As one of New Zealand’s largest suppliers of professional financial services to businesses in the construction industry, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway is in a unique position to understand how to manage the potential pitfalls of a construction boom.

Our experience working with a leading Waikato residential home builder provides some reassurance that it is possible to remain on track and bene¯¬t from the booming construction industry.

People at the centre

The owners of our client’s business are its key to success. They value establishing long term relationships with suppliers, employees and customers. Their culture is inclusive and team-oriented, with the customer at the centre of everything they do.

This customer-centric model includes providing exceptional value, creating a risk-free build experience and making the process as simple as possible.

Focus on risk minimisation 

There are risks of over-extending and entering a greater number or larger scale of projects than a business can sustain. Problems can arise from misunderstanding cash flow cycles, or not being able to up-scale activities quickly enough because of the supply constraints on the industry. The risks are signi¯¬cant, whether they apply to your own business or to your customers and suppliers.

Ways to minimise risk

Key ways to address these concerns and minimise risk include:

• understanding construction contract legislation and knowing when and how to enforce your rights
• stopping work when you are not getting paid
• getting variations approved in writing
• having an independent business advisor prepare cash-¯¬šow projections
• engaging a quantity surveyor and accountant to price jobs
• obtaining retentions advice and exploring alternative options, for example milestone payments
• taking personal guarantees from customers where possible
• registering on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)
• obtaining insolvent transaction advice
• obtaining terms of trade advice
• allowing for plenty of margin when providing quotes, bearing in mind that construction in¯¬šation is currently running at 910%
• allowing more time to complete projects and avoiding signing up to harsh liquidated damages clauses
• walking away from accepting projects that don’t stack up in respect of both margin and time

Our client recognised the importance of managing risk and follows these steps wherever possible. Every job goes through an estimator, terms of trade are well documented, every variation is approved in writing and every job has a budget and projected margin.

Get experts to oversee finances

Behind the scenes we worked with them reviewing:

• gross revenue on a segmented basis
• contract throughput
• customer deposit traffic
• slab-down rates
• work in progress
• gross profit margin
• budget-to-actual variance analysis by project
• land acquisition and settlement cycles
• cash flow projections and debtor cycles
• tax opportunities
• optimal business ownership structure

We recommend all businesses in the building trade find experienced advisors who can provide a similar oversight

What does this mean for me?

Success in the building industry isn’t guaranteed, despite the current excess demand within the construction sector. More than ever it requires a disciplined approach across all aspects of a business.

If you are in the building sector and experiencing the current pressures of a booming industry, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I attracting and retaining the best people?
• Does my customers’ experience make them want to refer me to others?
• Have I structured my business in a way that best mitigates downside risk?
• Are my internal controls and processes adequate and are they constantly adapting to change?
• Can I be sure that my quotes, costs and billing line up?
• Do I truly understand the key drivers of profitability in my business?
• Am I performing budget-to-actual variance analysis and do I understand the reasons for project margin variances?
• Is my business able to identify and realise growth opportunities now or in the future?
• Do I have my finger on the pulse am I in control of my business?

If you cannot answer yes to these questions it may be time to take a step back, review your business and speak to your Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Advisor.

DISCLAIMER No liability is assumed by Baker Tilly Staples Rodway for any losses suffered by any person relying directly or indirectly upon any article within this website. It is recommended that you consult your advisor before acting on this information.