Hamish
Gray

Hamish has spent most of his career “building stuff”. He trained as a civil engineer and spent the past 17 years working for main contractors. There’s not much he hasn’t had a hand in building, from stadia, water infrastructure and data centres to roading, bridges and rail tunnels.  

It’s fair to say Hamish has a solid appreciation for how things are built. His knowledge of the complexities and challenges of construction is only equalled by his knowledge of their possible solutions. 

Hamish joined RCP in 2021 and leads the Pre-construction team. Part of his role is to identify issues early on – at the ‘pen and paper’ stage – and resolve them before construction starts, saving time and cost for the client. He ensures that the project is sequenced and staged efficiently. He’ll run ‘simulations’ in his head and visualise the different phases of the project build. Hamish excels at translating the technical aspects of a project into a format that clients can understand and execute. 

With his ‘builder’s hat’ on, Hamish can ably analyse a contractor’s methodology and programme, and any contractual claims. He’s also well-versed at design reviews where he explores buildability, identifies any risks or missing detail, and considers alternative options. Importantly, he also tests the proposal to ensure it meets the objectives.  

Hamish says pre-construction is, first and foremost, about understanding how clients operate, their objectives and how they interact with their customers. The construction plan is shaped using this knowledge. Hamish loves to spend time in the field to get a sense of the construction space. He assesses the site to establish a good understanding of the physical environment and any challenges that may not have been identified, knowing issues will be missed when solely sitting in the office.  

Sharing his time with a number of clients and projects, Hamish has multiple short- and long-term projects on the go. He assists Auckland International Airport, New Zealand Defence Force, Fletcher Residential, Greater Wellington Regional Council and other private clients to deliver their projects. He is a sounding board for the wider RCP team on all questions of pre-construction, and provides valuable knowledge and expertise to RCP’s valued clients. 

Hamish is passionate about contributing to the wider community through built infrastructure. He says a key challenge for clients is striking the right balance between planning and doing – ensuring the hard yards are done up front to plan and design a project that ticks all the boxes, but not overthinking it to the extent that it becomes a roadblock to delivering it.  

Hamish likes to be outdoors when he can, and enjoys activities like sailing, paddleboarding, bushwalks and camping. He also appreciates good food and can sometimes be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen with the music turned up.  

“I like to share my building knowledge with clients and help to deliver solutions before they become a costly problem in the field.”