Multi-Disciplinary Steering Group - EXPERTISE
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standards
Our Professional Standards & Memberships
overview
Multi-disciplinary Steering Group
Our multidisciplinary steering group of diverse experts, professionals and member companies have the required wealth of the UK and international expertise on cost assurance and audit on infrastructure projects and construction contracts. Through our CSR and governance initiative, we are working with funders, clients, and contractors to drive change and transformation industry-wide.
members
Our Group Members
members
Our Legal & Contract Specialists
Claire Randall-Smith
OVERVIEW
Claire is a lawyer specialising in construction and engineering disputes with experience in litigation, adjudication, mediation, and domestic and international arbitration. Claire acts for employers, contractors, and subcontractors across a wide range of projects including large-scale infrastructure projects, energy, utility, oil, and gas supply projects.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Our global teams operate seamlessly to deliver the commercial know-how and strategic alignment that clients need their advisers to help further their business interests. We shape our advice to the unique circumstances and challenges of each project and ensure the right people are in the right places to offer insight and certainty every time – from the day-to-day to the most complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions.
Ian Heaphy
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Ian is a director of IN Construction Consulting a niche construction consultancy company which offers expert advice about procurement, contracts, and dispute resolution.
Ian specialises in the development and implementation of innovative procurement strategies with particular expertise in EPC / EPCM frameworks, partnering / alliance agreements, and target cost/cost-reimbursable contracts for major programmes.
Ian has worked with major clients across the UK, Middle East, Far East, and North America including government bodies, private employers, and international contractors.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
He is a member of the NEC4 Contract Board and is part of the team responsible for developing and drafting the next generation of NEC contracts with over 20 years of experience including oil & gas/LNG, petrochemical, rail, water, aviation, highways, and building.
Shy Jackson
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Shy specialises in construction and engineering law and his practice covers project advice and acting in a dispute related to UK and international projects.
His experience covers litigation, arbitration, adjudication, and ADR and he has advised on all main forms of contract, including NEC, JCT, and FIDIC.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
He is a fellow of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors. He is a visiting lecturer at King’s College London and the University of Stuttgart, a member of the NEC Contract Board, and a council member of the UK Society of Construction Law.
Gary Bone
OVERVIEW
Gary is an experienced construction and commercial consultant. His specialism includes dispute resolution, Quantum, and Delay analysis, Contract Administration, Construction Law, Subcontract Management, Reporting, Cost Control, and Change Management.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
With over 15 years of experience in construction and more in accounting gained from projects and offices in the UK, Gary is a knowledgeable and versatile member of the Blake Newport team. He works for professional Consultants, Employers, Main Contractors and Sub-Contractors specialising in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management and independent Expert advice on matters of valuation and costs management in construction and engineering disputes, including delay and disruption-related costs, valuation of variations or compensation events and termination-related costs in international arbitration disputes. In the non-contentious sector, Gary has provided commercial, contract management and claims support across the spectrum of clients, contractors and subcontractors.
Charlotte Hughes
OVERVIEW
Charlotte is a Senior Associate in the Construction and Engineering team at DLA Piper specialising in contentious construction and engineering matters for national and international Employer and Contractor clients.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
She Acts on behalf of claimants and defendants across numerous dispute resolutions. Her Experience includes delay, prolongation, and breach old contracts claims, defects liability claims, concurrent delay, payment disputes, and termination and insolvency advice about construction contracts, often involving complex technical and contractual issues and multiple parties across numerous jurisdictions.
members
Our Infrastructure Project Client Specialists
Tom Leach
OVERVIEW
Tom is the Head of Commercial Management at Southern Water. He is a chartered surveyor and manager of commercial, contract, and audit teams for large infrastructure clients and contractors.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Specialising in the commercial management of construction contracts, claims, and disputes. He demonstrates a solid track record in infrastructure markets with experience in major energy, water, aviation, transport, and communications networks.
Victoria Hill-Stanford
OVERVIEW
Victoria is a Head of Commercial Performance & Assurance North West & Central, she specialises in cost management reporting, contract management, commercial management, project controls, and civil engineering.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
With a background in both contractor and client-side quantity surveying as well as innovation management, she holds accountability for the commercial governance and assurance of commercial, procurement and cost planning/estimating activities.
She also looks after the competence and capability programme and leads the design and development of power BI analytics for the commercial / procurement and cost planning team. She is also the lead for a number of risk mitigation programmes on the supply chain.
Kathleen Hannon
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Katy is an experienced Quantity Surveyor with a demonstrated history of working in construction/ contractor/client-held roles within the construction industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Tender Optioneering, Value Engineering, Contract Drafting and Administration (NEC & JCT), Change Control, Dispute Resolution, Auditing Cost and Commercial Compliance, and other aspects of Commercial Management.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
She is working towards an LLM in Construction Law from the University of Strathclyde to reinforce her existing experience and knowledge.
