The delivery of a construction project involves many different decision makers. Often this group of people are brought together for one project and then disbanded when the project is complete. This is an introduction to some of the key construction roles involved in delivering a building

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An Introduction to the Construction Team
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2. The Construction Industry
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Sources:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/constructionindus
try/articles/constructionstatistics/number192018edition
http://www.integrity-software.net/blog/the-state-of-the-uk-
construction-industry-2018/
2.9 million people are employed in
the UK construction industry
Construction employs 10% of the
country’s workforce
Construction-related employment in
Great Britain increased by 3.8% in
2017.
In 2017 314,590 construction firms
operated in Great Britain.
Approximately 12% of construction
firms are sole traders, and about
40% have only a single employee
The construction industry
accounted for 6% of gross
domestic product (GDP) in 2017

3. The Construction Team
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4. The Construction Client
Property Developer:
Both commercial and residential
property development involves
companies who commission many
projects. They build speculative
developments to sell-on
(residential) or rent (commercial
and residential).
Large property portfolio client:
It is in the best interest of a client
who has a large number of
properties which he is operating (e.g.
Retailer, Hotels, Restaurants, major
Landlords) to have a high level of
involvement in the selection of
building products
The Client is the person/company for
which the building is being built. The
Client will define the aesthetic and
functional needs for their building.
What makes a client organisation
different is that there are many
specifiers all with different functions.
Within the Client organisation there
are also a number of influencers.
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One-off client:
Does not have an extensive
property portfolio and
consequently does not have in-
house expertise to call upon.
When he has a requirement to
construct facilities he will employ
external expertise.

5. The Architect
The Architect has the potential
to act as the node between the
Client, Main Contractor,
Specialist Contractor and many
others to ensure the right
products are selected and
installed correctly
The Architect develops the buildings’
design, taking the Client’s brief and
combining it with the advice of the
Specialist Consultants. This is then
developed to meet the requirements
of the Building Regulations and
increasingly sustainability.
The architecture profession is a creative one. The architect seeks to
achieve design that is solid, useful and beautiful. Architects want to
understand how your product contributes to their overall design and
the building’s performance.
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6. The Engineer
Very often the Engineer will
sign-off the sub-contractor’s
installation, carrying the
responsibility for any failure and
thus making them vigilant about
product selections.
Working with the Architect will be a
number of engineers that are
responsible for structural, mechanical
and electrical design.
Engineers must ensure their designs
satisfy given criteria, that they are
safe, serviceable and perform well.
They will want to understand how
your product meets their performance
requirements.
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A site engineer may manage several
projects at once and does lots of different
tasks like being responsible for teams, and
making sure budgets are met.
A consulting engineer designs structures
that meet the needs of the client – and the
users once they’re finished.

7. The Main Contractor
They need to know that
building work will not be
delayed by lack of product
availability and that product
cost remains within the
estimate, so they can remain
profitable.
The Main Contractor is responsible
for the day-to-day oversight of a
construction site, management of
vendors and trades, and the
communication of information to all
involved parties throughout the
course of a building project.
The work is delivered
under a contractual
agreement. The Main
Contractor will select Sub-
contractors based on the
capability, availability and
price.
The Contractor oversees and
manages the construction of the
building for the Client, following
the Architect and Engineers’
designs.
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8. The Sub-Contractor
Nominated Sub-Contractor.
A Sub-Contractor selected by the
Client to carry out an element of the
works. The Client negotiates a price
with the nominated Sub-Contractor
and then instructs the Main Contractor
to appoint them for those works.
Domestic Sub-
Contractor.
A Sub-Contractor selected
and appointed by the Main
Contractor.
Named Sub-Contractor.
A Sub-Contractor for a particular
package selected from a list of
acceptable Sub-Contractors
provided by the Client. Named Sub-
Contractors are allowed for in the
tender documents for the main
contract
Sub-Contractors undertake a
contract from the Contractor.
Sub-Contractors undertake work
that a Contractor cannot do but
for which the Contractor is
responsible.
Sub-Contractors can be
anything from an individual self-
employed person – e.g. a
plumber carrying out work for a
building Contractor - to a large
national organisation.
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9. Construction Personas
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Developing personas is a really good way of understanding
your construction customer.
You can use personas to develop your construction sales
and marketing strategy so it is tailored to your customers’
challenges. Competitive Advantage offer a series of guides,
all conclude with a persona template for you to complete.
All can be purchased online at:
www.cadvantage-knowledge.co.uk

10. What we do
Market research
Specification strategy development
Sales & marketing training
Specific to the construction industry
If you have a requirement for market research, training or would like help with your
specification strategy development we would welcome the opportunity to discuss
this with you.
Contact us:
talk@cadvantage.co.uk
01252 378053