Regional Construction & Civils Group — Construction & Design

A construction group was declining tender opportunities because it could not staff them. Site managers and quantity surveyors were the binding constraint, and a reputation for demanding schedules meant local candidates were reluctant to engage despite competitive pay.

Erdobar addressed the reputation issue directly, since no amount of sourcing overcomes a market perception problem. We worked with the client to document genuine changes to rota structure and project resourcing, then briefed candidates on those specifics rather than offering generalised reassurance. Sourcing extended to returning expatriate professionals seeking a move home, a pool the client had never targeted.

We placed candidates in cohorts so new arrivals joined alongside peers rather than individually into established site teams. The approach also gave each new manager an immediate professional network and a shared understanding of how the group’s sites were expected to operate.

Outcome: 26 site management and commercial appointments in five months, tender capacity increased by an estimated £40m annually, and first-year attrition down from 34% to 9%.