Emily Ireland

⚖️ Dragged Into Adjudication Again? You’re Not Alone! 🏗️ Most of us in construction have been pulled into the whirlwind of adjudication at some point. It’s a pain, right? It takes us away from the work we actually enjoy and often leaves a sour taste. But hey, it’s part of the gig. Despite its frustrations, I often get asked about the basics of the adjudication process. If you’re stuck in it or just want to understand what you’re getting into, you’re in luck! We’ve put together a no-nonsense guide that breaks it all down: Understanding the Adjudication Process. Got your own horror stories or questions about adjudication? Let’s commiserate in the comments. At least we’re all in this together! #Adjudication #ConstructionDisputes #ProjectManagement https://smpl.is/9gt5a

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A new client of mine asked me to look over a short-form contract they signed in June, project was supposed to start in September but keeps getting delayed. Now due to start in the next few weeks. Anyway, you wouldn't believe some of the terms I found... ❌ 5% MCD on all items; ❌ 15% MCD on all variations and/or dayworks; ❌ "No order, no pay" - i.e. invoices received without quoting the order number will be returned unpaid; ❌ All variations / amendments must have a new order number or "No order, no pay" ❌ "If this order is not returned signed within 5 days all the information / Terms and Conditions will be deemed as accepted" Unfortunately, my client signed and returned this to the Contractor prior to getting in touch with me! 🙈 The worst part?? My client had consulted a QS before me who advised him to sign it!! #contractreview #shocked #QS

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Good Afternoon, I am currently collecting data to form part of my Dissertation as I approach the end of my final year at Sheffield Hallam University. I am inviting ALL FEMALES to complete my questionnaire; the reason why I am asking only females to complete this questionnaire is due to the nature of my question ‘Is the success of women in the construction industry impacted by Motherhood?’ The nature of the data can be deemed to be SENSITIVE due to the subject matter.  The data you provide will enable me to assess the current and historical views and knowledge you have on this subject and compare it against current views from those with a foot in the construction industry and the to get a true reflection of what once was, how far we have come and how far we have left to go. My key objectives are: ·        Identify what concerns women working in the industry have about pregnancy in relation to their career progression. ·        Investigate why women have these concerns. ·        Investigate if how women feel about pregnancy whilst working in the industry have changed over time. ·        Critically analyse what are the construction industry doing to help improve this. ·        Critically analyse what are the government doing to help improve this. https://lnkd.in/evkjpmuc Many thanks in advance :)

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Salaries in Building Surveying are starting to become conflicting, once again, between Employers and Employees. Below is a chart of salaries since 2004 and the fee generation required. (LONDON) These are determined by a salary placed in April 2004 for an Associate Director at £50,000 which today equates to £86,500 and is pretty much accurate to the market in 2024. We can see that the fee generation required, starting at £150,000 in 2004 is £261,500 in 2024. Is this a true reflection of what is happening in the market? Be the Best You Can Be ..... #buildingsurveying #buildingsurveyors #buildingsurveyor #salaries

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This last Tuesday, 03/09, myself, Lizzie Pickup and Laura Smith had the opportunity to spend a day in Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Training Centre. What an incredible experience! Thanks to Women Talking Fire who organised this CPD, and for OFR Consultants for facilitating our attendance. This was an amazing opportunity to raise awareness about firefighting operations while also getting hand-on, sharing knowledge among many professionals in the fire industry, and learning about the day-to-day firefighting equipment, procedures and protocols. The Cheshire FRS crew was so approachable, engaging and generous! We were divided in small groups and rotated through 5 stations where the respective crew in charge explained a particular aspect of firefighting, demonstrations and their challenges, ranging from: a) How they work in an incident command, what resources they have, how they train people, etc. b) Familiarization with the fire appliance and their equipment including their breathing apparatus; c) How they use water provisions from hydrants or an open water source; d) The types of firefighting selection tests, particularly the fitness test, which we had the opportunity to try. In this test, applicants have to do a series of activities within 4:47 minutes – and I was so exhilarated to hear that I did it in 4:51 minutes! Woop woop! haha e) The high rise procedures and equipment they currently use. We also got to see a real-life simulation of how they operate in a fire incident – bringing together everything we had seen and learned throughout the day. I’ve filmed it so you can enjoy watching it too :) I would highly recommend others to undergo such activities too whenever they get an opportunity. #fireengineering #womeninfire #fireservice #firefighting #design #OFRconsultants #Womentalkingfire #Cheshirefireandrescue #networking #CPD

