Connstruction Procurement is Broken | Alastair Blenkin (ProcurePro)

If you've ever finished a package and quietly wondered whether you made or lost money on it, and had no way to find out, this episode is about the part of construction where the margin's really won and lost, and why almost nobody's systemised it. Alastair Blenkin joins Gavin Coyle. He's co-founder and CEO of ProcurePro, a construction procurement platform used by 300-odd contractors globally with around 150bn of construction value running through it. He was a lawyer "for about five minutes," quit at 25, launched a month before COVID, rebuilt from scratch when the market vanished, and has scaled to 100 staff across ANZ, UK & Ireland and the Middle East, with the US next. **You'll learn:** • Why procurement is a 15-20 step process most contractors run on sticky tape and Excel • "If I can't see my risk, I can't manage it" • Removing friction so subs quote how they want, AI normalises the comparison • AI and headcount honestly: not mass redundancy, "two QAs become one" • Making lessons learned mandatory: capture went from ~5 a week to 50 • The vision: a live, consented cost library for the whole industry • The "I've already got an ERP" objection, and the one image that answers it • Handling "you're cost prohibitive" with the scope-gap question • Why UK/Ireland are conservative buyers and what it takes to win there • Curveballs: sliding down a 6,000m ice volcano, and why he makes people read The Lean Startup first ### **Episode Highlights / Timestamps** - 01:05 Welcome: Alastair Blenkin, ProcurePro - 03:38 Why procurement is 15-20 steps held together by sticky tape - 08:21 "If I can't see my risk, I can't manage it" - 11:34 "Subs, quote how you want", AI normalises the comparison - 14:49 AI and headcount: two QAs become one - 22:27 "I've already got an ERP", the one image that answers it - 24:17 A lawyer for five minutes, quits at 25 - 26:35 Make lessons learned mandatory: 5 a week to 50 - 28:12 Nirvana: a live, consented cost library - 33:41 Why UK and Ireland are conservative buyers - 42:05 The scope-gap question, handling the price objection - 46:35 Curveball: sliding down an ice volcano - 47:49 Favourite book: The Lean Startup **Connect with Alastair Blenkin** LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alastairblenkin ProcurePro: procurepro.co ## **About Coyle Group** Coyle Group provides safety outsourcing and managed services for high-impact projects across wind, utilities, power generation, engineering, and construction. With over **25 years of experience**, **100+ safety professionals**, and **more than 1 million safety hours completed**, Coyle Group helps organisations deliver projects safely and compliantly. Learn more: https://coyle-group.com/ ## **About the Podcast** **I'm The Gaffer**, hosted by Gavin Coyle, features conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts covering construction, engineering, leadership, business growth, safety, procurement, project delivery, and workplace culture. **Listen on:** **Apple Podcasts** https://bit.ly/ImTheGaffer **Spotify** https://bit.ly/ImTheGafferSpotify **YouTube** https://www.youtube.com/@ImTheGafferPodcast **Website** https://www.imthegaffer.com Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, construction, business growth, workplace culture, employee engagement, engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.