If you’ve worked with A.W. Hardy, you’re very likely to have liaised with Dave Bilcliffe.
Dave is responsible for seeing his projects through from start to finish. As you can imagine, he’s a busy man – but we had a quick chat with him to find out what his day typically entails and what he enjoys the most about his role.
What’s your role at A.W. Hardy?
When a project reaches the tender stage, Tim will do the estimating, and Mark (our Director of Construction) and I will decide how we can reduce the costs to become more competitive. Then, once the project has been awarded, I’ll run every aspect of the job right up until handover.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I get involved in everything, so there’s never a dull moment for me!
Much of my time is spent looking at sub-contract packages, placing material orders, communicating with our site agents, and generally making sure that everything on site runs as smoothly as possible.
I usually get out to sites once or twice a week – but other than that, you’ll usually find me working closely with our clients, contractors, and members of the A.W Hardy team to keep jobs on track.
Who else do you collaborate with to get the job done?
I’m in close contact with Tim and Mark. I also work closely with Peter South, our Quantity Surveyor, to manage pricing and keep our projects within our clients’ budgets.
As we’re a relatively small firm, everyone in the team knows each other well; we understand how each other works, and we roll off each other all the time. I much prefer this to a bigger company setup. Everyone gets involved with every project and we have a great rapport with each other.
What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?
Because I am the direct point of contact for many of our clients, I really gain an understanding of their circumstances and what their project means for them. Developing such close relationships makes every handover even more satisfying, even if we have faced some challenges along the road to completion.
It’s always rewarding to see the end result. You do experience the client’s frustration, but on the upside, you get the satisfaction and recognition once the job has been completed. Plus, you get to see first-hand just how much the build is benefiting the client’s business or their community.
And what’s the most challenging aspect?
We can’t always predict how previous jobs are going to have a knock-on effect on our current work, but we have a great team around us who will always go the extra mile to get things done on time.
How did your career develop prior to you joining A.W. Hardy?
I’ve always been in construction. I left school and went to Southend Tech, where I achieved a HNC in Building Studies. I only worked for two companies prior to A.W. Hardy.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I’m definitely not a couch potato, although you’ll sometimes find me watching football on the telly. I enjoy playing golf when I get a chance, but a lot of my time is spent with my partner, my children, and my grandchildren. I like to make the most of my weekends. I do like to see new places when I can and will usually travel out into Europe a couple of times a year.