David Worsley
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
David has worked in the field of transport infrastructure since 2002. His specialism is in strategic planning. business case preparation, project risk management, and value management.
His professional achievements include representing Network Rail on High Speed 2, Working with public and private-sector clients, ranging from property developers and local authorities to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
He is a member of the Institution of Mathematics and its Applications, the Association for Project Management, the Chartered Management, and a fellow of the Institute of Risk Management and the Strategic Planning Society.
Martin Perks
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Martin Perks is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse range of skills in the construction and business sectors. His specialities include sustainable procurement, lean construction thinking, and asset management.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
As a visiting professor at Birmingham City University and a Chartered Surveyor (FRICS), he possesses expertise in quantity surveying and project commercial management. Martin serves as a Board Director of Lean Construction Institute UK and is a member of the Institute of Collaborative Working (MICW). Additionally, he chairs the VOX Datavista Group as a NED. With a PgCert in Research Practice, Martin is a business performance coach and is currently training to become a life coach.
members
Our Audit & Assurance Specialists
Cecelia Fadipe
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
She is a cost consultant and auditor in the rail, technology, defence, renewable energy and electrification sectors and has led audits on major programmes. She is chair of the multi-disciplinary steering group. Her career in construction spans 20 years and she has worked on high-profile projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C and Crossrail, and as a result, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this space.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Cecelia is a qualified accountant of 25+yrs, and director of CFBL Consulting, a cost and strategy consultancy specialising in independent cost audits on infrastructure projects and strategy advisory. She has worked across commercial, finance and project control functions. A CIMA fellow and member of AICPAs, sustainability and R&D panel, Chartered Manager & Member of CMI, a member of IPFA and Affiliate Member of Chartered ICES.
Imran Akhtar
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
He has previous experience in external and statutory audits from his time at the National Audit Office in the UK. He is currently the UK lead and global SME for the development and delivery of cost assurance services for Turner & Townsend’s global provider of consultancy services to the construction industry.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Imran is an experienced Chartered Accountant (ACA) providing cost and commercial assurance services to a variety of major infrastructure clients.
Darren Ward
OVERVIEW
Darren has worked in and around the commercial management of major construction programmes for more than twenty-five years. Over that time he has created a unique concentration of expertise combining his forensic audit and accountancy skills with in-depth knowledge of all matters both commercial and contractual in construction.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
He has personal experience auditing over 80% of the top 20 UK Contractors.
At the £ 4.2 billion T5 programme, he headed up the Supply Chain Commercial Team, developing open book contracts and agreeing to commercial relationships with all the major suppliers.
He created new and innovative ways to provide T5 with the assurance that it was receiving value for money from its cost verification spend and ultimately drove the strategy which recovered £ 75 million as part of the final account process.
He established The Orange Partnership (TOP) in 2004.
Elliot Patsanza
OVERVIEW
Elliot has over 30 years of experience providing specialist pre and post-contract commercial and project management support services in the built environment across multiple sectors that include: infrastructure, residential, office, leisure, and mixed-use development projects.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
His pre-contract areas of specialism include development due diligence and feasibility assessment, value-engineering, cost planning, procurement strategy development, contract form selection and contract drafting.
Post Contract: He has in-depth and proven experience in leading large projects and commercial management teams to deliver high-value, key complex programmes.
David Sharp
OVERVIEW
David is a Senior Associate at Mott MacDonald where he specialises in commercial warranties, commercial post-contract management, claims settlement modelling, risk management and cost management.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
David had significant cost management and extensive commercial assurance experience using NEC, IChemE, and FIDIC contracts associated with complex civil, mechanical, and electrical projects within the utilities, rail, and transportation sectors accomplished over the past fifteen years.
Competent in providing contractual cost compliance to ensure cost clarity, by recognising non-compliant processes, identifying inappropriate costs, assuring commercial performance, and ascertaining opportunities for improvement.
Possesses strong commercial interpretative skills gained working across the multi-global sectors of Mott MacDonald, bolstering a financial skillset, and has considerable experience in post-contract programme delivery through alliance and partnering arrangements.
members
Our Multi-disciplinary Contractors
Charlotte Edwards
OVERVIEW
Charlotte is a Commercial Manager at Atkins SNCLavalin with 15 years of industry experience on complex major civil projects.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
She is working for contractor organisations such as Costain, Bam, Kier, Mace, and Atkins. She has worked as both an estimator and a commercial manager and brings with her experience significant contributions to the steering group. She is currently working on the East-West Rail Alliance as the Atkins commercial lead.
Jim Mcluskey
OVERVIEW
Jim is a Qualified and experienced Commercial Manager and Chartered Quantity Surveyor specialising in large value complex major infrastructure projects.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
He has been specializing in major infrastructure projects since 1995. Negotiation and resolution of final accounts.
