data;
• whether an AI agent could eventually search hundreds of products and identify the best alternatives based on price, programme, carbon, warranty and technical performance;
• how QSs can already use AI to interrogate specifications and identify potential VE opportunities;
• why the quality of the instructions and data you give AI remains critical; and
• what contractors should start capturing during procurement today to make better commercial decisions tomorrow.

Martin paints a fascinating picture of where this could ultimately go.

Instead of a QS spending months researching alternatives, an AI agent could potentially interrogate the specification, search the market and return a shortlist of technically compliant products — showing the commercial and programme trade-offs of each.

Perhaps eventually it could even order the samples ahead of the design meeting.

For Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers, that could fundamentally change how we approach value engineering, product selection and procurement.

A practical look at a very familiar construction problem — and how data and AI could make solving it dramatically easier.

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This episode is sponsored by:

• clearnorth — The QS People: https://www.clearnorth.co.uk/
• CLIC — The Commercial Leadership Collective: https://www.the-clic.co.uk/

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s eBooks Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Len Foster, construction professional turned communication coach and founder of The Referral Edge, to explore one of the most important — yet rarely taught — skills in commercial management: how to communicate effectively and read the room.

Len started his career on the tools as an apprentice joiner before progressing through site management, contracts management and planning, including senior roles with major contractors such as John Sisk. Today, he specialises in communication, speaking and helping professionals better understand the people sitting opposite them.

The conversation explores:

• why communication isn't a soft skill for QSs — it's a commercial and financial skill;
• how to establish someone's baseline behaviour before a negotiation starts;
• what changes in body language, tone and behaviour can tell you during a difficult commercial meeting;
• why you should never interpret a single gesture — such as folded arms — in isolation;
• how to use curiosity and questions to understand what is really happening on the other side of the table;
• why "Are we comfortable with that?" can be more effective than immediately asking "Are we agreed?";
• how silence can become one of your most powerful tools in a negotiation;
• why great listeners hear not only what somebody is saying, but what they actually mean; and
• what to do when somebody raises their voice, checks their phone or suddenly goes quiet during a negotiation.

Len introduces a simple principle that commercial professionals can immediately take into their next meeting:

ABC — Always Be Curious.

Rather than trying to decode every gesture or assume you know what someone is thinking, use the signals you notice as an opportunity to discover more.

Because whether you're negotiating a variation, agreeing a final account, managing a client or sitting across the table from a subcontractor, your technical knowledge only gets you so far.

The best commercial professionals also know how to read the person sitting opposite them.

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This episode is sponsored by:

• clearnorth — The QS People: https://www.clearnorth.co.uk/
• CLIC — The Commercial Leadership Collective: https://www.the-clic.co.uk/

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s eBooks Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this Own the Build Question Time episode, Paul is joined once again by Chris Barber, COO and Co-Founder of C-Link, to tackle four real-world commercial dilemmas faced by Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers.

First up: would you pay £100,000 more for a subcontractor you already know and trust?

Paul and Chris debate the value of certainty, relationships and proven performance against the very real pressure to protect project margin. They explore how work references, site visits, supply chain strategy and the wider needs of the business should influence a tender recommendation.

The conversation also explores:

• how much a proven subcontractor relationship is actually worth;
• whether introducing a new supplier can create value beyond the immediate £100k saving;
• the biggest positive and negative margin swings Paul and Chris experienced during their QS careers;
• how a £1.3m value engineering opportunity transformed the commercial position on one of Paul's projects;
• why mistakes made during the design phase can have enormous commercial consequences;
• why bad news and potential variations should be communicated as early as possible;
• whether a QS expecting a project to finish at 10% margin should report the gain when only 6% can currently be substantiated; and
• how to balance commercial prudence with giving senior leadership an accurate view of where profit really sits within the business.

The final question leads to an important discussion about CVRs: rather than hiding potential upside or releasing it all too early, can commercial teams identify the key milestones that allow margin to be progressively unlocked as project risk reduces?

From subcontractor selection and supply chain relationships to CVRs, margin and lessons learned, this is a practical Question Time episode about something every commercial professional has to develop:

making good commercial decisions when the answer isn't black and white.

