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
Clause-Dumping and Risk Wars: Why Subbies Deserve Better (EP 229)
In this episode, titled Subcontracting Simplified, Paul and Sarah Fox go deep into what’s really broken in subcontracting — and what can be done to fix it. From clause-dumping and risk overload to overlooked meeting minutes and unreadable contracts, this is a frank conversation about the challenges subcontractors face and the behaviours that hold the industry back.
We discuss:
- ❌ Why many subcontractors are set up to fail before they’re even on site
- 🧾 The madness of passing down entire main contracts (and what should actually flow)
- 🤝 The power of better communication and properly structured pre-let minutes
- 💡 Sarah’s three-part strategy to improve subcontracting: Simplify, Optimise, Digitise
- 🧠 How smarter procurement leads to stronger relationships, better pricing, and successful delivery
🔗 Sarah also shares real-world stories and offers tangible advice for both main contractors and subcontractors who want to build better, fairer, and more effective projects.
📩 If you'd like to read the two Own the Build eBooks based on 200+ episodes — Mastering Your Career in Quantity Surveying and The AI Revolution in Quantity Surveying — head to the show notes to download your free copy.
Download them here - Free eBook Downloads.
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.
