Procurement Reimagined: Building Better Supply Chain Relationships at Guildmore (EP 234)

In this episode, Paul is joined by Kelvin Maye, Group Commercial Director at Guildmore Ltd, a £100m+ main contractor with an impressive growth trajectory.

Kelvin shares the story of his journey from graduate QS to group leadership and how Guildmore is actively reshaping its commercial and procurement strategies. They explore how Kelvin’s team is unlocking QS productivity, improving tender and contract governance, and critically, rebuilding trust in subcontractor relationships.

At the heart of this discussion is Guildmore’s recent Meet the Buyer Day—an open and honest initiative designed to reset how main contractors engage with their supply chain. Kelvin talks candidly about:

• Time pressures and antiquated procurement methods
• Risk management from tender stage onwards
• The cultural shift needed to treat subcontractors as partners
• The business case for investing in digital tools like C-Link
• Practical steps taken to make subcontractors feel heard

Whether you’re a QS, Commercial Director, or a subcontractor navigating the modern construction supply chain, this episode is packed with real talk, honest leadership, and practical advice.

🎧 Listen in to hear how Guildmore is leading by example—and why a little empathy goes a long way.

📩 If you'd like to read the two Own the Build eBooks based on 200+ episodes — Mastering Your Career in Quantity Surveying and The AI Revolution in Quantity Surveying — head to the show notes to download your free copy.

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Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at [email protected] or through, C-Link.

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C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Main Contractors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.