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This episode is sponsored by:

• clearnorth — The QS People: https://www.clearnorth.co.uk/
•  CLIC — The Commercial Leadership Collective: https://www.the-clic.co.uk/

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s eBooks Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In the ninth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by Jonathan Solly, Cost Management Partner at Ridge, to explore the consultancy-side journey from Assistant QS to Partner — and what it takes to make the transition from being a technically strong QS to becoming a business leader. 

Jon started his career in accountancy before moving into construction as an M&E subcontractor QS. After joining Ridge as an Assistant QS, he progressed through the business over the following decade, ultimately becoming Partner and taking responsibility for a 13-person cost management team with a turnover of circa £2m.

The conversation explores:

•  why being a technically excellent QS will only take your career so far; 
•  the point at which ambitious QSs need to start thinking about the business, not just their projects; 
•  why learning to delegate client relationships was one of Jon's biggest leadership breakthroughs; 
•  the challenge of stepping into leadership as a relatively young Partner and learning to give respectful challenge; 
•  how Jon approaches recruitment, culture and developing the next generation of QSs; 
•  why good succession planning ultimately means making yourself less essential; and 
•  the career opportunities available in consultancy for contractor QSs looking for greater variety and a different work-life balance. 

Jon also explains why aspiring leaders should stop asking only, "What should I be doing?" and start asking, "What could I be doing?"

It captures one of the strongest themes to emerge throughout the Leadership Series: progressing into senior leadership requires more than being brilliant at your day job. At some point, you have to shift from being a great technician to creating value for the wider business.

A practical conversation for Quantity Surveyors, Associates and aspiring Partners — as well as contractor QSs curious about what a career on the consultancy side could look like.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Matt Mackey, Director at Contollo, who has recently returned to UK construction after spending 16 years working in Australia.

Having left the UK during the aftermath of the financial crisis, Matt went on to build and lead cost and commercial management teams in Australia before returning to Manchester in 2026.

So, after 16 years away, what does someone coming back into UK construction notice?

The conversation explores:

• why many of the problems Matt remembers from 2010 are still being discussed today;
• the major differences between the role of a QS in the UK and Australia;
• why procurement continues to drive a race to the bottom despite decades of conversations about collaboration and value;
• whether QSs and client-side advisors have inadvertently contributed to the industry's obsession with lowest price;
• why main contractors can't genuinely change their relationship with the supply chain until risk and behaviours change at client level;
• how heavily amended contracts can undermine collaborative behaviours before a project has even started;
• why early contractor involvement only works when collaboration continues beyond the preconstruction stage;
• what the industry could learn from the way projects operated during COVID, when clients and contractors were forced to solve problems together; and
• why construction's short-term, project-by-project mentality continues to hold back MMC, innovation and genuine industry improvement.

Matt also compares the two markets directly: Australia's greater speed and use of less-amended standard contracts versus the UK's stronger structure, processes and definition of roles.

Ultimately, the conversation asks a bigger question.

After Latham, Egan and decades of discussion about collaboration, procurement and productivity, why are we still trying to solve so many of the same problems?

A thought-provoking conversation for Quantity Surveyors, Commercial Directors, contractors and client-side professionals interested in how we create a more sustainable construction industry.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this episode, Paul is joined by James Pearson, a freelance Quantity Surveyor with nearly 20 years' experience across UK construction, to explore the commercial habits that keep projects under control — and how AI is beginning to change the way QSs work.

James shares his approach to managing projects through a structured commercial calendar, explaining why reporting what happened last month isn't the same as actively managing what happens next.

The conversation explores:

• why projects rarely lose commercial control overnight — and the small disciplines that begin to disappear first;
• how James structures his month around valuations, forecasting, CVRs, variations and commercial administration;
• why programme delays and constant firefighting quickly destroy good commercial management;
• how regular progress meetings and strong relationships help identify risk before it becomes a commercial problem;
• how James is already using AI to interrogate contracts, test claims and strengthen commercial arguments; and
• why QSs should use AI as an experienced colleague or consultant — rather than asking it to do their job for them.

James also shares how AI helped him develop the contractual argument behind a multimillion-pound dispute, before offering a warning to QSs simply outsourcing their thinking to the technology.