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World Mental Health Day 🌎🧠 It’s that time of year again where we all see pictures and posts of how we should promote and be wary of Mental Health. After doing a little research online last night, here are some quite shocking statistics from 2023 for everybody to visually see. 🤔 - Construction workers are SIX TIMES more likely to die from mental health than a dangerous fall. - Work-related stresses caused mental health problems for 82% of UK builders. This includes travel, team relationships, supply chain issues, and general sector stresses such as rising costs. - Males working in construction are three times more likely to die from suicide than males in other sectors. - More than 50% of UK builders say they have struggled with mental health problems during 2023. - 73% of construction workers say they consistently struggle with mental health every month. This shows that there is still lots of work to be done to make lasting improvements and tackle the issue at its root cause. Suicide rates within the construction sector are higher than in any other UK industry. Speak up & Speak out. Coming from somebody who knows and has learnt the hard way, don’t suffer in silence ❤️

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"In UK construction, detailed building documentation is more than just a helpful tool—it’s the foundation for success. Accurate records ensure teams can make informed decisions, minimizing risks and delays. Have you faced challenges due to incomplete documentation?"

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One of the creeds Quantity Surveyors need to live by BE SO GOOD THAT THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU 🔥Become rare and valuable 🔥Spend 30 minutes everyday on developing your knowledge and skills 🔥Work harder on yourself than on your job 🔥Write down your accomplishments for the week 🔥Set goals of back to back promotions 🔥Study your project and all it’s finer details intensely 🔥Rate your performance this week out of 10 🔥Do not rely on your manager or your company 🔥Build your own high performance curriculum 🔥Develop skills that computers can’t take over 🔥Think long term 🔥Take full responsibility for your career and point all fingers back at you 🔥Predict problems that are going to arise on projects 🔥Find problems that others can’t find 🔥Solve problems that others can’t solve 🔥See your day as a learning platform rather than a job 🔥The goal is mastery. This can only be earned through hard work 🔥Follow the 70-20-10 learning rule 🔥Find 3 of the best QS’s in the world and copy what they do 🔥Understand the foundational principles of construction 🔥Go slow and build your knowledge and skills properly 🔥Forget years of experience, focus on results 🔥The deeper the foundation, the taller the career 🔥Don’t chase promotions, chase knowledge and skills 🔥Don’t chase income, chase impact 🔥Be useful by adding more value than anyone else 🔥Fill in the gaps of your knowledge every single day 🔥Make your managers job much easier 🔥Develop your playbook full of successful tactics and strategies 🔥Many QS’s can control costs on a project. Only a few can add 2% margin Become the few and influence the many Success is assured

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Something I have suggest many years ago is a simple solution but nobody is willing to take it up because the height safety industry is unregulated & full of cowboys, unfortunately an industry oversight not addressed by goverment, even with falls from heights the leading cause to most serious injury’s and fatalities over the last decade. The solution. To training explained. AI ( Artificial intelligence ) followed by accredited training facilities “TASK SPECIFIC MODULES” and in refrence to the current falls code of practice set me the regulator “SafeWork Australia”. This could be as simple as an online goverment App on MyGov for example. It would have training modules for competencey based training, it would include questions and answers “not a test”, It would be designed to give everyone and anyone the tools they need to safely carry out the tasks under current law, right, obligations as a PCBU duty holder. HOWEVER - when misleading misinformation and disinformation and maladministration is present this unfortunately prevents the course of justice, even more so in an unregulated height safety industry driven by “vested interests” and plausible deniability” As I said nobody cares about falls from heights.!

