Customer story · Civil & infrastructure

Around $28,000, saved by one record

Direct Drains is an Auckland drainage and civil contractor. Before CONQA, the QA lived on paper – hard to track, hard to prove, and the raw material for disputes. One challenged pipe installation later, the record paid for itself.

$28k

Saved when the record proved a questioned pipe installation met spec – no dig-up, no replacement.

“We shared a copy of our QA report with Dempsey Wood, the response was they were ‘Very impressed with our QA.’ They were able to immediately review and submit this straight to Auckland Council and Watercare, cutting down processing times, for both Client and ourselves.”

Jade Rayner, Owner, Direct Drains
A Direct Drains crew working an open drainage trench

The job

Paper QA meant progress was hard to track and completed work hard to evidence. When quality or completion got questioned, it turned into a dispute – time, money and the client relationship all on the line.

“When I sat through the demo of CONQA, it was an instant yes – the timing was just right. And now, CONQA has been everything I hoped for and more.”

Jade Rayner

What changed

Site teams capture signatures, photos and QA evidence from the field, in real time. Management incentivises crews for completing QA properly in CONQA – the record is part of the job, not an after-hours chore.

“As management we recognise the value and cost-savings that robust QA brings, so it’s an easy decision for us to encourage and incentivise the guys onsite to ensure they’re completing their QA in real-time using CONQA correctly.”

Jade Rayner

Where it paid

A questioned installation would once have meant excavating and replacing pipe to settle the argument. The CONQA record showed the work met spec – approximately $28,000 that stayed in the business. The same reports now travel with tenders: QA that Dempsey Wood could submit straight through to Auckland Council and Watercare helped push a tender over the line.

“One of my favourite moments was when I was busy on site working, and I noticed the site engineers (our main contractor’s party) walking around the site and doing inspections using an app. That same afternoon, I noticed a report in my inbox, and it was a CONQA one.”

Jade Rayner

See it on work like yours.

CONQA builds the record as the work happens – so the next questioned installation is settled by evidence, not excavation.