CPD Library

All content is prepared in accordance with the Office of Fair Trading, Director General's Guidelines for delivering CPD for licensed NSW Builders and we have termed these publications "Modules".

Categories
Modules
Quotation Checklist

This module contains a simple format of a trade breakdown structure and a series of quotation checklists for when a tender is required for the construction of a residential.
Tender Evaluation

The aim of this module is to explore the tendering and procurement processes involved in a building project and understand methods and techniques that should be followed during that process.
Business Plans & Insurance Types

The purpose of this module – Understanding your business better - is to help you identify your personal and professional aspirations.
Marketing 101

No, we’re not talking about the same market this little piggy went to; marketing is just the business jargon for advertising – and that doesn’t just mean television commercials.
Your Business & Systems

Setting up and maintaining a successful business is the one shared goal of all independent contractors, small businesses and larger companies.
The Art of Referrals

By completing this module, you will have the: 1. Understanding around how effective referral marketing is for contractors. 2. Knowledge to build a referral marketing program in your business. 3. Skills to develop a mindset around meeting people and asking for referrals
Free Media Marketing

Welcome to ‘How to get free media’. This module aims to introduce you to new and effective ways of getting your message out using a variety of free and/or low-cost publicity strategies.
Tracking Business & Project Finance

By completing this module, you will: 1. Have an understanding of financial terms. 2. Know the difference between variable costs and fixed costs. 3. Understand how volume and profit can impact your business. 4. Identify ways to manage cash flow for optimum productivity
Planning Your Business

Whilst you may have only heard of business plans in boring meetings and movies about big-wig entrepreneurs, they’re an incredibly effective tool used by most healthy businesses.
Mastering Sales

Welcome to ‘Mastering Sales’. This module is packed with great information, tools and tips for you to enhance your sales process, help you develop a sales pipeline and show you how to give stronger presentations to clients and prospects.
Social Media 101

Social media for builders might sound like mixing oil and water, but they can mix just fine.
Writing For Business

Business writing and communication is a cornerstone of any business. Almost all business activities are envisioned, planned, analysed and implemented in some form of the written word - these include reports, proposals, emails, memos and more.
Six Stages of The Building Process

Preparation is the name of the game. When first started out on building sites my supervisor at the time advised me to remember that “80% of the work to be done in the first 20% of the project”. Of course, being a young and attentive to the free (yet invaluable) advice I thanked him and wet on my merry way.
Managing Time, Quality & Scope

The objective of this module is to understand the principle of Quality Management and how it applies in the construction industry.
Project Cost Accounting

Project cost accounting is similar to bookkeeping in so much as both tasks require detailed financial records that give an overview of outgoings and profits, however project cost accounting is specifically focussed on individual projects.
Managing Meetings, Time & Cost

The objective of this module is to understand the basic features of a meeting so that they can be managed to achieve the most desirable outcomes.
Tenders & Work Breakdown Structures

The purpose of this module is to assist you with key topics to contemplate when planning a tender submission as the head contractor.
Schedule Your Project

This purpose of this module is to work through the process of preparing a project program for a residential building project. All the major trades and their tasks have been included and presented as a checklist.
Customer Care

Whilst every contractor in the world would love to imagine that their services speak for themselves, the truth of the matter is that all successful businesses also pay close attention to the experiences of their clients before, during and after any given project.
Project Stakeholder Communication

Whether a project is large and complex or small and simple, the key to a high quality and successful final product is often the positive partnership with the client and effective communication.
Project Risk & Procurement

Whether a project is large and complex or small and simple, the key to a high quality and successful final product is often the positive partnership with the client and effective risk management.
Environmental Management

The objective of this module is to understand the environmental compliance requirements associated with building construction sites and how such information is to be identified and documented in a site-specific Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
Bookkeeping Handbook

Bookkeeping is the process of recording and classifying financial transactions or activities in your business.
People at Work

What is management? And how does it differ from leadership?
Site Establishment & Soil Classification

The objective of this module is to understand the importance of proper site establishment on a construction site and key areas of concern with formulating the methods to establish the site.
Workplace Bullying

Most people find it difficult to acknowledge when they are being bullied, when they witness someone else being bullied or when they are doing the bullying themselves.
Introduction To Small Business Tax

An understanding of the tax system is essential for anyone involved in a small business venture if they are to avoid tax pitfalls and understand the tax breaks available to them at each stage in the business lifecycle.
Design & Building Practitioners Act (Part I)

The objective of this module - Design & Building Practitioners Act - is to keep you updated on changes to building reforms happening now.
Design & Building Practitioners Act (Part 2)

The objective of this module - Design & Building Practitioners Act - is to keep you updated on changes to building reforms happening now.
Masonry in Small Buildings

To follow is a review and summary of AS 4773.2 Masonry in Small Buildings Part 2 Construction which goes through the minimum requirements for the construction of masonry in small buildings such as houses and garages.
Roof, Shigle & Slate Tiles

This document outlines the specifications for installing roof tiles and roof slates/shingles for use in light industrial, commercial, and domestic applications. It has been updated to ensure accurate references and to align with the requirements of the National Construction Code.
Termite Assessment Management

The Standards Australia Committee BD-074, Termites, has prepared this Standard to replace AS 3660.3—2000. The purpose of this Standard is to provide minimum criteria that termite management systems must meet before they can be used in and around buildings and structures. The objective of this revision is to update and clarify the Standard, as well as remove any ambiguity. The Standard is part of a series on termite management, including AS 3660.1 and AS 3660.2. The Standard uses the terms "normative" and "informative" to distinguish between integral parts of the Standard and information and guidance.
Termite Management New Buildings

The Standard provides measures to reduce the risk of undetected subterranean termite attacks on buildings by improving their design and construction. The measures described in the Standard aim to deter termite attacks and rely on partial measures to termite passage combined with perimeter inspection zones to detect evidence of their workings more readily during regular inspections. However, the measures cannot guarantee that a building will never be entered by termites or suffer from some form of termite attack. The requirements for an effective termite management system depend on design, location, site conditions, and building characteristics. The Standard also explains the habits and characteristics of subterranean termites, which may eat timber and timber products, plant fibre, or any material containing cellulose. The Standard does not cover measures to manage the risk of dry wood termite attacks, which are economically important only in restricted coastal, tropical, subtropical, and adjacent tableland areas of Australia.
Waterproofing Domestic Wet Areas

The objective of waterproofing is to prevent water from seeping into non-water-resistant building elements by using a combination of waterproof and water-resistant elements. The water should be properly managed and drained to an outfall at the surface and substrate.
Waterproofing External Above Ground

This module is a summary of two Australian Standards pertaining to standards in waterproofing for external above ground applications. Part I is revision and summary of materials &design whilst the Part II relates to installation.
Windows & Glazing

The Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee BD-021 developed this Standard to replace AS 2047—1999 and provide window designers and manufacturers with a generic requirement for windows in buildings. The Standard sets out the performance requirements and specifications for designing and manufacturing all windows, including hinged, pivot, and bi-fold doors, regardless of the materials used.
Contract Administration

The contracts checklist module has been developed to highlight key issues for consideration when preparing to go to contract with the client.
Property Law & Business Structures

This purpose of this module is to provide builders with a working knowledge of property law it relates to residential vendors in NSW.
Residential Building Contracts

This purpose of this module is to examine the Home Building Contract developed by the NSW office of Fair Trading (Form FT241).