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Hi everyone, Health and safety at work is the primary concern for anyone who steps foot across that threshold on site. Your own health and safety, others health and safety and not forgetting the publics health and safety for those who do not step over but step on by the site. Everyday, no matter how hard everyone tries from the site manager down to the labourer and even the contracts manager or director even the client on their weekly/monthly site walk about, a noticeable point for health and safety will be spotted, it happens but everyone needs to try to not make it happen. I know people will say “ have you ever worked on a site “ and yes i have for many years and yes i fully understand that you can ask someone to hang up a 110v lead as it is trailing across the floor, watch them do, be satisfied, walk off and then return 5 minutes later to find the same lead that was hung up minutes ago to be back lying on the floor ready for someone to trip on it and when you ask around, no one touched it, moved it or even saw it fall down or you can walk past someone mixing up concrete on the bell mixer, not wearing the appropriate eye protection, speak to them about it, hand them your glasses you have in your pocket, watch them put them on and carry on, walk away and the return minutes later, only to see the same operative not wearing the glasses you gave them and better still not know where they are. It is very frustrating working on a site, trying to manage the health & safety side of things, especially as and I don’t mean this to be rude, a lot of the older generation are very mind set in how they carry out tasks or even just work throughout the day , saying that others from different generations are just as bad, with some, who just believe it will never happen to them or what they may do will not harm their co workers but we all must work safely and go home healthily at the end of the day. Daily briefings Toolbox talks One to one’s News letters The Half an Hour Health and Saftey Chat !!! EVERYONE MUST BE HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCIOUS !!!

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Attracting Top Talent in a Competitive Market 📉   The Bank of England's rate cut has ignited a fierce competition for top talent in the real estate and construction sectors 👷‍♀️👷‍♂️ With increased demand for skilled professionals like quantity surveyors, building surveyors and project managers, businesses must offer competitive compensation and benefits to attract and retain the best talent. How are you positioning your company to stand out in the job market? To read the full article click here: https://lnkd.in/e9a-brNz To watch the full video click here : https://lnkd.in/eiD5xw62   #realestate #construction #jobmarket #hiring #talent #recruitment

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Apologies this was yesterdays post which I thought I’d posted Good morning all hope you are ready to tackle the day ahead . Feeling good today as it like being back at doing what I did best , over seeing a construction project , only difference it’s on my own home. Back in the day I’d be watching over people making everything was being done correctly, today I’m sat in my garden being of service with brews and biscuits. Todays reading (Tell the truth ) Wow tell the truth, be honest what ever you want to call it ,I do wish I’d of done it many many years ago . Dishonesty and lies brought nothing but pain , hurt and anger to my loved ones and I . It’s not like that today . 19 months and 20 days ago I got honest with all effected by my actions and addiction . Today I’m as honest as I can be in all my affairs , in doing this it’s allows me to lead and life beyond my dreams surrounded by people who love me and family that have stuck by me . So why not make life easy and just do what the reading says . Tell The Truth August 17 Tell the truth A symptom of our disease is alienation, and honest sharing will free us to recover. Basic Text, p. 83 = Truth connects us to life while fear, isolation, and dishonesty alienate us from it. As using addicts, we hid as much of the truth about ourselves from as much of the world as we possibly could. Our fear kept us from opening ourselves up to those around us, providing protection against what others might do if we appeared vulnerable. But our fear also kept us from connecting with our world. We lived like alien beings on our own planet, always alone and getting lonelier by the minute. The Twelve Steps and the fellowship of recovering addicts give people like us a place where we can feel safe telling the truth about ourselves. We are able to honestly admit our frustrating, humbling powerlessness over addiction because we meet many others whove been in the same situationwere safe among them. And we keep on telling more of the truth about ourselves as we continue to work the steps. The more we do, the more truly connected we feel to the world around us. Today, we need not hide from the reality of our relations with the people, places, and things in our lives. We accept those relationships just as they are, and we own our part in them. We take time every day to ask, Am I telling the truth about myself? Each time we do this, we draw that much further away from the alienation that characterizes our addiction, and that much closer to the freedom recovery can bring us. = Just for today: Truth is my connection to reality. Today, I will take time to ask myself, Am I telling the truth?

