Last week’s Foundations and Frontiers 25 was an engaging, full-day exploration of the current state and future plans for the Australian construction industry — expertly facilitated by the insightful and entertaining Adam Spencer.
As with any conference, you can’t remember everything. But here’s the 10% that stuck with me:
Against this backdrop, I’ve been reflecting on recent conversations with supply chain leaders.
At one end of the spectrum is Heidelberg Materials, with whom we’ve just completed an MVP linking digital dockets on the Docketbook platform to invoices from the HConnect API.
The result?
Three-way matched, fully reconciled, digital invoices — supported by approved dockets — in a shared collaborative platform with their key customers. It’s a practical example of how digitisation, transparency, and collaboration can cut waste, reduce payment risk, and build trust.
At the other end is a company (who will remain nameless) that proudly told me they are still issuing paper dockets — and are struggling to see the value in going digital. For many, this comes down to habit, perceived cost, or the belief that “we’ve always done it this way and it works”. Paper feels tangible, requires no training, and in some cases is seen as simpler for a low-tech workforce. But it also means delayed approvals, lost or damaged paperwork, data re-entry errors, and disputes that drag on because no one has the same set of facts.
Docketbook removes each of these pain points by providing a single digital platform where dockets are created, approved, and shared in real time. There’s no waiting for paperwork to come back to the office, no manual matching of dockets to invoices, and no grey areas in commercial transactions. By integrating directly with contractor ERP systems and supplier delivery platforms, Docketbook creates a shared, trusted version of the commercial truth — making the transition from paper to digital seamless, transparent, and beneficial for everyone in the chain.
The message from FF25 was clear: collaboration and digitisation of supply chains isn’t optional if we want to address productivity. For Docketbook, that’s not a new idea — it’s been our reason for being for the past 10 years.
We’ve seen other industries make this leap. The international payments sector moved from slow, opaque, bank-specific systems to near-real-time transfers and global standards by agreeing on shared protocols, building a digital backbone, and prioritising transparency. Construction can do the same — but only if we stop reinventing the wheel and start building the road together.
As ACA CEO Jon Davies reminded us, “If we continue doing the same things we were doing last week and last year, we’ve already lost in our quest for improved productivity.”
The time for change is now. Let’s align on the facts, focus on the fix, and make productivity a team sport — one where everyone can see the scoreboard.