How HBC uses Oculo to reduce risk, resolve disputes and protect commercial value

About HBC

HBC is one of the UK's leading construction companies, delivering complex construction projects across the public and private sectors in Yorkshire, Teesside and the East Midlands..

Across projects including the Ramsden Building for the University of Huddersfield, Rotherham Markets and Rye Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme, HBC adopted Oculo to create a complete visual record of construction.

Today, Oculo supports both commercial and site teams by providing instant access to historic site conditions, helping verify completed works, investigate issues and reduce project risk.

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The Challenge

Construction projects often require teams to answer questions long after work has been completed.

On refurbishment projects in particular, teams need to verify:

• Existing building conditions
• Hidden works after completion
• Subcontractor payment applications
• Delay claims
• Damage investigations
• Historic progress months after work has been completed

Traditionally, this relied on site diaries and individual photographs.

As Site Manager Carl Gelder explains:

"Before Oculo, we would be totally reliant on the images that we are taking, and you're not going to capture everything."

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Creating a Complete Visual Record

HBC implemented Oculo across multiple projects, capturing regular 360° walkthroughs throughout construction.

The scans created a permanent visual timeline, giving both commercial and site teams the ability to return to any location at any point in time.

Whether reviewing completed works, investigating issues or validating commercial claims, teams can instantly access a visual record of exactly what happened on site.

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Commercial Impact:

£100,000 - £150,000 Identified in Overclaimed Works

One of Oculo's biggest commercial impacts came during the refurbishment of the Ramsden Building at the University of Huddersfield.

Senior Quantity Surveyor Ashley Etherington used Oculo during monthly valuations to verify subcontractor claims. Rather than relying solely on submitted quantities, Ashley reviewed completed works using Oculo's historical timeline.

In several cases, subcontractors had overclaimed on their works, while Oculo showed what had actually been completed. With traditional finishes in historic buildings coming at a premium, these discrepancies quickly became significant.

By validating completed works against Oculo's visual record, HBC estimates it identified approximately £100,000 - £150,000 in overclaimed works.

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Resolving Contractor Disputes

Oculo also became a key evidencing tool during conversations with subcontractors.

During a conversation, another subcontractor argued that delayed access had prevented works from starting on time. Using Oculo's timestamped imagery, HBC was able to demonstrate exactly when operatives were present on each floor.

" Our site management used Oculo to basically say, 'Here's a picture of some of your team on Floor 1 or Floor 2 at this date.'"

Ashley estimates this evidence helped avoid tens of thousands of pounds in potential disruption claims.

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Protecting Against Existing Defects

For Site Manager Carl Gelder, one of Oculo's biggest benefits came during an investigation into hairline cracking on an existing building. Questions arose about whether the works had caused the damage.

Instead of searching through hundreds of photographs, Carl simply returned to the project's first Oculo scan. The scan clearly showed the cracking already existed before construction began.

"I could go straight back to our first scan and showed it was existing... without the system I would have been a bit stuck."

The ability to prove pre-existing conditions protected the project from unnecessary remediation costs and lengthy investigations.

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Instant Evidence

Both the commercial and site teams highlighted how quickly evidence could be retrieved.

Instead of searching through thousands of individual photographs, they simply navigated back through the Oculo timeline. Carl explains:

"This is instant... It's literally there."

Ashley also relied heavily on timestamped screenshots when challenging subcontractor claims.

"I used to screen grab it and basically say, 'Here you go — here's a timestamped picture of that room.' They couldn't really argue against the fact."

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Better Than Traditional Site Photography

Traditional project photography only captures what someone chooses to photograph.

Oculo captures the entire environment. As Carl explains:

"You're not going to capture everything... Your brain wouldn't even think about half the stuff that might come up later."

This gives teams confidence that even months later they can return to any location and verify exactly what was on site.

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A Tool for the Entire Project Team

One of the biggest advantages highlighted by HBC was that Oculo delivers value across multiple roles throughout the project lifecycle.

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Commercial Teams

• Validate subcontractor payment applications
• Challenge overclaimed works
• Resolve commercial disputes
• Support monthly valuations

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Site Teams

• Investigate existing conditions
• Verify progress
• Review historic site conditions
• Support client discussions
• Reduce investigation time

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As Carl summarised: "It's a very rounded system."

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Built for Refurbishment

When asked where Oculo delivers the greatest value, both Ashley and Carl gave the same answer: refurbishment projects. Ashley described it simply:

"For refurbishment projects, it's a godsend. It makes life so much easier."

Carl agreed, adding that on future projects he wants Oculo implemented before construction even begins.

"I'd personally, on the next job, want to be asking for it from the very beginning."

Capturing complete pre-construction conditions gives project teams an even stronger foundation for managing risk throughout the project lifecycle.

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Looking Ahead

Following its success across multiple projects, HBC intends to continue using Oculo on future schemes. Discussing  upcoming projects for HBC,  Ashley concluded:

"I'll be pushing to use Oculo on these projects due to the success we’ve already had ."

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Results

Commercial savings:  £100,000 - £150,000 identified in overclaimed works

Dispute resolution:  Tens of thousands of pounds protected through subcontractor claim evidence

Existing condition verification:  Pre-existing defects proven instantly using historical scans

Investigation time:  Reduced from searching through photographs to instant visual verification

Commercial management:  Stronger evidence for valuations and payment applications

Site management:  Complete visual history supporting progress reviews and issue investigations

Future adoption:  HBC plans to continue deploying Oculo on future projects