NEC4 ECC / ECS · Clause 31 · 50.5
Clause 31 first programme preparation
The first programme sets the baseline for every later time entitlement. Under NEC4, until a programme showing the information the contract requires has been submitted, the Project Manager retains one quarter of the Price for Work Done to Date (cl. 50.5). Without an Accepted Programme, the Project Manager may also assess compensation events on their own terms (cl. 64). We build programmes that are accepted first time and that hold up later as evidence.
What we cover: every clause 31.2 requirement
- Starting date, access dates, Key Dates and Completion Date
- Planned Completion and the time between it and Completion Date (terminal float)
- Order and timing of the Contractor's operations
- Order and timing of work by the Client and Others
- Dates for meeting each Key Date Condition
- Provisions for float and time risk allowances, shown explicitly
- Health & safety requirements and contract procedures (acceptance periods, inspections)
- Dates when access, acceptances, Plant & Materials and information are needed
- Method statements with principal Equipment and resources for each operation
- Any further information the Scope requires
Deliverables
- Primavera P6 programme (XER) with a coded WBS, calendars, logic and resource loading
- Programme narrative and method statement mapped to clause 31.2 item by item
- Scope / Works Information review and a register of programme-relevant obligations
- DCMA 14-point health report and a clause 31.2 compliance matrix submitted with the programme
- Response pack for any non-acceptance under cl. 31.3, closing each reason given
NEC4 · Clause 32 · 31.3
Clause 32 revised programme submissions
An Accepted Programme that falls out of date weakens every compensation event assessed against it. We produce monthly revisions, or revisions at whatever interval your Contract Data states, that show actual progress, the effect on remaining work, how delays will be dealt with, and any changes you propose. Each revision comes with a narrative written for the Project Manager.
Deliverables
- Progressed P6 programme at the data date, with as-built dates
- Revision narrative: critical path, float erosion, key risks
- Effects of notified CEs and early warnings shown transparently
- Mitigation and recovery proposals
- Month-on-month comparison: logic, duration and constraint changes
- Planned Completion and Key Date trend charts
- Chasers for acceptance, and deemed-acceptance tracking (cl. 31.3)
- Look-ahead programmes (2 to 12 weeks) for site teams
Why it matters: NEC4 assesses delay to the Completion Date against planned Completion on the Accepted Programme current at the dividing date (cl. 63.5). If the Accepted Programme is stale, your CE time is assessed against a plan that no longer reflects the site.
NEC4 · Clauses 15 · 60–66
Change management & compensation events
We run the whole change process: early warning registers, CE notification, Clause 62 quotations with programme impact, Project Manager's assessments and implementation. You get a register showing the status, value and time effect of every event, and a time-bar diary so no deadline is missed.
Services
- Early warning notices and early warning register management (cl. 15)
- CE identification against the cl. 60.1 events, plus secondary Option clauses
- Notifications within the 8-week window (cl. 61.3)
- Clause 62.2 quotations: Defined Cost, risk allowances, fee and time
- Time impact analysis on the Accepted Programme (cl. 63.5)
- Alterations to the Accepted Programme submitted with each quotation
- Revised quotations (cl. 62.4) and deemed-acceptance notices (cl. 62.6)
- For clients: reviewing quotations and preparing PM assessments (cl. 64)
Client-side · Project Manager support
Programme assurance & independent review
For clients, Project Managers and PMOs: an independent view of whether a contractor's programme is practicable, compliant and realistic, with acceptance or non-acceptance advice that cites the specific cl. 31.3 reason. Turnaround fits inside the two-week acceptance window.
- DCMA 14-point assessment: logic, leads, lags, relationship types, hard constraints, high float, negative float, high duration, invalid dates, resources, missed tasks, critical path test, CPLI and BEI
- Recomputed critical path and longest path, compared with the contractor's
- Submission-to-submission comparison to find quiet logic or duration changes
- Review of resources, productivity and method against the Scope
- Draft acceptance or non-acceptance letter for the Project Manager
- Gateway and funding assurance, aligned with the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery (GovS 002)
SCL Protocol 2nd ed. · AACE RP 29R-03
Forensic delay & disruption analysis
When time is disputed, the method has to suit the records, the contract and the question being asked. We carry out delay analysis in line with the Society of Construction Law Delay and Disruption Protocol and AACE International's Recommended Practice for forensic schedule analysis, prospectively during the job or retrospectively for claims, adjudication, arbitration and litigation.
