Own The Build
Own the Build is the podcast for Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Directors who want to sharpen their commercial edge and lead with confidence.
Hosted by Paul Heming, former Commercial leader and now co-founder of C-Link, each week’s conversation dives into the realities of modern commercial management — from procurement and contracts to digital transformation and leadership in construction.
Through honest discussions with industry leaders, forensic planners, and forward-thinking QSs, Paul explores how the best commercial teams deliver profit, performance, and project certainty in a changing industry.
If you’re serious about mastering the commercial side of construction — this is where you build your advantage.
Own The Build
Practice the Contract, Protect the Relationship: The Art of Commercial Leadership (EP 276)
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In this episode, Paul is joined by Mark Holden-Smith, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Registered Adjudicator, Registered Arbitrator and Director of Holden Smith Consultancy, for a deep dive into one of construction's most misunderstood topics:
Why do so many final accounts end in dispute?
Having progressed from labourer and plasterer to Managing Director before specialising in claims, dispute resolution and adjudication, Mark brings a unique perspective from every corner of the industry.
The conversation explores why difficult final accounts are rarely caused by the final account itself. Instead, the root cause is often found months or even years earlier — in misunderstood contract terms, ambiguous documentation, and a failure to properly administer the contract from day one.
Paul and Mark discuss:
- why most disputes originate during procurement and contract formation;
- the importance of understanding what you've actually signed up to;
- why "being contractual" shouldn't be viewed as a negative;
- the delicate balance between practising the contract and maintaining relationships;
- how leverage is created through strong contractual positioning; and
- the habits that separate commercial professionals who resolve disputes from those who create them.
The discussion also challenges common industry behaviours, including the tendency to leave difficult issues unresolved until project closeout — often turning manageable disagreements into major disputes.
The message is clear:
the best way to resolve a difficult final account is to stop it becoming a difficult final account in the first place.
A practical and insightful conversation for QSs, Commercial Managers, Commercial Directors and anyone responsible for protecting commercial outcomes on construction projects.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Want to connect with Paul?
Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at paul@c-link.com or through, C-Link.
C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Quantity Surveyors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.
Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here.
