Independent Commercial Project Review

Something expensive isn't making sense.

Before you spend more money, get an experienced, independent view of what is really happening, where the commercial exposure lies, and what you should do next.

Ask Garth to take a look

Projects rarely go wrong all at once.

Costs start moving. Programmes slip. Variations accumulate. People disagree about what was included. A claim appears. And eventually nobody can give you a clear answer about where the project really stands.

The first job is not to produce another report.
It is to establish what the real problem is.
01

What is happening?

Separate the real commercial problem from noise, assumptions and conflicting opinions.

02

Where is the exposure?

Identify the financial, contractual and delivery risks that actually matter.

03

What needs attention?

Determine which issues need action now and which can safely wait.

04

What happens next?

Leave with a practical route forward rather than another pile of information.

When it makes sense to call me

The project is commercially drifting

  • The project is running over budget.
  • The completion date keeps moving.
  • Nobody knows the true cost to complete.
  • Variations are accumulating.
  • The financial and programme positions do not agree.

A claim or dispute is developing

  • A contractor, client or consultant has made a claim.
  • You are considering making a claim yourself.
  • The parties disagree about responsibility.
  • Records and commercial positions conflict.
  • You want an independent assessment before matters escalate.

A development opportunity needs testing

  • The opportunity looks attractive but is not yet properly structured.
  • You need a feasibility or commercial reality check.
  • You are about to commit more money.
  • The proposal needs to become credible to funders or investors.

Too many moving parts

  • Several professionals are involved but nobody owns the whole picture.
  • Important decisions are being delayed.
  • The project needs an experienced independent commercial view.
  • You need clarity before taking the next step.

What I can help with

Commercial Project Reviews

Establish where a project really stands financially, contractually and commercially.

Claims & Disputes

Review claims, potential claims and emerging disputes and identify the underlying commercial position.

Cost & Financial Reviews

Review budgets, forecasts, variations, commitments, final accounts and cost-to-complete positions.

Troubled Projects

Help establish why a project has stalled, moved late or slipped out of commercial control.

Development Feasibility

Test whether a proposed project or development makes commercial sense before further money is committed.

Independent Second Opinion

Sometimes you simply need somebody experienced who is not tied to the existing position.

Experience matters when the numbers are large.

Garth Gaenssler has spent decades working across construction, engineering, development and commercial management.

  • Quantity surveying and cost management
  • Project and programme management
  • Commercial and contract management
  • Construction claims and dispute resolution
  • Procurement and tender management
  • Development feasibility and opportunity structuring

His experience includes an international arbitration of approximately HK$450 million, the Hong Kong Airport terminal dispute, Dubai Metro, the new Oman Airport, Riyadh Metro and major airport projects in the UAE.

I tend to look at a problem from both sides of the desk: not only “What does the contract say?” but also “What makes commercial sense now?”

How we start

Tell me what is worrying you

A few paragraphs explaining the problem is enough to begin.

Send the important documents

We identify what matters first. You do not need to send everything ever produced.

I review the commercial position

I look for the real issues, missing information, exposure and inconsistencies.

We work through the findings

We discuss what appears to be happening and what the practical options are.

You leave with a route forward

If further help is needed, we decide that afterwards. There is no automatic open-ended consultancy.

Before you put more money into the problem, find out what problem you're actually solving.

Tell Garth what is happening. You do not need to prepare a formal brief. A short description is enough to start.

Ask Garth to take a look
Commercial reviews do not replace project-specific legal, engineering, tax or other regulated professional advice where such advice is required.