Capabilities

Scope of Operation

Recognised by our clients and peers as a master of commercial construction, Hanham & Philp Contractors approaches each project the same way: determined to deliver a quality product. Even the most technically challenging designs are tackled with professionalism and pride in our work.

The advantage of employing a sizeable team of full-time construction staff is that we can handle a dozen projects at any one time. Your project might well be underway sooner than you think.

So, what kind of work do we do?

New construction

Purpose-built office buildings, drive-through distribution warehouses, supermarkets, vehicle dealerships, retail buildings, fast food outlets, entertainment complexes, school auditoriums, multi-storey carpark buildings, medical consulting rooms, recreation centres, terraced apartments, business parks, corporate headquarters, motel units… and more.

Interior fit-outs

International cafe brands, prestige car brands, corporate offices, leisure centres, preschools, government departments – all have trusted us to make their inside spaces sing. We can work alongside the main building team, or independently, as required.

Refurbishment

From golf clubhouse upgrades to historic building renovations to earthquake strengthening – if your building needs a new lease on life, we can help.

As well as what we build, we are equally proud of how we build. Hanham & Philp Contractors has been leading a shift in the way commercial construction business is undertaken, by consciously taking a collaborative approach.

Where possible we join projects early, at the design stage, to ensure that a range of construction techniques have been considered and to offer related pricing options. Our early involvement can bring the entire project to a swifter conclusion and saves our client money.

We look forward to working with you and your partner companies on your next commercial construction project.


Engaging with us

Forms of Engagement

COLLABORATION | ALLIANCE | COOPERATION

No matter what you call it, a ‘team approach’ is how Hanham & Philp Contractors enjoys doing business.

Why? Because we do more than just construct. We can help you at the design phase, advising on the optimum construction methods and anticipated build timelines. We can ensure that your budget and build quality expectations are not compromised. Our early involvement gives us the chance to actively seek out cost benefits for you, striving to present a fair development that leaves everyone – principal, architect, engineer, project manager, contractor – completely satisfied with the finished project.

Is it any wonder that this way of working has seen us tagged as ‘the building contractor of choice’ for many established companies and developers?

Three forms of engagement which provide for this collaborative approach are Early Contractor Involvement , Negotiated Contract and Design and Build

1. Early Contractor Involvement

In this form of engagement, the Principal (that’s you) selects a Building Contractor (that’s us) to be part of the design process. The intention is that the contractor will be involved with the construction once the building is consented. In many instances the Principal already knows, or knows of, the Building Contractor. Alternatively, three or four suitable contractors are invited to submit a Preliminary & General and Margin tender.

The benefits of having the Building Contractor on the design team include:

  • Incorporating buildability expertise into the design.
  • Considering alternative construction techniques and materials.
  • Providing budget-tracking for you as the design develops.
  • Offering a value-engineering exercise to investigate construction alternatives, should the budget be at risk.

This early contractor involvement means:

  • You are less likely to experience design/build incompatibility issues.
  • Construction can be fast-tracked to commence earlier.
  • The risk of costly variations during the construction stage is reduced.

The Building Contractor is usually engaged at no cost, assuming the project proceeds. A token pull-out fee may be negotiated to cover costs if the project does not proceed.

2. Negotiated Contract

This form of engagement usually follows the Early Contractor Involvement process. However, it can also occur when the Principal has already progressed a developed design to consent. In that case, the Building Contractor is usually already known to the Principal for their ability and proven track record.

As a preferred Building Contractor, we still price the project as a formal tender, providing a ‘lump sum’ costing. This incorporates open-market pricing of the sub-trades not undertaken directly by Hanham & Philp Contractors, and allows for the inclusion of nominated subcontractors (after consultation with you). Of course, you can also be involved in the appointment of the subcontractors.

A negotiated contract operates on an ‘open book’ basis, whereby the Building Contractor should make available all tender costs for full review, as required by your appointed, independent, professional Quantity Surveyor. There should also be the realistic expectation that contract variations – other than those driven by the Principal – will be minimal.

