Spalding Western Relief Road – Programme Recovery & NEC Change Management (c£50M)
Project Planning Ltd was appointed by the Tier 1 contractor to support delivery of this major highway infrastructure scheme operating under an NEC contract. Our involvement began part way through construction, where programme reliability and change management processes required significant improvement to enable successful project delivery.
The contractor required experienced planning support to rebuild confidence in the programme, strengthen contractual relationships, and allow for clear demonstration of the impact of change upon the programme.
The Challenge
When Project Planning Ltd joined the project, construction works were underway. The existing programme had been developed by several previous planners but was not providing a reliable or fully integrated representation of project delivery. This created several challenges, including:
- Limited confidence in the programme’s accuracy and use
- Inaccurate critical path, sequence and timescales
- Difficulty demonstrating the time impact of change events
- Loss of end client confidence
A robust, transparent and contract-compliant programme was required to guide the delivery team.
Our Solution
Programme Reconstruction and Recovery
We carried out a thorough reconstruction of the existing programme, producing new planning take-offs, understanding constraints and agreeing timescales and methodologies with the construction team.
Our team rebuilt the construction programme to ensure it accurately reflected:
- The Works Information
- Logical and achievable sequence of works
- Realistic activity durations and resource considerations
- Compliance with NEC contract programme requirements
- Clear identification of the critical path
- Improved transparency for project controls and reporting
The revised programme provided a stable and reliable foundation for managing ongoing delivery.
Compensation Event and Change Modelling
Effective change management was critical to the project’s success. Project Planning Ltd developed detailed modelling of Compensation Events, allowing the contractor to clearly demonstrate how events impacted the programme.
Our approach enabled:
- Transparent and evidence-based assessment of change
- Contract-compliant Cl60/62 programme submissions
- Improved engagement and agreement with the client
- Reduced uncertainty in programme entitlement discussions
This structured modelling approach ensured that the impact of change was fully understood and supported efficient commercial resolution.
Successful Outcome
The improved programme and maintenance allowed:
- The contractor to successfully deliver the project in line with the Accepted programme
- Compensation Events were clearly demonstrated and agreed
- Programme certainty and stakeholder confidence were significantly improved
The quality of planning support received formal recognition from the project’s client upon completion