We sat down with Tony Santini, our Construction Manager, to understand how Santé keeps its solar and BESS projects on schedule and often ahead of program.
How do you manage projects to ensure they remain on program, and where possible, ahead of program?
The work begins before we reach site with our extensive pre-con phase. Once on site, it’s all about clear communication with subbies, suppliers, & the client, actively managing and mitigating risks. We identify potential roadblocks early and develop contingency pathways, so the team always knows the next best step forward. Our discipline around tracking emerging risks means we intervene before issues become delays, keeping momentum steady from day one.
You emphasise that program efficiency starts before your reach site. What do you mean by that?
The secret is our pre-construction smarts. The minute drawings land, we mobilise designers, construction leads, and the key subbies straight away, collaborating on detailed upfront planning. We sit around the same table testing efficiencies from the start: materials, construction methods, site constraints, all while the design is still moving. That means value engineering & program efficiency options are integrated into the design from the beginning. By the time we get to site, the thing’s basically build-ready.
And what does that actually mean once you hit the ground?
We bring our key subbies in during concept and design development. We sit down, look at efficiencies, risks, constructability, all the stuff that gets missed if they’re brought in too late. They’ll point out things that save days, sometimes weeks that we can integrate into the design.
You mentioned bringing subcontractors in early. Why does that make such a difference?
We bring our key subbies in during concept and design development. We sit down, look at efficiencies, risks, constructability, all the stuff that gets missed if they’re brought in too late. They’ll point out things that save days, sometimes weeks that we can integrate into the design.
And once construction starts, how do you keep the pace?
Proactive risk management. No surprises. We track progress every week, adjust workloads, re-sequence if we need to. We also keep a live register of technical, environmental, and supply-chain risks, reviewing them with the team so everyone understands what could impact the program. That shared awareness creates a culture where risk ownership is clear and solutions are generated quickly.
What about communication?
It’s non-negotiable. We keep everyone, our subbies, suppliers, clients, aligned with constant updates and clear decision points. Our subbies & suppliers are involved from day one, giving input on the design and building it the way they know works best. That early involvement also creates trusted communication channels, so decisions get made quickly and clearly. We also set consistent rhythms, site walks, weekly coordination meetings, and daily check-ins, so information flows both ways and issues are surfaced early. When everyone knows exactly where things stand, the program moves without friction.
And how do you keep improving job after job?
We finish a phase, we look back. What worked? What didn’t? How do we do it better next time? We capture those lessons, feed them straight into the next project, and share them across the team collaborating as far as our global teams. The more we learn, the faster each project runs. We call it a ‘better way’ – constant improvement, always finding a better way.
