some contractors are rethinking the role of the planner because high demand is driving salaries up, even for newbies.
Over the past few years, an unfortunate trend has emerged in planning recruitment. While there are plenty of jobs around and just as many applicants, the experience of some applicants and the salary demands of others are clearly out of kilter with what contractors are looking for.

The ideal permanent candidate that contractors are looking for has 10 to 15 years' experience, a planning or quantity surveying background, knowledge of Microsoft Project and Primavera, and is prepared to move around the UK.

But this type of experience is not common. Many applicants are attracted to the salaries that planners can earn and the numbers of planning jobs that are available, yet they often have engineering or design and build coordination backgrounds and no planning experience.

"Planning is one of the top jobs and if you get it wrong you could cost your company a lot of money," points out Tony Keel of Hays Montrose, Kingston. Which explains why planners with the right skills and experience are so highly regarded.

"Some people within the industry believe planning is expensive and unnecessary," says Helen Maeyke, a planning manager for Multiplex Constructions. "But not having a planner or a programme in place on a project can also be very expensive - usually a lot more than a planner would have cost in the first instance. A good planner will actually save a project money."

While the major contractors, which often have entire planning departments, still recruit pure planners, many smaller contractors have had to combine the role with project management or contracts management as a result of diminishing permanent candidates.

Not only is this more economically viable, but the employee starts from day one and sees a project all the way through to completion. As a result, they're often more committed to meeting their own dates as they have, in effect, put themselves on the line.

they are asking for silly money

Chief planner

Another issue is salary. Planners with the right experience often work freelance as they can earn up to £250 a day and can pick and choose the jobs that limit their travelling time. The attractions of working freelance have resulted in a shortage of permanent planners, especially as permanent roles can mean an average £10,000 drop in salary.

One chief planner from a top-five main contractor says he has never experienced such problems in recruiting planners, despite the company having £40m sites.

"I wouldn't generally have a problem," he says. "In the last year to 18 months the problem I have been experiencing is that, while there are a lot of planners around with the capability I'm looking for, they are asking for silly money. If I took them on at the salary they ask, it would upset the balance of the people I already have on.

"Demand outstrips supply, so good planners can command much more money than before. Also, we're taking on graduates for starting salaries far higher than they used to be even three years ago. They come in on salaries higher than guys who may have been with us for three years. So then those guys demand more money and this leads to a wage spiral starting at the base level."

One final issue is that knowing the relevant computer programs well isn't enough. Even some experienced planners from an academic background with three to four years' experience lack the basic practical knowledge of working out timescales and using qualities and outputs, for example, that they need to do the job.

What's it really like?

Name:
Helen Maeyke
Education:
Bachelor of Design Studies and Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management), both from Queensland University of Technology.
Career Sketch:
I transferred to London in April this year with Multiplex Constructions to act as planning manager on a major residential project in Knightsbridge. Before this I was planning manager for Multiplex in Queensland (Australia) for four and a half years. I started in construction as an architectural assistant, but switched career paths after two years and became a planner. I was a planner and senior planner for planning consultancy companies for seven years. In between these roles, I was employed by a local authority as a building surveyor for 18 months. I also worked as an assistant project manager on a major retail project for 18 months.
How did other areas of construction prepare you for your current role in planning?
It was actually the other way around. My planning experience helped prepare me for my role as assistant project manager. A project manager needs a broad understanding of planning concepts.
What are the advantages of a multi-role?
A multi-role planner is very important on smaller projects, as it’s often not feasible to have someone on site full time. An external planner does not usually have enough contact with the project to be aware of the day-to-day issues. The knowledge a planner acquires from reviewing the documents and compiling a detailed programme is extremely beneficial to other roles on the project whether that’s project management or estimating.
What do you see as the disadvantages?
In a combined role, the planning side of the project may not get the attention it deserves as other roles may be seen as more important. The development of user-friendly software has resulted in more people having access to planning software, so there’s a perception that if you can use the software then you are a planner. This isn’t the case: there’s a lot more to planning than just inputting data into a computer.
What are the advantages of a ‘pure’ planning role?
A pure planner has an understanding of the whole project including the design and procurement process and has ‘built’ the project before it actually starts on site. This is vital in determining site logistics and the establishment of a basis for ongoing monitoring. By monitoring progress regularly, potential problem areas are identified early resulting in a proactive response and not a reactive one. This can save a company significant time and money.
Any disadvantages?
None
What aspect of your job do you most enjoy?
Working out from the documents how the building goes together and then watching the building take shape as I visualised it.
What advice do you have for anyone else trying to get into planning?
Have a good practical knowledge of construction and be able to communicate - a vital tool for a planner.

Source

Construction Manager

Postscript

Robert Smith is managing director of recruitment agency Hays Montrose