The Subbies' Toolbox Podcast

AI is starting to show up everywhere in construction, including contract reviews. For subcontractors working in commercial construction, that can sound like a huge time saver. But it also introduces risks that many people don’t realise.  In this episode of The Subbies Toolbox Podcast, Michelle Cirson shares practical insights from reviewing hundreds of construction contracts and explains where AI can genuinely help subcontractors, and where it can quietly lead them into trouble.  Michelle walks through some real examples of how AI can misunderstand prompts, miss important contract risks, or frame your thinking about a deal before you’ve even assessed it properly yourself.  Most importantly, she explains how subcontractors can use AI as a tool rather than a decision-maker when reviewing builders’ contracts.  If you’re starting to experiment with AI in your business, this episode will help you use it wisely while still protecting your commercial interests.  This episode explores:  The risks of uploading contract documents into AI tools  Why AI can misinterpret prompts during contract reviews  The danger of letting AI frame your view of a deal  How subcontractors can use AI to locate key clauses in contracts  Why context, risk appetite and trade knowledge still matter in contract negotiations  Practical ways to approach contract risk before generating a departure schedule  Michelle also explains the hierarchy of contract risk controls and how subcontractors can use it to decide whether a clause needs negotiation, adjustment to scope, or whether the project risk is simply too high.  Resources  Get the Business Risk Checklist (Free Download) https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/risk  Tired of builders pushing you around? Arm yourself with the Subbies' Toolbox Membership   Want to negotiate better contract terms? Explore Negotiation School  Get Free Checklists, Templates and guides here www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.  Get Your Fix on Social Media   Follow Michelle on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/  Follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/subbiestoolbox/   Follow Michelle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricksofyourtrade  Rate and Review the Podcast  If you like what you’re hearing on The Subbies’ Toolbox Podcast, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on ApplePodcast, or Spotify Thanks!  About the Host   Michelle Cirson is construction lawyer, adjudicator and former commercial builder’s CA who now works exclusively with Australian subcontractors. She helps commercial subcontractors manage their builders’ contracts and get paid on time, without losing jobs and blowing up builder relationships. Michelle is the founder of The Subbies Toolbox Membership.   If you want to understand how this system actually works and where subcontractors tend to get caught out, you’ll find more resources at www.subbiestoolbox.com.au. 

This week on The Subbies Toolbox Podcast, we’re talking about unfair contract terms laws and whether the changes brought in during 2023 have actually made things better for subcontractors. On paper, these laws look like a big win. There are serious penalties now for companies that include unfair terms in their contracts. But in practice, things aren’t always that simple. Most subcontractors are still being handed standard form contracts on a take it or leave it basis. And the reality is, many of the clauses in those contracts still heavily favour the builder or upstream party. So the real question isn’t whether the laws exist. It’s whether they’re actually changing behaviour on the ground. In this episode, I walk through what’s really happening in the industry, what I’m seeing in negotiations every day, and where these laws are starting to make a difference. We also unpack some of the more questionable contract practices that are still floating around, including early payment discounts and how they actually work behind the scenes. If you’re signing contracts regularly, this is something you need to understand. Not from a legal theory perspective, but from a practical, commercial one.   Get the Business Risk Checklist (Free Download) https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/risk  Resources  Tired of builders pushing you around? Arm yourself with the Subbies' Toolbox Membership   Want to negotiate better contract terms? Explore Negotiation School  Get Free Checklists, Templates and guides here www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.  Get Your Fix on Social Media   Follow Michelle on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/  Follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/subbiestoolbox/   Follow Michelle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricksofyourtrade  Rate and Review the Podcast  If you like what you’re hearing on The Subbies’ Toolbox Podcast, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on ApplePodcast, or Spotify Thanks!  About the Host   Michelle Cirson is construction lawyer, adjudicator and former commercial builder’s CA who now works exclusively with Australian subcontractors. She helps commercial subcontractors manage their builders’ contracts and get paid on time, without losing jobs and blowing up builder relationships. Michelle is the founder of The Subbies Toolbox Membership.   If you want to understand how this system actually works and where subcontractors tend to get caught out, you’ll find more resources at www.subbiestoolbox.com.au

