Q1 2021

113 | Q1 2021 Jul20056 Decades of Experience Founded in 2019, SubPort is a specialist commercial construction consultancy providing sub-contractors with all the necessary quantity surveying and finance support. Following its well-deserved success in the UK Enterprise Awards 2020, we got in touch with Sophie Orrell to find out more. With its combined experience of over 20 years at senior levels in the construction industry, SubPort understand the commercial challenges facing the construction supply chain today. Going into further detail, Sophie begins by providing us with a brief overview of the firm and offers more insight into its clientele. “The company name SubPort, is derived from what we do, support subcontractors. Alongside joint owner Simon Robinson and a small but growing team, I support subcontractors across the country in all aspects of quantity surveying and accountancy. Approximately seven years ago I met Simon whilst working for a large main contractor on a challenging contract, and due to the enormous pressure, we were under, we had to firstly understand the poorly performing contract before turning it around and forming a strong working relationship and friendship. Since its establishment in 2019, SubPort has supported over 70 subcontractors with a range of services including tendering and estimating, contract appraisals, commercial administration, support with claims and financial accounts, cashflow forecasting, project costing and reporting, retention recovery and full business reviews.” Across the UK the firm are in direct competition with several quantity surveying consultancies, however as Sophie goes on to explain, its specialist client base and industry experience has enabled the firm to distance itself from the crowd. “On a regular basis there are more and more freelance quantity surveying consultancies popping up on LinkedIn. However, we are different in the sense that we only work with subcontractors and secondly, the experience of both finance and commercial management ensure the business is a success. To prosper in the quantity surveying sector you need to get the tender right, review the contract, and eliminate risks, and then ensure you’re applying for everything you’re entitled to. But ultimately, the most important bit is to have the processes in place to report on the performance of a project to a detailed level. At SubPort we have the skills to implement all of the above and work closely with all our clients to become fully embedded within their business.” Whether it’s working in the office or working from home, SubPort have a relaxed approach when it comes to how consultants manage their workload as Sophie explains further. “The culture in our consultancy is very different to what any of our staff have experienced before. Construction often means working long hours on site but as we want our staff to be happy and enjoy what they do, we are willing to be flexible with their work arrangements. When we set the consultancy up we were told time and time again that our model was flawed because it’s impossible to hire QS’s, well it’s not if you can offer them freedom, responsibility and autonomy.” Despite suffering in the early stages of COVID-19 due to its clients not trading, the firm has bounced back in recent times as Sophie elaborates further. “At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 we lost around 60% of our revenue. However, we made sure we were on the front foot and offered significant discounts or freezes to clients we knew were unable to trade. This of course was a difficult situation to be in but after getting the go ahead to resume construction we have been busier than ever which gives us optimism for the future.” Finally, Sophie discusses the main benefits of the firm’s location before outlining some of its plans for 2021 and beyond. “Although we are based in the North West, we are perfectly located to serve clients as far as Ireland, Scotland, the South East and the South West. Moving forward, we plan to open more offices around the country over the next three years and continue to grow our brand. In particular, we are excited about the opening of our first regional office in Newcastle which is scheduled for Q1.” Company: SubPort Contact: Sophie Orrell Website: www.subport.co.uk