Practical project delivery capability from strategy to close-out.

Project leaders understand that even the best developed plans are likely to require change. Considered advice to support client decision-making in the face of change is essential to success.

ePPM provides a wealth of delivery experience with an understanding, at all levels, of the challenges and complexities associated with current infrastructure projects.

Project delivery support can be provided as a standalone project delivery team or, more commonly, as part of an integrated client/advisor delivery team. Advice can be provided on an ongoing basis, preserving continuity of knowledge throughout project delivery, or retained to address specific project needs.

For construction and engineering bids and projects, rigorous, robust yet practical commercial and contractual management procedures are critical to success.

Bid / Tender Phase

1. Provision of experienced and competent human resources during the bid and negotiation phase.
2. Preparation and drafting of Memoranda of Understanding, Teaming Agreements, Joint Venture Agreements, Tender Services Deeds and similar agreements.
3. Review and preparation of Head Contract terms and conditions, including specifications.
4. Preparation of Commercial Risk Profiles in line with corporate reporting requirements.
5. Drafting of mitigation measures and/or contractual and commercial qualifications.
6. Review of Supply Chain qualifications and drafting responses.
7. Preparation of tender documentation including Risk and Opportunity Management Schedules.
8. Cash-flow forecasting and analysis.
9. Appointment of Design Consultants and Sub-consultants, including Design Joint Ventures.

Delivery / Construction Phase

1. Provision of experienced and competent human resources throughout the delivery phase.
2. Functional advice on commercial team structure, responsibilities and competency framework.
3. Procurement advice, preparation, evaluation, recommendation and award.
4. Budget setting, Work Breakdown Structure development and advice, and cash-flow forecasting.
5. Commercial Risk and Opportunity Management and coordination, together with contractual and commercial administrative systems including change controls.
6. Preparation and implementation of contractual and commercial administrative systems at corporate and project level.
7. Drafting of contractual and commercial correspondence for Head Contract and Supply Chain matters.
8. Commercial training and development at project or corporate level.
9. Variation identification, valuation preparation, submission and negotiation.
10. Representation at contract and commercial progress meetings.
11. Contract and commercial management of sub-contractors and suppliers.
12. Project reviews and reporting procedures.
13. Insurance claim preparation, negotiation and settlement.
14. Final account management.

Cost Management

Disciplined cost planning, forecasting and management are essential to lean project delivery. ePPM manages project cost to help clients achieve project objectives more cost efficiently.

• Project cost management, cost estimating, budget and forecast cost preparation and value engineering advice.
• Risk-adjusted estimates for capital cost and whole-of-life costs from feasibility through delivery.
• Independent estimate reviews, including independent estimator roles for Alliance Target Cost Estimates and competitive or sole-sourced delivery processes.
• Forensic analysis of estimates in support of claims.

ePPM's capability is underpinned by professionals with extensive experience of competitive tendering and managing cost on infrastructure projects. This supports first-principles cost assessment using real-time resource costs and achievable productivities, with knowledge across civil, mechanical, mining and electrical engineering disciplines.

Project outturn cost estimates can combine first-principles estimating, risk-based estimating and cost planning methodologies across the project lifecycle from feasibility to delivery.

Cost management services include

• Budget and forecast cost estimates
• Strategic and final business case estimates
• Whole-of-life estimates
• Benchmarking
• Independent estimate reviews and due diligence
• Risk and contingency modelling
• Cost escalation
• Cost management and financial reporting
• Cost planning
• Cost change management and value engineering
• Assessment and negotiation of variations
• Assessment of progress claims
• Final account preparation and agreement

Risk Management

Effective planning and management of risk in real-life project environments requires practical expertise from people who have construction experience, have been responsible for mitigating risk, and have led recovery when risks eventuate.

ePPM's senior people have managed high-risk infrastructure. That experience helps clients identify, understand and manage risks while also identifying project opportunities across programs, asset portfolios and projects.

ePPM assists clients to establish effective risk and opportunity management within project teams.

Risk management capabilities include

• Risk environment and context establishment
• Risk management framework
• Risk criteria matrix development
• Risks and opportunities workshop facilitation
• Qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, including Monte Carlo simulation
• Enterprise risk management
• Risk management training
• Risk register development and management
• Risk control and treatment
• Cash flow modelling
• Schedule risk analysis
• Control effectiveness reviews
• Contingency management

A key component in project delivery success is effective use of project resources and time. Early development and progressive updating of the project schedule creates a forward-looking view of delivery.

ePPM's schedule specialists bring extensive hands-on experience, applying logical and reasoned questioning together with practical knowledge during schedule development and ongoing management.

ePPM identifies key scoping, constructability, risk, interfacing and activity interrelationship issues, helping make schedules as robust as possible and establishing processes for early issue identification and management.

