Pre-construction meeting agenda: ten items, forty-five minutes, before the first day on site.
A printable agenda with attendees, timed items, an actions table and a client-decisions-by-date table. Covers scope, programme, logistics, safety, variations, communication, payments and open decisions. Free, no email required.
What is covered in a pre-construction meeting?
Roles, the signed scope read out loud, the programme and what could move it, site logistics, health and safety, how variations are raised and approved, the communication plan, the payment schedule, and every decision the client still owes with a date against it. The meeting is only useful if the client leaves with a copy of the actions, so the agenda ends with two tables to fill in and send within 24 hours. In NZ construction reviews, clear explanation is praised in 34.2 to 40.7% of positive reviews and quote accuracy in just 12.9 to 13.9%; this is the meeting where both get set.
The job this document is doing.
- —Everyone turns up to site on day one with a different version of the scope in their head
- —The variations process gets explained for the first time when the first variation happens
- —The client has not chosen the tapware and the plumber is booked for Thursday
- —The meeting happens, nothing is written down, and week three is spent re-explaining it
Open it and use it today.
- 01Header: project, date, location, chair, minutes
- 02Attendees table
- 03Ten-item agenda with the outcome each item needs and suggested minutes
- 04Decisions and actions table with owner and due date
- 05Client decisions needed by date, with a received column
Free to use and adapt for your own business. Not legal advice: check contract terms against your own terms of trade and, where it matters, with a lawyer.
Why this document, and not another one.
| Category | Clear explanation praised | Quote accuracy praised |
|---|---|---|
| Builders | 40.7% of positive reviews | 13.9% |
| Outdoor and civil construction | 34.2% of positive reviews | 12.9% |
From 13,567 publicly posted reviews of 328 NZ builders and outdoor and civil construction contractors, collected August 2026. Full corpus, method and thresholds: the construction methodology page. Full findings: the construction research study.
Use it alongside
New client onboarding checklist for builders
A 26-point checklist from first site visit to the follow-up call after handover, built around what NZ construction clients praise and what they almost never mention.
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