Own The Build

In this episode, Paul is joined by Amy Connor from Clear North — a QS-focused recruitment specialist who supports freelance quantity surveyors across the UK. Amy describes herself as “the QS agent”, helping QSs stay off job boards, understand the freelance market, and make informed, sustainable career decisions.
This is a practical, no-hype conversation about what freelance life really looks like in 2026.
Paul and Amy explore why more QSs are considering freelancing — from burnout and lack of control in permanent roles to the appeal of higher day rates, flexibility and autonomy. But they also unpack the realities behind the headline numbers, including the responsibilities, risks and trade-offs that come with running your own limited company.
Topics covered include:
the true financial comparison between permanent salaries and freelance day rates;
hidden costs such as holidays, pensions, insurance, tax, IR35 and business overheads;
the level of experience required before going freelance — and why most successful freelancers are senior QSs;
which sectors are thriving (infrastructure, utilities, data centres) and which are tightening;
why sector versatility is becoming essential for freelance security;
how IR35 has evolved from a blocker to a manageable reality;
when freelancing works as a long-term career move — and when it doesn’t.
The conversation also looks at freelancing from a commercial leadership perspective, including:
why more commercial directors are choosing to step back into freelance roles later in their careers;
how contractors are increasingly using freelancers as a core part of delivery, not just a stop-gap;
why hybrid teams of permanent and freelance QSs are becoming the norm; and
how smart resourcing can reduce burnout while protecting delivery and margin.
This episode is essential listening for QSs considering freelancing in 2026 — and for commercial leaders who want to understand how the labour market is shifting and how to adapt their hiring strategy accordingly.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success
For our list of other eBooks on building your QS Career and AI, click here - Free eBook Downloads
Send a text

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] 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.

In this episode, Paul is joined by David Longman, Managing QS at Rendesco, a £15m M&E specialist contractor, for a frank and wide-ranging conversation about quantity surveying from the subcontractor’s perspective — an angle that is often misunderstood higher up the contracting chain.
David’s career path is unusual and valuable: starting in main contracting, moving into PQS work, and ultimately landing in subcontracting, where he now leads and has helped grow the business from £4m to £15m in under three years. That breadth of experience allows him to speak candidly about the realities, pressures and blind spots that exist on both sides of the commercial fence.
The conversation covers:
what it’s really like being a standalone QS in a growing subcontractor business;
the difference between managing packages as a main contractor QS versus running the full commercial lifecycle as a subcontractor;
why pricing documents matter — and how poor tender scoping creates disputes, inefficiency and margin erosion later;
cash flow from the subcontractor’s lens, including downstream risk, extended payment terms and the knock-on effects to second-tier trades;
why respecting a subcontractor’s bank account changes behaviour, outcomes and relationships;
the value of interim final accounts as a way to draw a line in the sand, reduce risk and improve collaboration;
leadership lessons from stepping up into a Managing QS role without formal management training; and
why communication, scope clarity and fewer contractual amendments would materially improve project delivery.
Throughout the episode, Paul and David connect lived experience with practical commercial insight, offering both subcontractors and main contractors a clearer view of how decisions made upstream directly affect delivery, risk and performance downstream.
This is an honest, experience-led discussion for QSs, commercial managers and directors who want to understand how subcontractors really operate — and how better procurement, payment practices and leadership can improve outcomes for everyone.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success
For our list of other eBooks on building your QS Career and AI, click here - Free eBook Downloads
Send us a text