He is driven by the challenge of complex infrastructure projects and solving contractual problems. He manages commercial teams on a large scale, providing mentoring and leadership to assist staff development.
Jim has significant procurement experience on major multi-projects. He is result-focused and driven to deliver commercial objectives with high integrity.
He has experience as a contractor and client organisation with a track record of working closely with clients to achieve mutual objectives.
Chris Richardson
OVERVIEW
Chris specialises in Civil Engineering, Commercial Management, Construction and Construction Law.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
He worked for WSP as a commercial manager for over two years, then as a commercial director at Balfour Beatty, and is currently the commercial director at Colas.
Michael Bamber
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Michael is a chartered construction professional with over 25 years of experience in the construction, development and transport industries.
He has held leading roles as project manager, cost consultant and procurement consultant on projects in the rail, aviation and highways sectors. His experience covers roles for clients, consultants and contractors.
He regularly builds and leads successful teams on large and complex projects that deliver transformational benefits for clients and wider stakeholders. His diverse background in key client projects provides detailed insights and an understanding of the factors that hinder and enable successful project delivery.
Most recently he has been instrumental in leading bids and winning new commissions.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
He is an NEC 3&4 accredited project manager and a qualified PRINCE2 practitioner. He has worked with MRICS for over 20 years.
Dr Anywhere
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Dr Anywhere is currently the Rail Division Commercial Manager at BAM Nuttall Ltd in West Sussex, United Kingdom, a position he has held since November 2006. Prior to this, he was the Managing Quantity Surveyor at Faithful+Gould in London for a year, and before that, he worked as a Senior Project Surveyor at Davis Langdon & Everest in London for almost three years.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Dr Anywhere has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry, having served as the Chief Quantity Surveyor at Costain Zimbabwe for over 12 years.
Chris Leech
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Chris is the Head of Finance of a railway system business unit with a focus on commercial operations, responsible for around £200 million in business, including seven delivery units: Southern, Western and Wales, Integrated Track Team, Traction, UK Projects, and Painter Brothers.
He is also a key member of the business unit’s leadership team, responsible for the performance and strategic direction to maximize cash and profits for the delivery units.
As a financial leader, he is currently leading a team of 10 direct reports and a wider team of 50 people.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Chris is a member of CIMA and he specialises in risk management, financial analysis, accounting, financial reporting and financial modelling.
sectors
Our Sectors
Published Articles on CICES
Our Professional Publications
- KO 11: Risks, Market Forces & Supply Chain Challenges
- KO 9 Future of Assurance
- KO 8 Technology
- KO 7 Cost Assurance & Audit in Practice
- KO 6 Cost Reporting
- KO 5 People Perspective
- KO 4 Legal Perspective
- KO 3 Contracts & Key Terms
- KO 2 Standards & Frameworks
- KO 1 Cost Audit Key Issues
- Engagement Conference
- Assurance on Sustainable Projects and Investments
- Current Challenges with People & Cost Assurance Audits on Infrastructure Projects
- Investment In Green Energy Infrastructure
- The Need for Resilience on Infrastructure Projects
- Risk, Market Forces & Supply Chain Challenges
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Open Book Accounting Principles – Alliance and Cost-Based Contracts
Our Key Outputs
Global Expertise
Key Output 13
Contract management is set to undergo decades of change as a result of recent advancements in generative AI. The creation, evaluation, and tracking of contracts could all be fundamentally altered by these new technologies. One viewpoint is that they could obscure procedures and increase reliance on lawyers.
Key Output 12
In Key Output 12, our steering group examines the Current Challenges with People and Cost Assurance and Audits on Infrastructure Projects. This output developed by our steering group of experts includes discussions on key themes relating to the topic, real-life issues, practical examples and examines the future outlook for cost assurance on infrastructure projects.
Key Output 7
We shared our Key Output 7 – Cost assurance and audit in practice with the industry. This guidance document answers many frequently asked questions about cost assurance and auditing for infrastructure projects and contracts in a question and answer format. We also looked at the use cases for Primavera Unifier technology for contract management, collaboration, cost control and governance as presented by Oracle.
Key Output 6
This quarter we look at cost reporting in Key Output 6. This is a broad concept, from the spectrum of factors to be considered for effective cost reporting, to compliance to standards, contract form, and cost recovery requirements, to reliance on data from third parties from multiple sources for decision making.
Strategic Collaboration
Key Output 11
In Key Output 11, our steering group examines the risks, market forces and supply chain challenges. We discuss the topic as usual from a multi-disciplinary perspective. We explore the topic from the perspective of funders, clients, legal and contract experts, audit and assurance experts and contractors delivering infrastructure projects. This output developed by our steering group includes discussions on key themes relating to the topic, real-life issues and practical examples and examines the future outlook.