Methods: which one, and when
| Method (SCL) | Type | Needs | Best for |
|---|
| Impacted as-planned | Prospective | Baseline programme, delay events | Early estimate; weak where progress records exist |
| Time impact analysis | Prospective / contemporaneous | Updated programme at each event | NEC CE quotations; contemporaneous EOT |
| Time slice windows | Retrospective | Regular, reliable programme updates | Long projects with good monthly updates |
| As-planned vs as-built windows | Retrospective | Baseline plus as-built records | Where updates are poor but as-built data is good |
| Retrospective longest path | Retrospective | Detailed as-built programme | Identifying the actual critical path after the event |
| Collapsed as-built | Retrospective | Robust as-built programme with logic | "But-for" tests where no reliable baseline exists |
Deliverables
- EOT claims and responses with a full audit trail
- Concurrent delay and pacing analysis
- Disruption analysis (measured mile, earned value)
- Prolongation and time-related cost substantiation (with your QS)
- Adjudication support and witness statement assistance
- Party-appointed or single joint expert reports (CPR Part 35) [confirm credentials]
- Programme reconstruction from site diaries, BIM and records
- Project record-keeping set-up so future claims are provable
Monte Carlo · AACE 57R-09 · P50 / P80
Quantitative schedule & cost risk analysis (QSRA / QCRA)
A single deterministic date has close to zero chance of being achieved exactly. QSRA uses Monte Carlo simulation over your actual programme logic to show how likely each date is, which risks drive the outcome, and how much schedule margin or contingency is needed for P50, P80 or P90 confidence.
- Schedule health check first, because a flawed network gives flawed risk results
- Facilitated risk workshops and three-point duration estimates
- Risk register mapped to activities (probability × impact)
- Uncertainty distributions (triangular, PERT, Trigen) and correlation
- P-value dates, histogram and S-curve for completion and Key Dates
- Tornado charts, criticality index and risk-driver ranking
- Integrated cost and schedule risk (QCRA) for contingency setting
- Time risk allowance justification for the NEC4 programme
ISO 21508 · APM EVM Guide · Earned Schedule
Earned value management
EVM integrates scope, schedule and cost so you can see early whether the project is delivering value for the money spent. We set up EVM from scratch or take over existing systems: control accounts, performance measurement baselines, earned value techniques and monthly reporting.
- Control account and WBS/CBS structure design
- Performance measurement baseline and change control
- Earning rules: milestones, percent complete, units, 0/100, 50/50
- PV, EV and AC integration from P6 and your cost system
- CPI, SPI, SPI(t) using earned schedule, and TCPI
- EAC / ETC forecasts with independent EAC ranges
- S-curves and Power BI project controls dashboards
- EVM system maturity review and team coaching
Monthly reporting · Baseline control
Variance reporting & project controls
Monthly variance reports that explain why the numbers moved, not only what moved, written for boards, funders and Project Managers.
- Baseline vs current: start/finish variance, duration growth and float erosion
- Critical and near-critical path movement, with root causes
- Milestone and Key Date tracking, plus BEI and CPLI performance indices
- Cost variance by control account, with the corrective actions owned
- Top-10 slipping activities with a responsible person and recovery action
- Exception-based dashboards (Power BI) and consistent month-end packs
Supply chain · NEC4 ECS · Interface management
Contractor & subcontractor management tool
On complex jobs the main programme is only as good as the subcontractor programmes beneath it. Our contractor management service, delivered through our platform, gives you one controlled process for every package.
- Subcontractor programme requirements and submission templates
- Automated compliance and quality checks on each submission
- Interface milestones linked to the master programme
- Progress returns by responsible person (Progress Update workbooks)
- Rolling look-aheads (2 to 32 weeks) issued by WBS / package
- Performance scorecards: progress, programme quality and CE responsiveness
- Back-to-back flow of early warnings and CEs (ECC ↔ ECS)
- Portfolio roll-up across packages and projects
[Confirm scope: describe your own contractor management tool here: name, screenshots, features]
JCT 2016 / 2024 · FIDIC 2017 · Bespoke
Beyond NEC: JCT, FIDIC and bespoke contracts
The same discipline applies under other forms. We adapt deliverables to each contract's programme, notice and extension mechanisms.
| Topic | NEC4 ECC | JCT (D&B / SBC) | FIDIC 2017 (Red / Yellow) |
|---|
| Programme | cl. 31 / 32: contractual, with acceptance | Master programme; limited contractual status | cl. 8.3: initial programme, then revised programmes |
| Change / time | Compensation events (cl. 60–66) | Relevant Events & EOT (cl. 2.26 onwards) | Variations (cl. 13) and EOT (cl. 8.5) |
| Notices | 8-week CE notification (cl. 61.3) | Notice of delay "forthwith" | 28-day Notice of Claim (cl. 20.2) |
| Our role | Programme, quotations, assessments | EOT submissions & assessments | Programmes, claims & DAAB support |
Clause references are summaries. Always check the edition, Contract Particulars or Contract Data, and any amendments or Z clauses.
Workshops · Coaching · Interim staff
Training & embedded resourcing
Training
- NEC4 programmes for planners, PMs and commercial teams (half day)
- Compensation events in practice, with worked quotations
- Primavera P6 from fundamentals to advanced
- QSRA and EVM for project managers
Embedded planners
- Senior planners and project controls managers
- Interim cover for leave, ramp-ups and bids
- Remote "planning desk" retainers
- Tender programmes and bid support