The ultimate juggling act

Juggling takes patience, movement, and direction. It’s all about timing – knowing when to let go, catch, or predict what’s coming. They are skills Matthew Bunn is adept at as head of estimating at GemLife.

“It’s a constant balancing act to make sure we don’t underestimate costs, order too few materials or too many materials as you don’t want to slow the job down or have excess stock lying around that could be ruined in the weather,” Matthew says.

“A key part of our role is to ensure our site supervisors have what they need so that resort delivery timeframes can be met, and assess how we can continually improve on quality, cost and delivery timeframes. We do this by building strong relationships with colleagues along with contractors and suppliers around the country.”

As Residential Estimating Manager at GemLife, Matthew heads a team of eight, whose job – in simple terms – is to analyse cost estimates, engage suppliers and contractors, and ensure the company’s resorts are getting the best deals and service.

In reality, the job is more complex than that – it’s a fast-paced specialised area with daily deadlines, lead-time considerations, and internal and external stakeholders to build relationships with.

There are meetings with: drafts people to study plans; engineers to look over material specifications; the sales team to consider cost variations; the finance team for closing out budgets; interior designers for colour schemes; and suppliers to talk about timeframes, pricing, and tenders.

For a developer that does not compromise on quality, Matthew and the team’s job is to ensure accountability too.

“We negotiate prices with suppliers and contractors; however, we also need to ensure they have the capacity to deliver quality work within an allocated timeframe,” he said.

“Wherever possible we source sustainable products and materials and buy Australian-made. GemLife’s resort facilities are fantastic and leading the way in the sector, and we are constantly looking at how we can raise the bar further.

“A ‘how can we do things better’ ethos is deeply engrained into our company’s philosophy and it’s why so many of us love working here.

“To help improve our services further, this year (2024) we are introducing a performance review process with our suppliers and contractors, which will really help facilitate more two-way communication, and look at what is being done well and what could be better to help our construction site managers.”

Matthew appreciates the different skill sets individuals in his team have, and how they continually challenge ideas to come up with the best solutions.

“We have estimators with good construction knowledge, estimators who are good with information technology and getting programs to talk to each other to save us time, and others who have been on the tools before and are familiar with the manufacturing of our relocatable products.

“There is more than 100 years of combined experience in our department and it’s a team of really good people, who speak up when they have ideas about how we can do things better.

“I try to instil in my team the importance or values of communication, respect for each other, attention to detail, and also have some respectful fun and banter along the way.”

Matthew guides expectations of himself and his team through the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of:

• Keep people informed
• Keep people interested
• Keep people involved
• Keep people included.

Matthew said the team was rapidly expanding in line with the demand for GemLife’s sought-after offering.

“We have a dynamic culture at GemLife, with modern facilities, and a team environment where you are supported and encouraged,” he said.

“GemLife’s foundation is built on family values, and I think that’s why there is such a positive team spirit.”

Estimating department roles suit people who are skilled at time management, product knowledge, attention-to-detail, measurement accuracy, communication skills, problem solving, and enjoy a fast-paced team environment.