Wish you were here?

Until last may, the most exotic place Carl O’Donnell had worked was Jersey. Now he spends his time flying between the Cayman Islands, Siberia, Bulgaria and the UK.

In his new job as senior consultant for Knowles he advises clients on what they should be doing under a contract – and troubleshoots where things have gone wrong. The projects are as diverse as the locations: an office block and multi-storey car park, a huge development for Ikea and a power station.

O’Donnell’s 25-year career in construction has been varied. Having started as a QS in house building, he has spent the last 15 years freelancing for both contractors and developers. He’s ACIOB, not a full member – ‘In contracting, it never seemed to be a requirement’ – but he’s about to go for his professional review now he’s a consultant.

If you are wondering how a career in the UK qualifies one to deal with contracts overseas, O’Donnell reckons there is no difference: ‘Clients and contractors seem to be the same wherever you are in the world. Main contractors are frightened of upsetting the client by sending a letter with a contractual clause in it. And the client has a habit of getting upset when they receive one of those.’

One of the first steps in his job, he says, is setting out the ground rules: ‘I sit down with my client’s client and get a relationship where I can say: “These are the rules. I need to send these letters – it’s nothing personal. I’m making sure my client’s protected.”’

It’s not that he gets a kick out of conflict, he says, but that he loves the contractual side of life.

However, O’Donnell adds that in Russia he would always hand deliver a letter where possible and discuss its contents. ‘The game of construction is hard enough without personalities getting ruffled.’

Contractual behaviour aside, there are other serious differences. In the Cayman Islands, where he has been acting as mediator between the client and McAlpine Cayman after the 19-month project (pictured, below) overran by six months, everyone wears shorts and a polo shirt to work. In Russia it’s thermal underwear, fur-lined leather coats and big hats.

Then there’s the language. O’Donnell has already started learning Russian: ‘It’s respectful and also quite handy in meetings,’ he says. And let’s not forget the culture: in Russia, they don’t believe in queuing.

O’Donnell’s Russian role is contracts administrator for a Turkish contractor which is building a huge complex for Ikea, comprising an Ikea store, hypermarket, DIY store, shopping centre and ice rink. Omsk, in Siberia, is different from anywhere he has ever been, says O’Donnell, with some things feeling very familiar and others completely alien.

The latest addition to his workload is sorting out claims for another Turkish contractor, who is the main civil contractor on a power plant in Bulgaria.

All this jet-setting can put strains on family life, admits O’Donnell: ‘Sometimes it can be a bit stressful because you can’t get things done at home,’ he says. ‘And when you do get home, you can’t get out to watch football with the boys,’ he adds, tongue only half in cheek.

However, there are perks, too, and he relishes the chance to visit out-of-the-ordinary places – there are very few people who would be organising a family holiday to Siberia or Stara Zagora in Bulgaria.

Then there are the Cayman Islands. His wife and daughter visited him there on his last trip as his contract allows for a flight home and back if he has to stay longer than four weeks, so he used it to bring his family over.

And let’s face it – studying in the sunshine by the Caribbean Sea doesn’t seem like such a bad life, even if it is contractual clauses. cm