Christelle works upstream of property projects, from the preliminary pre-sale stage to the submission of the offer. She is responsible for changes to costings throughout the project, taking into account new requests and developments.
During the “competition” or “tender” phase, she calculates the cost of the future property project. To produce a quote, she breaks it down as a whole to quantify needs then estimates costs based on the design and the requirements of the project owner. She then feeds back and negotiates estimates from service partners and suppliers in order to pass on the best offers on the quote.
At this design stage, Christelle works a lot with architects, support service teams and design office.
At the project set-up stage, meaning once the contract is signed, she adjusts all resources required for the construction of the building.
Lastly, at the implementation stage, she checks and analyses the impact of the adjustments made to keep to the work schedule and budget in the recorded proportions.
What skills are required from Christelle Azam, Construction Economist?
Christelle is accurate, thorough and leaves nothing to chance. At the design stage, she breaks down the quote to the smallest detail, then works on the figures, which she compiles, records and negotiates. This is the area where her work shines through every day. She has an excellent ability to see the bigger picture. Working independently, she also has to demonstrate an ability to listen to and communicate with other the professions she deals with, regardless of how qualified the other person is. To strike the right balance between customer satisfaction and optimising the margin, Christelle needs to be flexible and innovative.
A day in the life of Christelle Azam, Construction Economist
I have a high school diploma in Sciences and Technologies of Industry with a civil engineering option, supplemented by a university technical diploma in civil engineering. After one year working for a construction company for private housing, I joined GA Smart Building, in the Omega design office, where I spent 6 years as a designer and then as principal designer. I then joined the design and projects department as construction economist, where I have been for 12 years. I like the spirit of this company which provides opportunities for all. In terms of the projects, I like the variety and tracking them the whole way until the keys are handed over. This continuity is a real source of motivation for me.
Start of the Day
Arriving at the office, emails and list of priorities. Checking all the quantities before preparing the framework of the quote in order to start costing the project.
10:00 a.m.
Meeting with colleagues from the design office to validate the technical choices they have made with respect to our requirements and costings.
1:30 p.m.
Studying phase of ongoing property project and shaping quote by breaking it down into batches and trades using the construction rationale.
3:00 p.m.
Meeting with a subcontractor to explain the project and clarify all the specific features. Clarification of the items to be costed into their bid. Sending the consultation dossiers, so they have all the items necessary for costing.
End of the day
Summary of the meeting with the subcontractors and filling in comparative tables for the various bids received.