Evolution of Disputes

Disputes – In the words of Bob Dylan "For the times, they are a-changin'.."*

I have been involved in more disputes than I can probably recollect over the last 20 years. There are two things that strike me about each and every one of these disputes and they are:

1. The dispute could have been very easily avoided
2. At least one of the parties is making the same repeated mistakes over and over and expecting a different result.

A sure fire way of demonstrating that businesses continue to make the same mistakes over and over again is that we now have a whole industry affiliated to resolving disputes in the construction sector – of which ConstructPRO is now a major player.

And whilst we could take advantage of the situation, we have established long term relationships with clients by showing them how to avoid disputes.

So we say enough is enough. It is very easy for a sub contractor to say that he is being “bashed” by a larger contractor. It does happen but very often it is the case that the sub contractor simply hasn’t followed the correct procedures before and during the project.

Put simply – if businesses continue to make the same mistakes over again, they are letting this happen to themselves.

But why did they not follow the procedures? I would speculate, with some degree of certainty that one or more things has happened:

• They haven’t taken the time to find out who they are going to be working with, i.e. are they capable of paying?
• They still believe in the innate goodness in every person to pay what they believe is due, whether rightly or wrongly.
• They try to claim more than they are entitled to, so that when it gets cut the figure will be “close enough”.
• The business is run by a specialist tradesman who is focussed on carrying out the work and can’t find enough time to manage the business
• They don’t read contracts and question clauses they are uncertain about, but sign them anyway.
• They don’t have an accurate pricing structure / book of rates which takes into consideration ALL the costs and delivers a profit margin which is both measurable and acceptable
• When they don’t get paid what they are entitled to, their first port of call is usually a lawyer
• They think that getting the right advice from a specialist construction professional will cost them a fortune
• They don’t know or understand their rights under Statutory Legislation

If you are reading the above list and thinking that’s my company, you are not alone. The truth is that unless you take action and change what you are doing NOW, your business is very likely to suffer - possibly even cease to exist.

The good news is that if you take action now you will project yourself into the top 10% of construction companies in terms of management process and are more likely to outperform and outlast your competitors.

Don’t suffer in silence.  The worst thing you can do is to do nothing and hope it sorts itself out.

We can help, call today for a free 30 minute advice session and let’s get you sorted. Alternatively, why not download our whitepaper on the “10 Commandments of Disputes” for more information.

We can show you how to take control of your business and ensure your long-term survival.

*The Times They Are a-Changin'" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released as the title track of his 1964 album, The Times They Are a-Changin'. The song was ranked #59 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.