Contractor planning and project controls
A construction programme should give the project team a clear and credible route to delivery. We support contractors with planning and project controls from tender through live construction to handover.
Based in Liverpool. Supporting contractors across the UK.
Discuss your programmeWhat we do
Contractors work between contractual milestones and the reality of building. Design information moves, procurement dates change and subcontractors interface. Temporary works, testing, commissioning and handover add dependencies that are not always obvious when the first programme is prepared.
Matthews & Roberts brings structure and independent programme discipline to your delivery team. We help establish what the project needs to achieve, how the work should be sequenced, what is driving the critical path and where management attention is needed.
Need wider delivery support as well? Project management works hand in hand with the programme.
What we provide
How we help
Open any service to see what it covers.
Development and review of construction programmes that demonstrate a credible delivery strategy while reflecting contractual milestones, methodology, procurement, interfaces and project constraints.
We establish a structured baseline that gives the contractor and project team a clear reference point for managing delivery, progress, change and completion.
Structured programme updates based on actual progress. They give visibility of completed work, remaining activities, movement in key dates and emerging programme risk.
We turn programme information into practical management information that helps project teams understand the current position, upcoming constraints and the decisions that need action.
When delivery begins to fall behind we help identify what has moved, what is driving completion and what practical options exist to stabilise or recover the programme.
Support assessing how change, late information, access restrictions and other project events affect the planned sequence, key milestones and remaining delivery. We work alongside your commercial team so the time and cost positions stay aligned.
From programme to site
The strongest programmes connect contractual obligations with the practical realities of design, procurement and site delivery.
Realistic logic
Activities, durations and relationships should reflect the proposed construction methodology rather than simply produce the required completion date.
A visible critical path
The project team should understand what is driving completion, where float exists and which upcoming decisions or interfaces could move key milestones.
A live management tool
A programme only has value when it is maintained. Progress, change, procurement, design and emerging constraints must be reflected as the project develops.
A well developed master programme still needs to translate into what the team is doing on site. We support that link through lookahead planning, constraint identification and coordination with package managers and subcontractors. The focus stays on protecting upcoming milestones rather than reporting progress after dates have moved.
Many delays are created before an activity reaches site. We build these dependencies into the programme so they are actively managed rather than discovered when an activity is due to start.
You may not need another permanent planner. You may need experienced support for a tender, mobilisation, a critical stage of delivery or a recovery. We work alongside your existing planners or take responsibility for defined programme activities.
Project specific
Planning and programme support for a defined tender, project or programme challenge.
Embedded
Programme professionals working directly alongside your project and delivery team.
Retained
Ongoing access to planning and project controls capability across tenders and live projects.
Programme under pressure on a live project?
Speak to our teamOur approach
The same discipline applies whether we join at tender, at mobilisation or partway through construction.
Review contract requirements, scope, methodology, milestones, design, procurement and sequence to build a programme that reflects how the project will really be delivered.
Bring together design, procurement, subcontractors, temporary works, logistics, construction, testing and commissioning so key interfaces and dependencies are visible.
Update progress against the agreed programme, identify movement on the critical path, monitor key milestones and give the project team clear information.
Where performance moves away from plan, identify the causes, test recovery options and develop practical interventions to regain control.
When you need us
Contractors usually bring us in when the programme needs more structure, more visibility or specialist planning resource.
The opportunity needs a credible programme and methodology, but the bid team needs more planning capability to develop it properly.
A programme exists, but weak logic, missing interfaces or unrealistic durations mean it is not working as a practical delivery tool.
Milestones are moving and the team needs a clear view of what is driving completion and where recovery effort should be focused.
Your planners are committed across several tenders or live projects and you need extra capability without adding permanent overhead.
Information, procurement, temporary works or specialist interfaces are affecting the construction sequence and need to be built into the programme.
You need a clearer programme position, backed by evidence, for progress meetings, milestone reviews and project reporting.
The detail
Programme obligations vary between contracts and projects. Support is scoped to what your project needs.
Under the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract the programme is central. Clause 31 sets out what the programme must show and clause 32 requires it to be revised at the intervals the contract states. The Project Manager accepts a submitted programme or gives reasons for not accepting it within two weeks. The Accepted Programme is then used to assess the time effect of compensation events.
On JCT projects we support programme development, progress monitoring and the records needed to show the programme effect of relevant events, working alongside your commercial and project teams.
In both cases we help keep submissions, updates, milestones, change and contemporaneous records in order. Contractual entitlement remains a matter for your commercial or legal advisers.
Adding labour is not always the answer to delay. Recovery starts with the current position, the remaining critical path and the constraints preventing progress. We review the live programme, actual progress and outstanding interfaces, then develop practical options with the delivery team. That may mean resequencing, revised access, procurement intervention, extra resource, alternative work fronts or changed short term priorities.
Not every project needs every deliverable.
A programme update that does not match the commercial position creates questions at every progress meeting. We work alongside quantity surveyors and commercial managers so change, forecasts and programme impacts tell the same story.
Related services
The Accepted Programme is the most important management document on an NEC4 contract. This guide explains what clause 31 requires it to show, how acceptance works, when revised programmes are due and why the programme decides how much time a contractor recovers.
Read insightFAQ
A construction programme consultant supports the development, review and management of the project programme. This can include tender planning, baseline development, progress updates, critical path review, lookahead planning, project controls and recovery planning.
Yes. We develop or review tender programmes so the proposed sequence reflects the construction methodology, procurement strategy, project interfaces, contractual milestones and key constraints.
Yes. We review the programme structure, logic, durations, interfaces, milestones and critical path against the proposed delivery methodology. We then identify the areas that need development or tighter control.
Yes. We support regular programme updates, progress measurement, milestone tracking, critical path reviews, lookahead planning and project reporting throughout construction.
Yes. We assess the current programme position, outstanding works, critical path and major constraints. We then work with the project team to develop practical recovery or resequencing options.
Yes. We support contractor teams with the programme information NEC projects require, including programmes for acceptance under clauses 31 and 32 of the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract, regular revisions, progress information and the programme effect of compensation events. Contractual entitlement remains a matter for your commercial or legal advisers.
Yes. We support contractors with programme development, progress monitoring, records and the assessment of programme impacts on JCT projects, working alongside your commercial and project teams.
Yes. We can add capability around an existing planning team, take responsibility for defined programme activities or provide temporary support during periods of heavy workload.
Yes. Contractors with several tenders or live projects can retain us for ongoing access to planning, programme management and project controls capability.
We are based in Liverpool and support contractors across the UK, including Liverpool, Manchester and the wider North West.
Planning and programme management
Whether you are preparing a tender, setting the baseline, managing live programme pressure or recovering a project that has moved away from plan, we can provide the planning capability your delivery team needs.
The Client Portal provides secure access to project documents, progress updates, and direct communication with your Matthews & Roberts team.
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