Construction sector guru John Hayes is the CEO and owner of GMS Ltd, a management consultancy incorporated in 2017 which provides client project management services and training in the UK infrastructure and construction sectors.
The GMS Ltd business is unique in that all the work that it does is underpinned by three clearly defined strands: Project Management, Training & Dispute Avoidance. Speaking to The Leaders Council, Hayes introduced the three strands and discussed how they work in more detail.
Introducing the three strands and what each stand for, Hayes explained: “For the first strand of our business, we offer project management services for clients. This is for the whole construction project from the light bulb Inception moments, through to pre-construction, through construction, and handover and completion then a review at the end of the project to incorporate improvements. So, it's a complete or lifecycle offering, and it is very client focused. In essence, I'm educating clients that may not understand the construction process and assisting them on their journey from cradle to grave.
“The second strand, which is currently being rolled out in the UK, the Middle East, and North Africa is our educational and training services. We really focus on awareness and acting as a companion for our clients. We introduce them to construction contracts, stakeholder management, the importance of planning, and the importance of certain behaviours. One important attribute of that strand of our businesses is recognising that construction is very nomadic and transient. So, people come and go, things move about, and certainly the pandemic and ongoing situations in the wider world have had an impact on that. So, we really prioritise understanding behaviours, so we are getting the best out of the stakeholders to a project.
“The final strand is then focused on dispute resolution. We are fundamentally a dispute avoidance organisation, so when problems arise on complex projects with a myriad of stakeholders, we act as mediators to make sure that problems are resolved efficiently and effectively. Then behaviours can be improved for the future. We focus on all three strands of the business on a global scale at the moment.”
Reflecting upon how he came to establish GMS Ltd five years ago, Hayes spoke about how his many years of experience working in the construction industry had left him in an advantageous position to build a new business with a niche offering which could then be marketed and expanded.
Hayes recalled: “I started in the construction industry when I was 16. I'm now 55 with nearly 40 years’ experience in the industry working at many levels. I've ended up in fairly senior positions with global construction organisations, so I understood their needs, their desires and I thought that I had the experience to offer them the right service and hands-on resolution to their problems. I had the client base, I had the contacts, I just had to create a brand and sell it.”
Indeed, even today the GMS Ltd brand and maintaining its strong reputation are core to the success of the business, as Hayes elaborated.
He said: “Our brand is incredibly important because repeat work is the core of our business. We’re in a very reputation driven industry and there’s little advertising necessary. Of course, we make our website look the part and ensure our communications and technology are efficient and effective, but otherwise we’re a very output driven management consultancy where we’re very much about changing things and making improvements. When that effort is visible to clients you get the repeat work that we do.”
With the importance of repeat work in consideration, Hayes went on to highlight how the firm applies emphasis of that into the three strands of the company.
“We apply that same logic to our three training strands. It is a very hands-on, proactive awareness training model, where we do move away from the academic side of education and instead focus on practical problems, behaviours and solutions. We make a difference in this area; we get more repeat work. Then with the dispute resolution side of our offering, if we solve the dispute and mediate, relationships are improved, and this once more leads to repeat business.
“My focus has therefore been sticking with the three strands of our business. It is tempting to go off at different angles and look at other opportunities, but getting those strands established has been key and that’s what we really focus on and will be focusing on for the foreseeable future. Any expansion of our business will be on those three core business lines that serve us so well.”
With the three strands to play a major role in the future success of the business, Hayes revealed that any changes within the business will involve a redefining of the three strands to make the consultancy more focused and efficient in its offering.
Hayes explained: “The three strands will play a very big part in our future. What we are currently doing is defining them so that we can be more focused and efficient in what we do. So, for example, with project management services for clients, we're moving towards focusing on renewable energy works. This is because building waste from energy plants, gasification plants and ramping up solar capacity is going to be incredibly important for the economy and the environment.
“We’re also looking to focus more on the needs and requirements of the subcontractor and main contractor in terms of our training, and as far as the dispute resolutions side is concerned, we’re moving away from the more legalistic resolution and are looking at alternative dispute resolution protocols and processes. That could include mediation or could just include resolution discussions that we evolve and create, depending on the client and what they need.
“So, the future for us is around redefining the three strands to get the most definition and to continue what we’re doing in satisfying our clients, expanding in the right way and at the right pace. We want to be growing sensibly and carefully and continue to offer that personal and niche offering that we do to the best of our ability.”
Photo by Mike Szczepanski on Unsplash
