Developing a responsible partnership framework

The construction industry is a highly competitive market: do the benefits outweigh the risks in formally teaming up with other project stakeholders?

At FPM, our firm belief is that a good partnership will help with the success of a project for all partners involved - from budget management and profitability, to quality and final delivery (and everything in between).

Why work with partners?

Collaboration is a buzz word at the moment and for good reason.

Creating a partnership framework has many benefits.

• Increasing profits and reducing financial risks

Partnership involvement, even as early as the tendering and negotiating stage, creates complete transparency across the project's finances. Costings can be calculated and agreed before presenting to the client, with all parties taking responsibility for their own financial risk.

• Client expectations

By working collaboratively from the outset, the project team (Architect, PM, QS and contractor) can set realistic expectations in terms of meeting the client’s budget and time constraints. The logistics of the build can be discussed with all parties bringing their expertise to the table and any potential problems ironed out from the beginning. Clients get a value engineered approach, reducing the risk of disappointment down the line.

• Quality

Working in a partnership puts the responsibility on all stakeholders to get the job completed to high standards. No “passing the buck”, but a joined-up approach to deliver the best possible outcome.

Before any project work is undertaken, we would recommend a “Framework Agreement” is put in place to maintain transparency throughout the process.

How do you choose your partners?

Consider your current supply chain.

Which suppliers:

• always answer your calls and are proactive in their communication
• provide the best value for money
• consistently deliver to your high standards across the project lifecycle, from concept to completion and beyond.

Discuss the partnership idea with existing suppliers to get a feel for their attitude to working collaboratively and ask for evidence of how they have worked that way in the past.

Partnerships are a positive addition to the infrastructure of any construction project and we believe they need to be considered a viable option for organisations of all sizes to adapt and thrive.

Our business has been built on a foundation of strong partnerships. We will be happy to share our experiences with you if you are looking to develop your collaborative working.

You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 024 76 469605