Project Controls and Program Management support services are aimed at reducing time-related risks and uncertainties inherent in construction projects.

Services include

• Concept schedule development
• Constructability reviews and execution planning assessment
• Qualitative and quantitative schedule risk analysis
• Schedule work breakdown structure and contract packaging development
• Schedule change management, maintenance and reporting
• Schedule analysis and critical path analysis
• Schedule risk identification, constructability analysis and mitigation
• Tender scheduling
• Design, Procurement and Construction scheduling
• Project Close Out and Systems Commissioning scheduling
• Schedule narrative development
• Schedule health check assessment
• Schedule logic network development
• Work Breakdown Structure development
• Process mapping
• Planning team management and training
• Construction and logistics phasing plans
• Peer reviews
• Progress monitoring and reporting
• Key Performance Indicators (KPI) reporting
• Project controls systems, reporting and forecasting
• Earned value and other schedule performance analysis
• Forensic schedule analysis

Claim Management

ePPM's claim management service involves formation of a structured claims strategy and tactical advice on measures required to prosecute or defend claims. The approach is to understand the client's objectives and desired outcomes, formulate an agreed strategy, then implement it to pre-agreed time-scales and resource levels.

Claim Preparation and Analysis

One of ePPM's core business activities is the preparation and analysis of construction contract claims on behalf of contractors and employers.

Claim preparation and analysis services include

• Contractual health checks and claims strategies
• Security of Payment Claims and Payment Schedules in defence
• Extension of time and prolongation claims
• Acceleration claims
• Disruption and loss of productivity claims
• Variation claims
• Advice on termination, suspension and remedies in regard to payment default
• Breach of contract and damages claims
• Other monetary claims
• Ex-contractual claims

ePPM's senior personnel are highly experienced in all forms of claims. Claim preparation is based on distinct fundamentals:

• Identification of events and circumstances
• Identification of party liable
• Establishment of contractual entitlement and basis of claim
• Compliance with notice requirements and other procedural mechanisms
• Establishment and particularisation of cause and effect
• Preparation of delay analysis for extension-of-time claims using a suitable methodology
• Compilation of substantiation and all pertinent evidence

The knowledge retained by ePPM's senior staff, combined with rigorous forensic assessment and logical, reasoned questioning of issues in dispute, positions the business to provide expert opinion and advice on contractual disputes.

Expertise includes quantum (cost), time, constructability and defects analysis, including assessment of variations, delay, prolongation, disruption and acceleration. Advice is based on relevant contract terms and factual circumstances rather than formulaic methods.

Services include expert advice, expert witness support and preparation of expert reports across a range of dispute forums.

Capabilities include

• Dispute avoidance strategy and facilitation
• Dispute resolution negotiation
• Quantum claims - preparation and review
• Delay claims - preparation and review
• Constructability and other claims - preparation and review
• Forensic schedule and cost analysis
• Commercial strategies
• Negotiation strategy, leadership and support
• Expert advice and preparation of expert reports
• Provision of evidence in mediation, arbitration and litigation

ePPM provides strategic advice to clients seeking to improve the quality of oversight and effectiveness of decision-making for major capital investments.

ePPM assists clients to prioritise and optimise investments so capital allocation aligns with organisational strategic objectives.

At the earliest stages of capital planning, ePPM can assess how strategy, policy and governance settings should be structured to effectively manage future delivery of capital portfolios.

Capabilities include

• Investor project prioritisation
• Investor capital allocation support
• Project (Business Case) budgets from the investor perspective
• Investment gateway assurance reviews
• Value for money assessments
• Portfolio evaluation against best practice and management
• Program and project governance
• Project and funding due diligence

ePPM also assists government clients to develop effective policy responses to issues identified during delivery of existing capital programs.

ePPM specialises in Project Controls applications including Primavera, Unifier, Prime, SAP, Primavera Risk, Acumen Fuse and Risk, TILOS, Synchro, Navisworks and Expert Estimator.

Capability includes application hosting, installation, support and training, delivered by experienced Project Controls specialists.

• Building big-data collection and analytics capabilities to uncover customer, product and operational insights.
• Analysing data sources and proposing solutions to strategic planning problems on a one-time or periodic basis.
• Providing data-driven decision support.
• Developing analytics models and insights for customer- or employee-facing applications to drive efficiency or revenue.