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I have just had a tenant move out of one of my properties. Now, this is the perfect opportunity for me to get in there and update it. This was the 2nd btl property I purchased back in July 2021. I haven't done any major works to the property as I have had a tenant in since the day I purchased it. I purchased this property for £75,000 and it has made me around £10,000 in rent so far, but now it's time for me to put my hand in my pocket 😄 The works I am doing will cost around £10,000 and include Full Rewire New kitchen New bathroom plaster work decorating throughout new carpets. Once the work is done, this property will have a new value of around £105,000 and the rent will increase from £575 to £725 I will be looking to refinance this property in the near future. I was tempted to sell this property, but once I ran through the numbers , I decided to keep it. This is a great little earner. This property will cash flow £475pcm. Not too bad all. BTL definitely still works. #project #help #property #projects #thankyou #btl #refurbishment #properties #dontstop #investment #discipline #KeepGrindin #sucessmindset #refinance #propertymaintenance #property #development #businessowners #propertymaintenance #angelinvestor #dontstop #investment #dontstopbelieving #development #businessowners #property #propertymanagement #learninganddevelopment #businesssuccess

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Wondering if any of my connections have undertaken this course and can give a candidates view ?

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𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿𝘀: In the UK, the revenue that a chartered building surveyor generates for their company annually depends on their level of experience, the region they work in, and the types of projects they handle. Please see the below breakdown: 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞: • 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻: Surveyors working in London or other large metropolitan areas (e.g., Manchester, Birmingham) are likely to generate higher revenue compared to those in smaller towns due to higher property values and demand for services. • 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲: Junior to mid-level surveyors may handle smaller projects or assist on larger ones, generating lower revenue. Senior or partner-level surveyors, who manage major commercial or public sector projects, can command significantly higher fees. • 𝗙𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Chartered building surveyors in the UK often charge based on a percentage of project costs, fixed fees for specific services, or hourly rates. Common services include building condition surveys, project management, party wall agreements, and insurance valuations. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞: • 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗱-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿: 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 £𝟳𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗱 £𝟭𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 per year in revenue for their company. Typically handles smaller residential projects, maintenance surveys, and routine property assessments. • 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿: 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 £𝟭𝟱𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗱 £𝟯𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. May handle larger commercial, industrial, or public sector projects and oversee more complex surveys or property management tasks. • 𝗧𝗼𝗽-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 (𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀/𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀): 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 £𝟯𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘁𝗼 £𝟱𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, especially in London or other high-demand regions, depending on the scale and complexity of the projects they handle.

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1 simple way to be a proactive 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 (which is a must): Smash the contractual timescales as much as possible. The key to this is collaboration with the 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 and not reviewing things cold. This will have a dramatic effect on how the contract is administered.

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Should the programme be approved by the principal agent under JBCC? In a recent case where I've acted as delay analysis expert there was this debate between experts, about the role of the principal agent in approving the contractor’s programme. 1️⃣ The one argument was that under the JBCC Principal Building Agreement (PBA), the programme is defined as a document prepared and maintained by the contractor, with no formal requirement for PA approval. Therefore the responsibility for an effective programme rests solely on the Contractor's shoulders. 2️⃣ On the other hand, the argument was that there is an implied obligation on the PA to review the programme and without any objections, this signals approval. Therefore such a programme represents a mutual document accepted by both parties as sufficient to monitor progress. I won't tell you immediately which opinion I held, but what do you think? Which stance would you support and why? Let me hear your perspectives below.

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Alister Grey FRICS MCMI makes some great points in this article. It is strange to think that we use the Internet pretty much every single hour of every day, but the challenges of creating the physical infrastructure required for it to operate effectively (and - more importantly - keep up with our increasing demand) are all too often overlooked. #datacentre #construction #UKconstruction

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