Point Project Management

Brendan Bilston

Michael Snare

Lots of businesses like to think they are run with military precision. In the case of Canberra-based firm Point Project Management, it's actually true.

Founders Michael Snare and Brendan Bilston met in 1993 at the Defence Force Academy in Canberra; Snare was a senior classman, while Bilston was a junior. They both went their separate ways until 2005, when Snare, who was then working at United Group, found Bilston's resume at the bottom of a pile of job applications and hired him.

Snare struck out on his own in 2006 and was quickly joined by Bilston. In just three years, the two-man team has expanded to a staff of over 34 full-time employees, more than a third of whom are former military personnel.

"We know how they've been trained, how they've been brought up and how they've been educated," Bilston says.

"Michael and I really respected the way that the military treated us and we've tried to do that in our business."

Point, which has offices throughout Australia and is in the process of setting up an office in the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby, provides an extremely broad range of services for clients in the government and private sector.

"We work through the entire life cycle of a project," Bilston says. Clients might be building owners or tenants, building contractors or project development. In some cases, Point is involved from the point of building the business case of a project through to managing the design, construction and on-leasing phases.

Point has quickly established a diverse client base. The Melbourne office is busy working on the Victorian Government's various hospital projects. In Brisbane, the team is focussed on new facilities for Air Services Australian. In Canberra, the office is working on a new Qantas terminal and high security government buildings.

This diversification has been extremely important during the downturn. Bilston also says the company has been able to leverage the skills of its team during the downturn.

"Markets have slowed down and we reacted to that by diversifying into new products. We've got some eCommerce experts, so we've been able to move into financial analysis. We've got skills in procurement, so we've been able to develop those services. Flexibility is the key."

Bilston says the company's reputation has been enhanced not just by its work on specific projects but also business-wide success. Point has won a swag of property industry and business awards in the last 12 months, which has helped build its reputation.

The company has also worked hard at getting involved in the broader engineering and construction industries by joining committees of industry bodies such as Engineers Australian and the Property Council. It's a big time effort, but Bilston says it has helped the company gain invaluable insights into the way sectors work.

Point has also had success at gaining spots on government and private sector "panels", which are essentially lists of preferred tenders who have exclusive access to a project for three or four years. "If you can secure yourself on a panel then you are one step closer to getting the work," Bilston says.

Managing the incredible growth of the company has come down to careful planning. Bilston and Snare appointed a board of directors just nine months after starting the company, when the business had already met its three-year targets.

The company has also invested heavily in its intranet, which has been crucial in documenting the systems and processes that underpin the business.

"For everything that everyone does there is a documented process in terms of what they do and how they do it," Bilston says.

Another key to the company's success is its labour practices. Bilston says Point has worked hard to attract and retain people and offers flexible working arrangements (such as allowing staff with sick kids to work from home or bring their children in) and regular bonding events.

‘We've been very, very lucky to utilise the skills of the people we got."

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PART OF STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

"Number one is the satisfaction of knowing that it can be done. Also, you can run a business with integrity!"