Managing the Work Scope in the Construction Industry

Paul Sorgiovanni, Senior Project Manager, BMD Group

In an interview with Construction Tech Review APAC, Paul Sorgiovanni, Senior Project Manager, talks about how they solved the labor shortage in the construction industry by hiring fresh graduates to work with them. He also talks about how he looks forward to a new piece of technology that would help them be more efficient in their surveys.

What are some challenges in the construction industry and how do you overcome them?

The most recent challenge is the shortage of skilled laborers in construction companies across South Australia. As of October last year, infrastructure projects, including small capital projects, faced a shortage of about 200,000 skilled laborers across the industry. In 2023, the labor demand is expected to increase by 42,000.

Our approach to solving that is having graduate or apprenticeship programs, where we employ inexperienced undergraduates from university placements and start training them under our senior leaders in the field from an earlier age. We put them in training programs through our systems and experience in the business and give them a chance to give back to the industry. 

Another issue we are facing in the industry is procurement, lead times, and logistics of materials after the COVID-19 pandemic. Lead times on materials, quarry materials, and precast concrete materials are seeing a huge strain in the industry, blowing out the lead time on manufacturing and products and leading to an escalation in the pricing of products. Through this escalation, there were labor wage increases as we tried to deliver the materials to customers.

“Our approach to solving that is having graduate or apprenticeship programs, where we employ inexperienced undergraduates from university placements and start training them under our senior leaders in the field from an earlier age.”

Would you like to talk about any upcoming technology that you are optimistic about in the construction industry?

We are looking forward to a high level of software and program upgrades that locate inefficiencies in pricing projects so we are more detailed in our survey submissions. We always keep ourselves up to date in the market by adopting the last innovation or upgrades for our technology, like GPS for our machinery or a designing software like Trimble.

What does a typical day look like for you? What do you usually encounter and how do you handle them?

As a senior manager, I am responsible for writing project reports. My day-to-day activities are narrowed down to people management and being my team's support mechanism, which is the pinnacle of business. I also work on tenders, pricing jobs, and deal with clients and change management.

I also maintain positive morale and culture among my team by improving cohesiveness and being the support mechanism for fellow team members. I have to be solution focused so I can give my team the tools they need to facilitate their roles and responsibilities. Being armed and ready for the knee-jerk curveballs in business, I provide positive solutions to keep everyone moving in their roles.

What advice would you give to budding professionals in the industry?

There is always a certain professionalism that comes with the role, so you have to love and enjoy what you do. A positive environment and surrounding yourself with positive people will stimulate good culture and morale. Being successful in this industry is all about having the right people in the business and promoting relationships with fellow team members.

About Paul Sorgiovanni

Paul Sorgiovanni is a senior project manager in BMD constructions in South Australia, heading the water, wastewater, and utilities team. He is responsible for a team of engineers, project engineers, site engineers, and graduate engineers, where they manage the work scope and deliver it.