A coffee with Joe Dalziel, Contracts Administrator

Hello Joe. Most people would probably understand the role played by an engineer or designer in delivering a project. But can you tell us a little about your position as a Contracts Administrator please?

I’m part of the Projects Team. My role is usually split between estimating and procurement. Day to day, I spend a lot of my time building supplier relationships, sourcing quotes and then placing orders for the materials, equipment, transport and labour we need to deliver our projects for our clients.

How did you get into Contracts Administration?

I joined Fleetwood Urban after completing my HSC back in 2015. Pretty much from the moment I walked through the doors, I’ve worked closely with our project managers and site crews, gaining knowledge and insight into the smooth running of projects. Along the way, I’ve also added to my skills through courses in Accounts Administration, Marketing, Business Sales and Building & Construction.

How do you measure the success of the projects you work on?

When you’re a Contracts Administrator, success is measured against the outcome of each project. Was it delivered on time? On budget? Did it meet the client’s expectations? If the answers are all ‘yes’, that’s a great outcome. I’d also add that our DesignExecute2™ system is a big part of achieving this. It just takes so much of the guesswork out of the equation on projects and ensures, right from the start, the design development and construction stages align with the client’s objectives.

What’s the most satisfying thing about the work you do at Fleetwood?

The continual opportunities to grow and learn. Every day and every project teaches me something new and helps me develop new skills or enhance the ones I already have. Not every job lets you do that, so I’m really grateful.

What are some of your biggest challenges and responsibilities?

My job demands that I’m always looking for new ways to streamline processes, increase efficiency and find smarter alternatives. Regardless of how well a project may be tracking along, how can we do things even better? That’s certainly a big challenge, but it’s also an exciting one.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the Fleetwood team?

The way we all work so seamlessly together. There’s a really strong focus right across the business, everyone here is driven to achieve the same goals. We really do share the company values of being Exceptional, Authentic, Creative and Accountable. They’re ingrained into every member of the team.

Just on that, how do you integrate these four core values into your role?

Everyone is different. But for me, being Creative and Exceptional is essential for my career growth and progress. It’s about finding new and innovative solutions or better ways to achieve success. Being Accountable and Authentic is a big part of building trust within our own team, as well as with our suppliers. That’s super important.

What have been some of your more memorable moments with Fleetwood?

In my early days with the Projects Team I was lucky enough to spend several months on various project sites with our crews. That was a significant step in my training and development as it gave me vital experience. All the things I learned back then still help me every day.

What are you excited about, professionally, in 2020?

Being a part of our newly-formed Commercial Team. It’s given me even more focus and motivation to improve efficiencies, continuously innovate and generally improve how we deliver our projects.

Just finally, what are your interests or hobbies outside of work?

Like plenty of people at Fleetwood, I’m a big lover of the outdoors. You’re likely to find me anywhere from the beach to the mountains, or even just the local oval. If I’m outside, I’m happy.

More from Fleetwood Files.

By Lien Lam 17 Dec, 2023
2023: A year of highlights. A future of possibilities.
Designing structures for sensitive sites. | Fleetwood Urban
By Lien Lam 22 Nov, 2023
“Life would be easy for designers if you could just ignore the cultural and environmental sensitivities of a site,” chuckles Fleetwood Creative & Technical Lead, Mark Jol. “You could just bulldoze everything and start from a blank page! But that’s not how we do things at Fleetwood.”
Turning screen time into green time. | Fleetwood Urban
By Lien Lam 31 Oct, 2023
The outdoors. It used to be the only place Aussie kids wanted to spend their time. But the digital age has surrounded us with technology at every turn. Screen time is up and green time is down – and the risks are very real.
Share by: