SCHOOL OF
Welcome to School of Sub
Our co-founder, Chris Barber, started his journey in construction at the tender age of 17 back in 2006. Having worked for subcontractors, main contractors, and developers, he’s built up an extensive and diverse knowledge base – and he wants to share his experiences with you.
A message from Chris:
“Over the years, I’ve worked with some fantastic Subcontractors who do great work, but I’ve picked up on the small but common mistakes that cost them new business and impact their profitability. The School of Sub discusses this and delivers bite-sized videos on commercial and tendering tips to help elevate your subcontracting business.”
Latest episodes
EP 17 – Improving your cash flow with MOS payments
Cash flow is challenging for any business, but construction is notorious for late payment and underhand arbitrary deductions. ...
EP 16 – How subcontractors can level-up subcontract tendering
Construction has antiquated and adversarial cultures which hold the industry back. Subliminally, construction relies on ambiguity to generate ...
EP 15 – Retention
Retention is a liability mechanism in contracts to ensure the contractor properly completes the works and covers defective work, which may ...
More episodes
EP 14 – Final Accounts
Final accounting your projects is something every contractor should be doing, and getting to a swift agreement not only gives you ...
EP 13 – Managing delay and disruption
Delay and disruption is the trickiest commercial activity to manage on a project – trying to balance your client relationship and your ...
EP 12 – Why you’re not getting paid on time
I’ve had lots of conversations with Subcontractors about them not getting paid, and I’ve also experienced the same spurious excuses clients ...
EP 11 – How to manage change effectively
Change management, commonly known as variations is a process that often causes friction on construction project, and the whole process can be ...
EP 10 – How to push along a decision
You’ve received a tender, priced it, met the client and negotiated your best and final offer – it’s now gone quiet. Don’t worry, this ...
EP 9 – Post Tender Negotiations
Negotiations can be a detailed and complicated process where both parties are trying to maximise their own desired outcomes through various ...
EP 8 – How to analyse a tender enquiry and what to look out for
Analysing a tender can feel like a laborious task, but carrying out an assessment before you dive right in will help you save time in the long ...
EP 7 – Why you should audit your tender enquiry
Tendering is a time-consuming and costly activity for any business. Too often, tenders don’t go through an audit process to see if the project ...
EP 6 – What to include in your tender return?
A tender return is much more than a price you simply submit. It should tell a story about your company and your evaluation of the client’s ...
EP 5 – How to structure your pricing
Over the years, I’ve seen thousands of quotations from Subcontractors, and the variety in quality is staggering. Analysing quotes can make for ...
EP 4 – What is important when you invite someone to your site
When I speak with Subcontractors who are tendering for a new client, I always encourage them to organise a visit to one of their sites. A site ...
EP 3 – When should I be communicating and how often?
The fear of looking desperate for work really holds Subcontractors back when looking to secure work with a new client – it all stems from ...
EP 2 – What should you say and ask on a site visit?
Knowing what to say and ask on a site visit doesn’t always come natural to everyone, and some may feel a bit nervous. ...
EP 1 – Why should a subcontractor visit site during tender?
I'm a massive advocate of face-to-face communication, and the best way to kick off a relationship when you receive a tender from a new client is ...