Consulting services for construction industry in 2022 – changes and forecasts according to Jędrzej Oberkiewicz, co-founder of G2J Consulting (INTERVIEW. Portal Nieruchomości)

Portal Nieruchomości: You are a co-founder of the Krakow company, G2J Consulting, which supports investors at all stages of the investment process. Could you tell us how the construction industry changed in the previous year and what events have impacted and shaped the latest trends?     

Jędrzej Oberkiewicz: It is a very broad question. It may refer to many sectors of the industry, therefore, this question will be answered differently by an architect, differently by a representative of a general contractor and differently by an investor. From our point of view, as a consulting and project management company, definitely we consider as a transformative moment the breakout of the war in Ukraine and its consequences, e.g. temporary shortage of construction workers or soaring prices of construction materials and energy. Price increases of construction materials led to optimisation of construction costs, at times very far-fetched. As far as the energy costs are concerned, this trend seems to be even more fundamental, even systemic – due to increases in energy prices, many investors have become seriously interested in solutions minimizing or optimising energy consumption, but also solutions enabling independent generation of electricity. I’m convinced that this trend will become stronger in the future.    

Portal Nieruchomości: Based on your conversations with investors, have you noticed changes in perception of the role of a consulting company in the investment process? 

 Jędrzej Oberkiewicz: Investors operating on the Polish market are definitely more aware of the role played by consulting companies. Organisations that want to keep growing in these difficult times know that incorporating all competences and skills into their own structure is ineffective and unprofitable. Of course, for companies whose basic activity focuses on erecting buildings, management of the construction process is a key competence that is worth having within their in-house resources. However, entrepreneurs that decide to undertake a construction project for their own needs (e.g. production facilities, healthcare units or simply entities interested in erecting their own headquarters) more and more often seek to acquire these competences outside their organisation – in this way they gain professional engineering staff that is essential for completion of a project, however, they don’t need to incorporate these employees into their own structure. Nevertheless, it must be said that many investors still consider hiring a consulting company to be a waste of money. Unfortunately, as it often turns out after the construction has been completed, the fee spent on a consulting company would have paid off several times. 

Portal Nieruchomości: The year 2022 is behind us. How did your company change in the previous year? 

Jędrzej Oberkiewicz: G2J Consulting, thanks to a great commitment of our whole staff, has been continuously developing and organically evolving in response to market requirements and demands of our clients. Every project that we participate in is a priceless lesson for us – we try to learn as much as possible and apply this knowledge in order to further improve the quality of our services. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to function without trust established between us and our contractors and partners. I’d like to take this opportunity and express our gratitude to the American Heart of Poland Group that entrusted with management of two investment projects: modernisation, restructuring and extension of the iconic “Ustroń” health complex; and modernisation of the AhoP healthcare-treatment network whose units are spread throughout Polish territory. The first project, due to its iconic and historical character, is associated with many unique challenges. The second project is very important from the perspective of healthcare and life of cardiological patients, and consequently it is naturally associated with a great responsibility but also with a great satisfaction resulting from participation in this enterprise. I’d also like to mention other projects very important to us that were completed last year, including: new headquarters and production plant of Smay – a leading producer of ventilation systems and devices – located in Podłęż, near Krakow; Hyatt Place Hotel – the only establishment of this American hotel chain in Poland; and a warehouse complex for NOHO Logistic. Of course, we would not be able to effectively participate in all these assignments without the engagement and professionalism of our team to whom I would like to express my appreciation and gratefulness. Last year, our team was joined by a couple of highly experienced professionals, whose knowledge and skills are invaluable to us, as well as a couple of young and ambitious newcomers who have also greatly contributed to the development of the whole organisation.      

 Portal Nieruchomości: What kind of activities does G2J Consulting want to focus on in the coming year? What are your plans and goals for 2023? 

 Jędrzej Oberkiewicz: To answer your question in one sentence – our plans are ambitious and our goals daring! And to elaborate a bit more on the details, we certainly want to focus on a few priority directions – development of our staff, promoting the aforementioned role of a consulting company in the investment process and reaching new investors with our offer. It may sound banal, but we really aim at proving the highest quality services to our clients. The experience tells us that it is the optimal way leading to success – taking shortcuts might be quicker, but sooner or later it would lead us astray.   

The interview comes from the website: Portal Nieruchomości https://portalnieruchomosci.com/uslugi-doradcze-dla-branzy-budowlanej-w-2022-roku/