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] 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.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Simon Rubinsohn, Chief Economist at the RICS, for a deep dive into one of the most pressing and under-discussed challenges facing the industry: the critical shortage of quantity surveyors — and what it means for productivity, cost, innovation and delivery across UK construction.
Drawing on the RICS 2025 Skills Survey and the latest Construction Monitor data, Simon explains why the QS shortage is no longer a future risk but a current constraint, with over a third of respondents describing it as critical — even in a flat market.
Together, Paul and Simon explore:
why the QS skills shortage is more severe than most people realise;
how limited capacity is already impacting output, cost control and client service;
why skills shortages suppress innovation and lock productivity in a low-growth cycle;
how construction productivity compares to the wider economy — and why it has stalled for years;
the role sentiment data plays in understanding the real health of the industry;
why construction struggles with perception, narrative and early-career attraction; and
what needs to change across education, apprenticeships, mentoring and messaging to bring new talent into the profession.
The conversation also looks ahead to 2026 and beyond, unpacking the UK housing and infrastructure outlook, planning reform, interest rates, and why any future uplift in activity will only succeed if the skills gap is addressed first.
This is a timely, evidence-based discussion that connects labour shortages, productivity and economic growth — and challenges the industry to rethink how it attracts, supports and values quantity surveyors.
Essential listening for QSs, commercial leaders, policy-makers and anyone serious about the future of construction.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success
For our list of other eBooks on building your QS Career and AI, click here - Free eBook Downloads
Send us a text

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] 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.

We’re launching a new monthly Leadership Series on Own the Build — spotlighting the journeys, mindsets and behaviours behind world-class Commercial Directorship in construction.
For the first episode, Paul is joined by Mark Sheridan, Commercial Director of Commercial Services at BAM UK & Ireland, one of the UK’s largest Tier 1 contractors.
Mark shares his 25-year journey from graduate QS to Commercial Director — not as a linear career plan, but as a series of small, deliberate steps driven by curiosity, imagination and a desire to make things better. Along the way, he reflects on staying with one organisation while constantly evolving roles, building influence without chasing titles, and why long-term opportunity matters more than short-term gain.
The conversation also looks forward, exploring what great commercial leadership looks like in 2026, including:
the difference between commercial management and commercialism;
why freeing up QS time is the biggest untapped opportunity in construction;
how imagination, not just process, drives better outcomes;
moving the industry from cost-focused thinking to value-led decision making; and
why relationships, trust and understanding the “why” matter more than ever.
This episode sets the tone for the series: honest, reflective and practical — aimed at QSs with ambitions to become Commercial Directors, and at existing CDs who want to benchmark what good really looks like in the next phase of the industry.
---------------------------------
📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success
Send us a text

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] 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.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Jordan Toman, QS recruitment specialist at ClearNorth — known by many as “the QS Insider”. Jordan sits at the centre of the UK QS market, speaking daily with quantity surveyors and commercial leaders across the country. Few people have a clearer view of what’s really happening behind the scenes.
With 2026 underway, this conversation tackles some of the most pressing issues facing the profession today.
In the first half of the episode, Paul and Jordan explore the current state of the QS market, including:
why QSs remain the hardest role to hire in construction;
the growing problem of burnout and overworked commercial teams;
an ageing QS workforce and a lack of early-career exposure to the profession;
fast-tracked promotions, “hollow titles”, and whether seniority is being earned or forced by necessity; and
how QS salaries are shifting rapidly — and why traditional salary guides can’t keep up.
Jordan also breaks down realistic career progression and salary bands, from Assistant QS through to Senior QS, and explains where the real gaps are forming in the market.
The second half of the episode switches to the commercial leadership lens, covering:
why job adverts no longer work for hiring QSs;
how leading businesses are retaining talent through progression plans, one-to-ones, mentoring and freelance support;
the truth about counteroffers — and why most QSs who accept them still leave within a year;
what the best QSs do differently in interviews; and
how commercial directors must rethink hiring if they want high-performing teams in 2026.
This is a practical, honest and timely conversation for QSs thinking about their next move — and for commercial leaders serious about building resilient, motivated teams in a market that has fundamentally changed.
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📥 Plus: Grab Paul’s free new eBook Mastering Construction Procurement — link below:
Mastering Construction Procurement Strategies for Supply Chain Integration, Tendering, and Commercial Success
For our list of other eBooks on building your QS Career and AI, click here - Free eBook Downloads
Send us a text

Want to connect with Paul?

Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] 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.