Key Output 5
In August 2021, our wider industry shared our key output 5 – People Perspectives. This incorporates high-level guidance led by Network Rail/High Speed 2 (HS2), with technical best practice presentations led by Rail diary. This included the latest thinking on people from many perspectives and experts. Special thanks to all our members and key contributors.
Industry-wide Guidance
Key Output 10
Our Key Output 10 (KO10) looked at the future assurance of infrastructure projects and construction contracts. Including relevant questions and answers as well as perspectives from clients, contractors and subcontractors, KO10 is led by a diverse group of experts from our member companies and is a necessary for those working on infrastructure and construction projects worldwide.
Key Output 9
KO9 examines the future assurance of infrastructure projects and construction contracts. We discuss these topics from a multidisciplinary perspective and include relevant questions and answers and perspectives from clients, contractors and subcontractors. KO9 is led by a diverse group of experts from our member companies and is necessary working on infrastructure and construction projects worldwide.
Key Output 4
In April 2021, our multidisciplinary steering group shared our Key Output 4 – Legal Perspectives with the industry. This contained insights and technology use cases from Cemar – on the Think Project at Hinkley Point C. We hope that the wider industry will find the content beneficial. Thanks to Eversheds Sutherland, who led this output, and to the key contributors and members.
Key Output 2&3
Summary guidance and the latest thinking on Frameworks and Standards led by Turner & Townsend and The Orange Partnership. This includes the latest thinking on Contracts and Key Terms led by In Construction Consulting and Blake Newport. It featured best practices on NEC 3/4 Contracts and a technology use case by Ideagen on JPL / NASA. We hope you find these beneficial.
Thought Leadership
Key Output 8
In our Key Output 8 (KO8), we emphasise the importance of leveraging technology to drive cost assurance and support the audit of infrastructure projects and construction contracts. We highlight the key role of digital transformation in delivering a construction industry that is fit for 2050 and beyond.
Key Output 1
In September 2020, following the inaugural meeting of our multidisciplinary steering group in June 2020, we shared our Key Output 1 with the wider industry.Key Output 1 identifies key issues, including a summary of recommendations from founding members and the latest thinking from multiple lenses and industry experts. This included a technology use case from Ideagen / Pentana Audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
What should a best practice cost assurance and audit framework look like?
Our Steering Group in Key Output 2 recommended a three-line defence model as the best practice. The first line of defence consists of control functions like cost management, an element of commercial management that ensures that the contract is administered correctly and assesses the accuracy of contractual costs. The second line of defence for cost assurance may involve strategic controls to provide added confidence to key external and internal parties that project risks will be minimised and objectives met transparently and collaboratively. The third line of defence involves independent cost verification audits to comply with international auditing standards. It is recommended that a robust cost assurance and audit best practice framework be used. The framework above incorporates seven key aspects: risk-based assessment of the control environment, appropriate and agreed sampling methodology, and application of independence and materiality concepts on assurance engagements and in accounting.
Why is an initial risk assessment fundamental?
When identifying objectives, a risk assessment based on baseline information should be used to prioritise areas for improvement at a strategic level and to support key project objectives. When selecting which contracts require additional cost assurance, several factors should be considered, including:
- Type of contract being used
- The risk profile of the contract (complexity, value, stakeholder requirements, conditions which may impact progress/profitability such as ground conditions or damages)
- Warning signals (e.g., has estimated final cost increased substantially, has communications and relationships have been difficult, has there been a failure in the supply chain)
- Spend profile of the project
The above consideration will influence whether a project requires additional assurance and assist in targeting which areas require verification. For example, an analysis of the spend profile will guide the sampling methodology for cost verification.
What is the outlook for cost assurance and audits?
Historically infrastructure in the UK has been more expensive with lower-than-average productivity than its European and US counterparts. The UK government has actively communicated future expectations through reports such as Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030, National Infrastructure and Construction Procurement Pipeline 2020/21 and the Great British Railways: Williams-Shapps plan for rail. Our recommended best practice builds on CIMAs seven-dimensional cost transformation framework to support a transformative infrastructure sector, which begins with a cost-conscious culture that actively manages risks. Next, profitability is key; therefore, contract fees, project budget and fees for an assurance engagement must be reasonable. This means balancing cost certainty versus supply chain profitability because projects need to be cost-efficient but profitable and viable, or there is a trade-off that can drive the wrong people’s behaviours, as highlighted in Key Output 5.
Clients
Trusted by Top Global Companies
Jim McCluskey
Kier Group – Commercial Manager
With the widespread use of NEC cost-based and alliance contracts, cost assurance & cost verification has become a necessary step to provide the transparency and assurance required by employers, clients and project managers. The steering group has prepared several key outputs from groups of like-minded professionals who have examined various key aspects in detail.
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