Delays can have significant commercial consequences on any construction project. They affect completion dates, prolong preliminaries, disrupt trade sequencing, and give rise to disputes over responsibility, entitlement, and cost. At PCAG, we provide structured and independent delay analysis services to help contractors, subcontractors, principals, and legal teams understand what caused delay, when it occurred, and what impact it had on the project completion date.
Our approach is practical, methodical, and evidence-driven. We work exclusively on the contractor side, which means we understand the commercial pressures, record-keeping realities, and contractual risks that our clients face. We focus on turning project records, programmes, and site history into a clear and defensible analysis — one that supports claims, negotiations, and dispute proceedings.
A Quantity Surveying Practice Regulated by the RICS
We provide delay analysis support across the full life of a project — from early issue identification through to formal dispute proceedings. Our services are structured around the stages at which delay issues typically arise.
We review baseline and updated programmes to assess logic, sequencing, critical path impacts, float issues, and the timing of key project events. This is often the starting point for understanding whether a delay event has affected completion.
We assist in preparing and strengthening EOT claims by identifying delay events, analysing programme impact, and presenting entitlement in a clear and structured form aligned with the contractual framework.
Prospective analysis is forward-looking — assessing the likely impact of a delay event on future completion as the project progresses. Retrospective analysis looks back at what actually happened and why, typically when a project has completed or a dispute has crystallised. We undertake both, depending on the stage of the project and the nature of the issue.
We assess the actual cause of delay and distinguish between critical delay (which affects the completion date), non-critical delay, concurrent delay (where both parties have contributed to the same period of delay), and contractor risk events. Concurrent delay is one of the most contested areas in construction disputes, and clarity on causation is essential to establishing entitlement.
We prepare analysis suitable for contract negotiations, dispute notices, adjudications, and mediation. We also work alongside legal teams and appointed experts, providing technically sound analysis and briefing documents suitable for formal proceedings.
We provide strategic advice on the strength of a delay position, the likely counterarguments, and the practical steps needed to improve entitlement or manage exposure. Our role is to give clients a clear-eyed view of where they stand, not just what they want to hear.
Delay issues are rarely straightforward. Construction projects involve overlapping events, incomplete records, shifting programmes, and competing interpretations of cause and effect.
Our role is to bring rigour and commercial clarity to that complexity, not just a technical analysis, but a coherent narrative that supports a clear position.
Our process typically includes:
Depending on the engagement, our deliverables may include delay review memoranda, EOT claim submissions, cause and effect summaries, event chronologies, programme commentary, and briefing documents for legal teams or appointed experts.
We work exclusively on the contractor side. That focus shapes how we approach every engagement, we understand how projects are actually run, the constraints under which records are kept, and the commercial pressures that determine what a client genuinely needs from a delay analysis.
Clients engage us because we combine technical rigour with commercially useful advice. Our analysis is grounded in project facts, aligned with the contract, and presented in a way that project teams, management, lawyers, and experts can all work with.
We focus on clear and defensible reasoning, communication that supports negotiation and resolution of delay disputes, and outputs that go beyond technical commentary to give clients a practical path forward.
CLAIMS PREPARATION
If your project is facing delay, uncertainty around entitlement, or growing exposure to time-related claims, PCAG can help you assess the position and respond with confidence.
We assist across a wide range of construction and infrastructure matters, including:
No — and early engagement is often the most valuable. Delay analysis undertaken while a project is live can clarify entitlement, improve notice compliance, support ongoing negotiations, and prevent disputes from escalating. Waiting until a dispute has crystallised often means working with incomplete or poorly organised records.
Yes. While comprehensive records always improve the quality and defensibility of an analysis, we regularly assist clients in reviewing available material, identifying gaps, and building the strongest possible case from what exists. Early engagement gives clients more time to gather evidence that may still be accessible.
Prospective analysis is conducted during the project — it assesses the likely impact of a delay event on the programme going forward. Retrospective analysis is conducted after the fact, typically when preparing a claim or responding to a dispute. Both have different purposes and different methodologies, and we can advise on which approach is appropriate for your situation.
We support expert processes and work alongside legal teams and appointed experts, providing technically sound analysis and briefing documents for formal proceedings. Depending on the engagement, we can also provide expert advisory services. We will always be clear with you at the outset about the appropriate scope and role for a given matter.
Yes. We regularly assist subcontractors, head contractors, and — in appropriate circumstances — principals. The nature of our role depends on the issue and what the client needs, and we will discuss this openly at the start of any engagement.
DELAY ADVISORY
If your project is experiencing delay, or you need a clear view of entitlement and risk, we can help.
Confidential discussion about your delay position
