Construction Insights

Practical guidance on building safety compliance, contract management, and quantity surveying from the DCS team.

COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT

Programme Delay Claims: What to Record from Day One

Want to recover delay costs from a main contractor? You need the right records from the very start. Most subcontractors find out too late. Here's the weekly checklist.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 7 min read
BUILDING SAFETY

Accountable Person vs Principal Accountable Person: What Owners Need to Know

The Building Safety Act 2022 created two new legal roles for residential HRBs. Here's the difference, why it matters, and what happens if you get it wrong.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 8 min read
QUANTITY SURVEYING

NRM2 Explained: What Contractors Need to Know

NRM2 is the RICS standard for measuring building works. Here is what it means for your tender, how Bills of Quantities are structured, and why your quantities matter more than you think.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 7 min read
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

5 JCT Contract Traps That Cost Contractors Thousands

Unlimited liability clauses, payment notice timebars, and retention traps — the amendments main contractors add to JCT forms that most subcontractors sign without reading.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 7 min read
HEALTH & SAFETY

Why RAMS Get Rejected by Principal Contractors (and How to Fix It)

5 reasons method statements and risk assessments fail approval — generic hazards, missing site specifics, wrong signatures — and how to write RAMS that get accepted first time.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 6 min read
BUILDING SAFETY

Gateway 2: What the Building Safety Regulator Actually Checks

A practical breakdown of the 6 key areas BSR assesses in a Gateway 2 submission — dutyholder competence, fire strategy, change control, Golden Thread, and the most common rejection reasons.

Chris Leonard · 22 February 2026 · 8 min read