His view is simple:

use AI to make yourself a better QS — don't use it to replace the skills that make you valuable in the first place.

A practical conversation for Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers looking to improve their commercial discipline while understanding how AI can become part of their everyday toolkit.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Kevin Horner, Procurement Operations Leader at Laing O'Rourke, Board Director at SSIP, and a member of several Build UK working groups, for an in-depth look at what procurement really looks like inside one of the UK's largest contractors. 

While procurement is often viewed as simply "buying subcontractors", Kevin reveals that modern Tier 1 procurement is far more strategic—balancing supply chain capability, governance, compliance, commercial risk and long-term relationships to deliver better project outcomes.

The conversation explores:

•  why procurement and quantity surveying play different—but equally critical—roles in project delivery; 
•  how early contractor and early supply chain involvement through PCSAs reduces risk and improves design certainty; 
•  why quality, compliance and capability should take priority over lowest price; 
•  the hidden complexity of managing procurement across hundreds of suppliers, multiple regions and major infrastructure projects; and 
•  how digitisation, AI and better data could transform procurement over the next decade. 

Paul and Kevin also discuss Laing O'Rourke's work on contract simplification, the importance of building long-term strategic relationships with the supply chain, and why the industry must stop passing down unmanaged risk if it wants to improve productivity and reduce insolvencies.

The episode closes with a powerful message:

great procurement isn't about buying cheaper—it's about building stronger supply chains, better projects and a more sustainable construction industry.

A fascinating conversation for Quantity Surveyors, Procurement Professionals, Commercial Directors and anyone looking to understand how leading contractors are rethinking procurement in 2026.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In this Own the Build Question Time episode, Paul is joined by Chris Barber, COO and Co-Founder of C-Link, to answer listener questions on the realities of working commercially in construction — including the mistakes, difficult meetings and relationships that shape you as a QS. 

This episode gets particularly candid, with Paul and Chris looking back on their own careers and sharing some of the lessons they learned the hard way.

The conversation explores:

•  the toughest meetings they experienced as young QSs and why preparation matters; 
•  their biggest commercial mistakes and what they changed as a result; 
•  when new technology and ERP systems can actually make commercial teams less efficient rather than more efficient; 
•  why understanding the workflow before implementing technology is critical; 
•  the importance of keeping your emotions — and your poker face — under control during negotiations; and 
•  what separates the best commercial counterparts from the people you never want to work with again. 

Paul and Chris also discuss why fairness and pragmatism in variation management can completely change the dynamic between main contractors, subcontractors and consultants.

The underlying message is simple:

some of the most valuable lessons in commercial management come from getting things wrong, learning quickly and making sure you don't make the same mistake twice.

A candid and practical Question Time episode for QSs and commercial professionals at every stage of their careers.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.

In the eighth episode of the Own the Build Leadership Series, Paul is joined by David Taylor, former Group Commercial Director at Costain, where he spent over a decade on the Executive Board helping lead one of the UK's largest infrastructure contractors. 

From starting his career as a trainee estimator at Taylor Woodrow to leading complex PFI programmes, resolving some of the industry's most challenging projects, and ultimately becoming Group Commercial Director, David shares the experiences, decisions and leadership principles that shaped a remarkable 43-year career.

The conversation explores:

•  why putting your hand up for difficult projects is often the biggest accelerator of a career; 
•  how becoming known as a problem solver opened doors throughout his leadership journey; 
•  why preparation, stakeholder management and strategic thinking separate good commercial professionals from great leaders; 
•  how to build influence across clients, supply chains and executive teams; and 
•  why succession planning is one of the most important responsibilities of any leader. 

David also reflects on leading through major industry change, his philosophy of "commercial foresight", and the importance of leaving organisations stronger than you found them—including the carefully planned succession that saw him hand over the Group Commercial Director role before retiring.

The episode closes with a powerful message:

don't chase job titles—chase opportunities to solve difficult problems, earn trust and create value. The leadership opportunities will follow.

A fascinating conversation for QSs, Commercial Managers, Commercial Directors and anyone with ambitions of leading at the very highest level in construction.

---------------------------------

📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:

Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success

Send us Fan Mail

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link. 

C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.

Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.