SamWilko Advisory Industry Advice

Transport, Construction & Technical Services

Lowest price contracting, why does it persist in Engineering and Construction?

by Peter W | Jun 7, 2026 | Bid Management, Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Project Management

Lowest price contracting, why does it persist in Engineering and Construction? From the perspective of the client at the top of the contracting chain, low price tendering makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to maximise the return made from a project? Having a strategy is what healthy businesses need, to keep evolving, to keep looking to improve and to harness the energy of their staff.

What can Governments do to improve our Industry?

by Peter W | Jan 5, 2026 | Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Infrastructure Construction

Peter Wilkinson explores what can Governments do to improve the Construction industry? An industry that, as is the case around the globe, Government relies on to implement so much of it’s social as well as economic agenda.

Five Forces Revisited – Has Anything Changed in Engineering and Construction?

by Peter W | Sep 3, 2025 | Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Infrastructure Construction, Project Management

Peter Wilkinson wrote about the competitive dynamics of the Engineering & Construction contracting market in “The Steel Ceiling: Achieving Sustainable Growth in Engineering and Construction” (Wiley, 2023) using a model developed for this purpose by Michael Porter called “5-Forces”. In this article he revisits this model and considers what’s happening in the industry, and what this may mean for profitability of small and medium businesses.

Strategy: The Answer to Change in Engineering & Construction?

by Peter W | Jul 28, 2025 | Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Innovation, Management Consulting, Project Management

Having a strategy is what healthy businesses need, to keep evolving, to keep looking to improve and to harness the energy of their staff.

How to Get More of What You Want

by Peter W | Mar 27, 2025 | Business Coaching, Industry Opinion, Innovation

Peter Wilkinson explores self improvement goals – Modern Life is a terrible time waster. So how do we get things done that we really want to do, or get what we want reliably?

What Should I be spending my time worrying about?

by Peter W | Dec 9, 2024 | Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Management Consulting, Project Management

Worry is a terrible time waster. So, if you’re looking for something to worry about, it’s much more productive to choose a subject that you can do something about.

Managing Integrity in an Industry out of Integrity

by Peter W | Oct 23, 2024 | Bid Management, Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Management Consulting, Project Management

Managing Integrity in an Industry out of Integrity. Are we prepared to accept the “status quo” for our industry?

Everyone wants to be heard, don’t they?

by Peter W | Sep 30, 2024 | Business Coaching, Industry Opinion, Innovation, Management Consulting

If you want to be a better communicator, the trick is to get out of your own head and consider how to modify your message and improve your chances of being heard.

Defining Good and How to Achieve it?

by Peter W | Aug 18, 2024 | Bid Management, Business Coaching, Construction Industry, Industry Opinion, Infrastructure Construction, Management Consulting, Project Management

The recently held Foundations and Frontiers FF24 conference, created by the Australian Constructors Association, provided an opportunity to shed some light on concerns about the long-term health and sustainability of the industry and align on changes that need to be made to improve the industry. I offered a thought starter which didn’t come up much in discussion (not intended to be a criticism of the forum – there was much worthy discussion during the day). I’d be most interested in your thoughts on this topic, particularly if you are one of my colleagues who are (or have been) employed by the public sector with knowledge of how the process works.