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Why QSs and Design Managers Need to Talk About Money (EP 279)
Description
In this episode, Paul is joined by Nitesh Rupalia, Technical Project Manager at Taylor Wimpey South Wales, for a fascinating discussion on one of the most overlooked relationships in construction:
The link between commercial, technical and operational teams.
Drawing on experience across developers, architects, Tier 1 contractors and national housebuilders, Nitesh shares why projects perform best when design managers, QSs and site teams stop operating in silos and start working as a single project team.
The conversation explores:
- why the traditional separation between design, commercial and operations creates unnecessary risk;
- how involving specialist subcontractors earlier leads to better design, greater cost certainty and fewer variations;
- the impact of the Building Safety Act on procurement, design development and contractor collaboration;
- why design managers should be commercially focused—not just technically focused; and
- how aligning project incentives around time, cost and quality leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Paul and Nitesh also discuss the importance of attending each other's meetings, sharing responsibility for decisions, and creating an audit trail that makes final accounts far less contentious.
The episode closes with a powerful reminder:
the most successful construction projects aren't delivered by brilliant departments—they're delivered by brilliant project teams.
A practical and thought-provoking conversation for QSs, Design Managers, Project Managers and Commercial Directors looking to improve collaboration, reduce risk and deliver better projects.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
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