Independent NEC and commercial specialists for clients, contractors and subcontractors. We audit Defined Cost, run NEC contracts and build — or break — claims, so the money that changes hands is exactly what the contract allows.
| Component | Claimed | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| 01People | £1,284,560 | £1,201,935Adj. |
| 02Equipment | £612,300 | £612,300Verified |
| 03Plant & Materials | £2,036,870 | £1,987,410Adj. |
| 04Subcontractors | £878,600 | £725,459Adj. |
| Total | £4,812,330 | £4,527,104 |
01 Where you stand
Every contract has four moments where the numbers are won or lost. Choose yours to see how we help.
01 · Before you sign
Many disputes are written into a contract long before anyone argues about them. We help you choose the right NEC option, draft Z clauses that say what you mean, and test tenders so the lowest price doesn’t become the most expensive one.
Most useful for Employers & public bodies · Contractors bidding NEC work
Get pre-contract advice02 · While it’s live
On target cost and cost-reimbursable contracts, every pound of Defined Cost needs evidence behind it. We audit it line by line, act as your accredited NEC Project Manager, and keep compensation events moving inside the contract’s time limits.
Most useful for Employers & public bodies · Main contractors · Subcontractors
Get delivery support03 · When it’s disputed
Whether you’re making a claim or answering one, we test it against the contract, the programme and the records. Then we help you settle — by negotiation, mediation, early neutral evaluation or expert determination — before adjudication or litigation costs take over.
Received a notice of adjudication? The clock is already running. Call 07951 256801.
Get dispute advice04 · After it’s finished
We trace cost back to source on any form of contract — NEC, ICC or bespoke — to agree final accounts, recover overpayments and give boards, auditors and the public purse assurance that stands up.
Most useful for Public bodies & funders · Employers · Internal audit teams
Talk about an audit02 Track record
Public bodies have relied on SHARP to protect their commercial position on some of the most closely watched infrastructure in the country, including one landmark in our own home town.
Appointed by Suffolk County Council as its Contract Management Team on the design and build contract: NEC4 pre-contract commercial services, Defined Cost auditing, supply chain management and specialist commercial support, all to protect the council’s commercial interest.
Supporting NNB GenCo’s Cost Verification and Assurance Team on the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation.
NEC3 Defined Cost audit, Part 1, for Norfolk County Council on the 20 km dual carriageway, completed in December 2017.
03 Schedule of services
Set out the way we’d set out a contract: plainly, numbered and with nothing hidden in the small print.
The Project Manager role on NEC3 and NEC4 contracts, or support for yours.
Option choice, Contract Data, Z clauses and the Scope.
Options C, D and E, with Disallowed Cost evidenced.
Professional Service Contract charges and expenses.
Any form of contract, traced to source documents.
Fair, compliant subcontracting and payment.
Tender analysis and commercial risk review.
Cost verification on ICC target cost contracts.
Compensation events and claims that hold up.
Answering claims, and settling them sensibly.
Value and delay, proven from the records.
Know your position before a referral.
Confidential, neutral and focused on a deal.
An independent view that unlocks settlement.
A decision on technical or valuation questions.
Measurement, valuations and final accounts.
Hands-on, for employers and contractors.
Nuclear, rail, civil engineering, oil and gas.
04 For contractors · NEC clause 61.3
Under NEC3 and NEC4, a contractor who doesn’t notify a compensation event within eight weeks of becoming aware of it can lose the right to more time and money. Check your deadline in seconds.
A guide, not legal advice. Your Contract Data and any Z clauses may change the period, and some events are not time-barred.
Pick a date to see your notification deadline.
05 Why SHARP
Large consultancies have scale. We have focus: one discipline, practised since 2009 on contracts where the numbers really matter.
You work with an accredited specialist from the first call to the final figure, not a junior team learning on your contract.
We act for employers, contractors and subcontractors, so we know how the other side will read every clause.
Nuclear new build, a record-breaking bridge and a 20 km dual carriageway. Your contract gets the same rigour, whatever its size.
Reports a board, a cabinet member or an adjudicator can follow, with every number traceable to source.
No panel politics and no one else’s agenda. Our only interest is a number that stands up.
From our base on Beach Road we’ve worked from Somerset to Norfolk, on site and remotely.
Sectors
06 How we work
A confidential call or email. Share as much or as little as you like.
Contract Data, Z clauses, programme and correspondence. Then we tell you plainly where you stand.
A clear written proposal and fee before any chargeable work starts. No surprises.
Audit, claim, defence or settlement: evidenced, defensible and delivered to your deadline.
On NEC target cost and cost-reimbursable contracts (ECC Options C, D and E), the contractor is paid its Defined Cost plus a Fee. An audit checks that every pound claimed is real, was incurred on your contract and is allowed under the Schedule of Cost Components, and identifies any Disallowed Cost. If you pay on a cost basis, regular audits protect your budget and keep the final account honest.
Both. We act for employers and public bodies, main contractors and subcontractors, so we know how the other side will read every clause. We always check for conflicts before taking on a matter. When we act as a mediator, neutral evaluator or expert, we’re appointed jointly and act for neither side.
Yes. Our accredited NEC Project Managers can take on the role on NEC3 and NEC4 contracts, or support your in-house team with early warnings, compensation events, assessments and the contract administration that keeps a project on track.
Mediation is a confidential, without-prejudice negotiation led by a neutral mediator; nothing is imposed and the parties decide the outcome. Early neutral evaluation gives both parties an independent view of the likely outcome, which often unlocks settlement. Expert determination asks an independent expert to decide a technical or valuation question, and the decision is usually binding where the parties have agreed it will be. All three are usually quicker and cheaper than adjudication, arbitration or court.
Not necessarily. Under NEC4, the eight-week time-bar on notifying compensation events doesn’t apply to some events, such as those arising from the Project Manager’s own instructions, and Z clauses can change the rules. Don’t assume the entitlement is lost, but don’t wait either: call us on 07951 256801.
NEC3 and NEC4 (including the ECC and PSC), ICC (NR12) target cost contracts, and bespoke or heavily amended forms. Our work spans nuclear, rail, highways and bridges, civil engineering, and oil and gas, for public and private clients.
We’re based at Easton House on Beach Road, Lowestoft, and work across East Anglia and the UK, from Hinkley Point C in Somerset to the Broadland Northway in Norfolk. Much of the work can be done remotely, with site visits when they add value.
Every instruction is different, so we agree the scope and fee with you in writing before any chargeable work starts. The first conversation is confidential and carries no obligation.
08 Contact
Tell us about your contract. We’ll tell you, plainly, where you stand and how we can help.
A specialist will read your enquiry and reply personally. If a deadline is close, call 07951 256801.