3. Design & Build Contract

Here, you appoint a Building Contractor and they nominate a design team which they believe will best fit the proposed project. This method is often used when the Principal is unfamiliar with the construction process, or has limitations of time or location.

So long as the design brief the Building Contractor receives is comprehensive (so that the design captures the Principal’s intent) this contract type can work well.

4. Open Market Tender

This engagement starts with a fully-developed design. It may have been submitted for building consent, or already have consent issued, in which case the project can start once the tender is closed.

The Principal invites 3-4 qualified construction companies to tender the whole project, or, in some cases, just an initial portion of the project. A professional Quantity Surveying firm may have already prepared an early budget estimate for the Principal – they might then help evaluate the submitted tenders and confirm the suitability of the Building Contractor for the project. In an open market tender, the Building Contractor is entitled to charge for the construction variations which may occur from design omissions.

Four different forms of contractor engagement: which will best suit your commercial construction project?

Ask Hanham & Philp Contractors. Together, we’ll work it out.

Health & Safety

“Health and safety is a constant consideration in our industry,” says co-Company Director/Owner and Construction Manager, Jason Young. “It’s not enough to see health and safety as merely a compliance-based activity to be clipped onto the side of what we do, it must be an integral component that is well planned ahead for in every task we undertake as a PCBU.”

That’s why Hanham & Philp Contractors invest heavily in hands-on training of their sizeable team.

“It’s an advantage having a full-time workforce,” Jason explains. “We can really cultivate a deep understanding of risk and grow a company which looks out for each other. We teach the team exactly what hazards to look for on a project. That is so much harder to achieve with a temporary workforce.”

A large number of our staff including many senior employees have attained their National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety and Injury Prevention. This is a NZQA registered course consisting of twenty-one units.

“We’ve been developing our own health and safety programmes since 2000,” says co-Company Director/Owner and Finance Manager, John Parish, “and our Health and Safety Manager makes sure our practices comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.”

Jason confirms, “It’s imperative that everyone in the Hanham & Philp family and our wider community goes home at the end of the day, unharmed.”


Quality Control

You want quality? We wrote the book on it.

Our Operations & Quality Control Manual is the comprehensive reference our Site Managers adhere to on all our projects. This isn’t mandated to us by some external regulator; it’s a company-initiated touchstone for all the work we do – your project, too.

Plus, Jason Young (co-Company Director/Owner) is our Construction Manager. He visits all our worksites, attends site meetings, and supports your Site Manager. We don’t just hope for quality construction, we’re hands-on for quality.

We have equipped our team recently with the hardware, software and knowledge to embrace modern digital set-out methods. The purchase of the Leica iCON Build software onboard the iCON iCR70 Total Station allows us to work faster and more accurately. We understand that modelling and coordination between each professional discipline will be key to the success of any project. With this in mind we have appointed a full-time Quality Assurance Manager who also has an extensive building background and is trade qualified.

They will look after building set-out, provide an internal clash detection service to assist with the build phase and monitor quality control throughout until the completion including dealing with any defects that may arise. We can assist by providing a third-party service coordination check if required using the correct rendered IFC format model. We won’t be looking to improve this level of detail merely using it for clash detection and coordination to advise the consultants early on of any issues, saving the client money.


Environment

We uphold our obligations as a corporate citizen to continually seek out and achieve sustainable measures to ensure our presence has a minimal negative impact on the environment that we live and operate within.

With this in mind we must be socially responsible for the impact our works have on the surrounding environment.

As a result our company has now achieved certification as being best practice by the Toitū Enviromark Certification Programme at Bronze level. This encouraged us to walk the walk in demonstrating a commitment to an Enviromark Certified Environmental Management System (EMS) to replace our previous Environmental Plan. This means that our new EMS will be continually developed, actioned and regularly audited to ISO14001:2015 guidelines. The decision to invest in an EMS that is internationally standardised and recognised was made because we recognise the need to keep our staff and our business partners aware of and accountable for their impact on the environment.