DRILLING DOWN _ FROM THE GROUND UP
Keeping track of costs Frustrated by recurring challenges in his own construction business, Andrew Phillips created a software solution to simplify his life A ndrew Phillips has led Carreg Construction in Wales for more than two decades, delivering high-end residential projects in the door becomes a final agreed cost of £1,200, with the system removing the allowance, adding the agreed figure, and updating the contract sum.
MORE INFORMATION Members interested in testing the software for a limited free period and to see how it could support your business can contact Andrew Phillips at support@agoredbuild.com. problems in my own business. It wasn’t designed as a commercial product. But it works – and I believe it can help others. This isn’t a gimmick. It’s your front-line tool for managing project finances.” functionality and forecasting – mapping variations against programmes to show time and cost impacts instantly. Phillips says: “I built this to solve looks like an app. It is hosted securely on Microsoft Azure, with both parties accessing the same real-time data. “The accuracy is 100%. It produces a live, up-to-date contract sum at all times.” And it’s intuitive. “None of our clients have needed training. Once you’re in, you understand it.” So what’s next? Future developments could include integration with accounting software, automatic invoicing, payment clie yo developer. “They knew nothing about construction. I had to teach them terms like provisional sum and variation.” Together Phillips and the developer built the software, tested it on live projects and refined it. Lessons learnt Most importantly, Phillips says, the software works, solving the problems he set out to remedy. When it comes to implementation, he has insights to share. “Both parties need to be willing,” Phillips says. “Most clients are because they see the benefit – accurate, controlled reporting of costs.” The few clients who have refused to use the system “turned out to be our most difficult.” The software is server-based but M M s a y P So Fut int aut fun var tim P pro de wo Th too
“We’ve run £1 million-plus projects through the system – probably £3–5 million worth of work in total – without disputes,” Phillips explains. “Everything is agreed in real time and documented.” It also simplifies applications for payment. Phillips can select items from the original quote and approved variations, claim a percentage or value, and generate a new report in minutes. The problem this tech solves Phillips says: “Most builders understand construction, but many struggle with clearly, accurately and transparently communicating costs.” The software is about removing friction – usually money disputes – between client and builder. Once Phillips had his mindmaps drawn, he partnered with a software
private sector. Throughout, a common challenge arose: keeping track of costs and communications with clients. What started with a hand-drawn mindmap soon transformed into the software solution, AGOREDBuild. (In Welsh, ‘agored’ means ‘open’.) What is AGOREDBuild? “This is about communication and cost control. It’s not an estimating tool,” Phillips says. “I didn’t want to overcomplicate it. “In private work, construction is a transaction between two parties – builder and client. It’s like a tennis match – I send something, you send it back.” The system captures all exchanges: quotes, variations and claims. Clients receive a notification, open it on their phone, and can query, amend, reject or approve. Once approved, it is recorded transparently, effectively like a mini- contract within the main contract. So if a £1,000 provisional sum for a
FIX IT WITH SOFTWARE
ANDREW PHILLIPS, Director of Carreg Construction in Wales
28 Master Builder SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT T
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