Interview with Marcin Wielechowski, Installations Director at Techbud Kosztorysy

Marcin – a graduate of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology. For more than a decade, he has been involved in construction and, in particular, the installation industry. A member of the Techbud management team, responsible for the highest quality of cost estimates and bills of quantities in the installation segment.

 

Tell us about TECHBUD – how did you end up here, what has your career path looked like?

I am a graduate of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology. I became involved with the construction industry and the installation industry over 10 years ago, in fact during my studies. Before I started working at TECHBUD Kosztorysy, I gained professional experience at an installation projects office, I worked on construction sites and as a cost manager on industrial, logistics and office projects. I also had the chance to get to know the industry from up close, from the inside.

What do you do at the company? What are you responsible for?

At TECHBUD, I currently hold the position of installation director and cost consultant. In practice, this means that I coordinate the work of the installation team which specialises primarily in the pre-estimation and valuation of sanitary and electrical installations. It is my responsibility to ensure that our services in the installation segment are of the highest quality.

What gives you most joy at work?

It may sound trivial, but what I enjoy most at work on a daily basis is working on interesting and prestigious investments. Such projects are always a test of one’s skills and experience, and at the same time, an ideal opportunity to broaden one’s knowledge and improve one’s skills.

Is it possible to identify any specific trends in the industry or determine what it may look like in 5-10 years?

Undoubtedly, a new and increasingly common trend in the cost estimation industry is working on project documentation made in BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology. Using this technology, you can better analyse both the type and amount of materials used, the technologies used, and the cost of investment. I think that in the future a cost estimator’s work will be largely coordinated with the designer’s work already at the stage of creating the project either in traditional form or in BIM technology.

One hears increasingly often about cost management and value engineering services. How can they in your opinion help the construction industry and the real estate market?

In my view, cost management and value engineering are inseparable services accompanying professionally managed and thoroughly thought-through investments. We see this especially in recent years, when prices of raw materials and labour costs are growing faster than ever before. Thanks to cost management at all stages of the investment, we can effectively manage the construction process so as to optimally make use the investor’s resources and ensure the maximum return and profit from the planned project.

Tell us about a project you are proud of, one that was a very interesting challenge for you.

There have been several dozen interesting projects that I worked on over the last 10 years. Certainly, I can include the West Station office building for HB Reavis and the Adgar Park West D office building among those projects I’m proud of. These were very modern investments using “green” solutions, thanks to which they can boast of ecological certificates, and we have our little contribution to them being so great.

Working on both office projects, the installation team under my management prepared comprehensive bills of quantities and cost estimates for sanitary and electrical installations at the concept and executive design stages. Our work, the ready-made bills and estimates, made it possible for the project manager to select the general contractor transparently and optimally in both cases. And it makes me proud to know that last year West Station received the prestigious Prime Property Prize for the best office investment. Keeping track of the investments I have worked on, and which are successful and popular, is always a source of pride. I think that everyone in the industry could say the same.

Thank you.