Over 20 years ago, driven by frustration with existing technology and its integration challenges, Nick Clements embarked on creating a groundbreaking digital solution tailored to industry needs.
Despite facing setbacks, such as the challenges of his previous business, BISCO, Nick demonstrated resilience by pivoting to a service model as Managing Director of YourQS. This shift has enabled the company to grow from a one-person operation to a team of 12, serving over 300 builders nationwide and expanding into Australia.
Nick was recognised for his years of dedication and innovation by winning the Revizto Digital Technology | Matihiko Award at the 2024 NZ Building People Awards.
Nick’s also recently launched his own podcast “Beyond the Guestimate” which focuses on how we can improve residential construction. Take a listen to the first episode where Nick talks with Brent Chatterton from Chatterton Homes in Rangiora.
We asked Nick a few questions to get to know him better.
What does a typical day in your job look like?
I normally start the day working from home. Generally, the first this is reconcile Xero as a few minutes a day keeps our accounts up to date. Then I’ll catch up on any emails I can sort out quickly.
I’ll go into the office around 9.30am. As there is no traffic it takes about 3minutes (vs 20+ in peak hour).
We then have “daily stand-ups”, firstly with my R&D team, then with the QS team. That is a quick update on what we did yesterday, what we plan for today and talk about anything holding us up.
What would you love to do in the coming years?
Close the gap between design decisions and knowing their cost impact. The faster we can achieve this, the best result we’ll have for the cost and quality of NZ housing.
What did your NZ Building People Awards win mean to you?
It was a shock. To be honest I didn’t expect it, particularly being a small business in a corporate space we don’t really fit the mould. I have been at this idea for over 20 years so receiving some recognition for what we have achieved over this time is fantastic.
Why did you enter the construction industry and what’s kept you there?
I can still remember the day that I saw the job ad for a marketing manager in a multibranch business and saying to my wife, what do you think about moving to Napier. I didn’t know it was Carter Holt Harvey and the construction sector. It turned out to be a great role working with a good team and feeling that I was helping make a difference.
I guess that is what has kept me in it, seeing opportunity and feeling that I can make a difference.
What is one change you would love to see made in the building industry in NZ?
Make it less adversarial and more collaborative. I admit, it was worse in the 1990’s, really dog eats dog, so it has got better but we do waste a lot of effort fighting each other.
In particular, I hate the tender process, there can only be one winner, so all others are wasting their effort. That is a real cost and inefficiency to the industry that must be borne somewhere.
Surely there must be a better way for the client to feel that they are getting a fair deal that isn’t so wasteful.
Who inspires you in the Building Industry and why?
Anyone who owns their own business in the construction sector. It is a hard game to be involved in with the boom bust nature. One minute you are struggling to keep up, then next worrying about if you’ll survive.
I think that how the Reserve Bank uses interest rates to manage the economy is a big driver behind this.
I also think that the poor productivity is a result of this, it is hard to invest in R&D as you have to be able to maintain it through the wild swings.
I wish I was smart enough to think of a better way!
What construction project in do you wish you could have worked on?
The great wall of China. I can remember getting bored in class at intermediate school and working out how many people it would take to build the wall in 10 minutes – and to make it challenging I was trying to do the calculation in my head. I can’t remember the answer, but I recall it took me a few days to work it out.
When I finally became a QS, this experience came back to me so maybe I was always destined to be one.
What’s something you do in your spare time (ie not work!)?
I enjoy getting out on my road bicycle and going for long rides with my mates. It helps me unwind and I’m always in better mood afterwards (so my wife tells me).
We’ll not always, 12 months ago I was going down the Waitakere’s at 50km/h and hit a pothole. I woke up in North Shore Hospital 4 hours later. Turns out the stem that holds my handlebars on broke and bikes aren’t so good without steering. Fortunately, I still don’t recall it and I got off relatively lightly (concussion and a broken collarbone).
What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?
My guilty pleasure is those gold mining reality shows. Those guys risk everything in the hope of making it big, and most don’t seem to.