In this episode, Michelle explains why Inspection Test Plans (ITPs) are one of the most overlooked tools subcontractors have to protect themselves on commercial construction projects.  Many subbies see ITPs as just paperwork. Something the builder asks for that ends up sitting in a folder no one ever looks at. But when payment disputes happen, when projects go sideways, or when builders start questioning your work, ITPs can become some of the most powerful evidence you have.  Michelle shares real cases where subcontractors lost hundreds of thousands of dollars simply because they could not prove what had been delivered or completed on site. She also explains how a simple, systematic approach to ITPs can protect your business and help you get paid.  This episode also looks at how poor record keeping can backfire if ITPs are completed incorrectly or treated as a box-ticking exercise.  If you work in commercial construction, this is one of the simplest risk management systems you can implement in your business.  Get the Business Risk Checklist (Free Download) https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/risk  Resources  Tired of builders pushing you around? Arm yourself with the Subbies' Toolbox Membership   Want to negotiate better contract terms? Explore Negotiation School  Get Free Checklists, Templates and guides here www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.  Get Your Fix on Social Media   Follow Michelle on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/  Follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/subbiestoolbox/   Follow Michelle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricksofyourtrade  Rate and Review the Podcast  If you like what you’re hearing on The Subbies’ Toolbox Podcast, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on ApplePodcast, or Spotify Thanks!  About the Host   Michelle Cirson is construction lawyer, adjudicator and former commercial builder’s CA who now works exclusively with Australian subcontractors. She helps commercial subcontractors manage their builders’ contracts and get paid on time, without losing jobs and blowing up builder relationships. Michelle is the founder of The Subbies Toolbox Membership.   If you want to understand how this system actually works and where subcontractors tend to get caught out, you’ll find more resources at www.subbiestoolbox.com.au. 

In this episode of The Subbies Toolbox Podcast, Michelle breaks down one of the most overlooked risk areas for commercial subcontractors: purchase order terms and conditions. Drawing on real experiences from legal disputes in the commercial construction industry, Michelle explains how many payment disputes actually start much earlier in a project. Small gaps in documentation, supplier agreements, or purchasing processes can quickly escalate into major financial problems. Michelle shares practical stories from subcontractors who found themselves exposed because there was nothing in writing when purchasing specialist equipment or engaging suppliers. If you want to protect your subcontracting business, this episode explains why purchase order terms and conditions should be one of the first contracts you implement. Get the Business Risk Checklist (Free Download) https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/risk Resources  Get the Business Risk Checklist (Free Download) https://www.subbiestoolbox.com.au/risk  Tired of builders pushing you around? Arm yourself with the Subbies' Toolbox Membership   Want to negotiate better contract terms? Explore Negotiation School  Get Free Checklists, Templates and guides here www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.  Get Your Fix on Social Media   Follow Michelle on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/  Follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/subbiestoolbox/   Follow Michelle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricksofyourtrade  Rate and Review the Podcast  If you like what you’re hearing on The Subbies’ Toolbox Podcast, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on ApplePodcast, or Spotify Thanks!  About the Host   Michelle Cirson is construction lawyer, adjudicator and former commercial builder’s CA who now works exclusively with Australian subcontractors. She helps commercial subcontractors manage their builders’ contracts and get paid on time, without losing jobs and blowing up builder relationships. Michelle is the founder of The Subbies Toolbox Membership.   If you want to understand how this system actually works and where subcontractors tend to get caught out, you’ll find more resources at www.subbiestoolbox.com.au. 

Welcome to Season 2 and the first episode of The Subbies Toolbox Podcast.  If you’re a commercial subcontractor working for builders in Australia, this podcast is for you.  In this episode, I explain why the podcast has evolved from Tricks of Your Trade into the Subbies Toolbox, who I am, and why most subcontractor problems can be avoided long before anyone needs to go near a courtroom.  We talk honestly about why construction contracts don’t operate on common sense, how the system is designed to default in the builder’s favour, and why subcontractors need a systematic approach to help them get through business life unscathed.  Resources  Tired of builders pushing you around? Arm yourself with the Subbies' Toolbox Membership   Want to negotiate better contract terms? Explore Negotiation School  Get Free Checklists, Templates and guides here www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.  Get Your Fix on Social Media   Follow Michelle on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecirson/  Follow Michelle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/subbiestoolbox/   Follow Michelle on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricksofyourtrade  Rate and Review the Podcast  If you like what you’re hearing on The Subbies’ Toolbox Podcast, support the show by taking a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment on ApplePodcast, or Spotify Thanks!  About the Host  Michelle Cirson is construction lawyer, adjudicator and former commercial builder’s CA who now works exclusively with Australian subcontractors. She helps commercial subcontractors manage their builders’ contracts and get paid on time, without losing jobs and blowing up builder relationships. Michelle is the founder of The Subbies Toolbox Membership.   If you want to understand how this system actually works and where subcontractors tend to get caught out, you’ll find more resources at www.subbiestoolbox.com.au.