Working together
so you get what
you contracted for
We are a niche consultancy designed to advise public sector bodies on how best to manage their commercial arrangements to maximise value for money and minimise waste.
With a combined experience of over 50 years in public health management and commercial legal practice, we are hands-on advisers who know what it takes to effectively manage contracts and we have an in-depth understanding of the public sector. We provide practical advice and have been associated with the development of technology in the management of contracts for the last 10 years, enabling our clients to make real savings and reduce their commercial risk.
We have developed a bespoke methodology that focuses on people, processes and technology to ensure that we leave a legacy of sound commercial relationships that are fair, just and based upon data and evidence. Our objective is to always work in partnership with clients, embedding resources within their operations.
BAU
CM Support
Process / people / governance
Commercial support
Market Testing
Variations
Commercial translation of legal provisions
Adjudications
Technology assessment and application
MES expertise
Reset & Expiry
DHSC CoBP process
Commercial support
PMO and project coordination governance
Collaborative approach
Distressed projects
Termination
Service transition
Contingency planning
Litigation support
Commercial negotiations
Standstill and Settlement Agreements
working with lawyers
News
During 2025 JCM supported charities focusing on children’s wellbeing and education
-
We took part in a total of five half-marathons in Lisbon, Porto, Berlin, Cardiff and Zanzibar. We have raised funds for the NSPCC and funded the desks in the picture for a new primary school in Karatu, Northern Tanzania.
We very much wanted the funds raised in Tanzania to be directly spent on a good cause in the country and we were fortunate to discover that we could make a direct and practical contribution by funding nine much needed desks for the Karatu school. We hope to raise more funds this year to provide ongoing support to the school.
To this end, we have three more half-marathons to run in 2026, with Madrid in March and Birmingham and Manchester later in the year. For the non-Swahili speakers, the slogan on the desks reads “Learn and be happy"
Private finance for infrastructure - NAO Insight
The NAO recently published a lesson learnt report regarding the use of private finance for infrastructure. With private financing of national infrastructure likely to return, it is essential we all learn lessons from previous PFI and PF2 contracts.
-
However, the reality may be that the most critical lessons that can be learnt are still to come to the fore, and without the learning of the next 5-10 years we may end up introducing the same risks in the future, before we are aware they are risks today.
From a personal perspective, lesson 10 regarding the criticality of contract management throughout the life of the contract chimes with our experience of current challenges. We would note however that even with diligent contract management, if contract structures are not set up to be effectively managed, even with the best expertise any new projects may suffer the same difficulties as much of our current PFI portfolio.
Has the disputes cash cow returned, or did it never go away?
When I started my career as a contentious construction solicitor in the early 1990s, the construction industry was the cash cow that just kept on giving fees to lawyers and experts. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of loss and expense and extension of time claims.
-
It is generally accepted that the Construction Act 1996 successfully reduced, but not completely eliminated, construction disputes. However, something else happened at about the same time, which I then naively thought might have the same effect.
I thought PFI would reduce disputes between contractors and employers because the construction company would be part of the bidding consortium. This, I believed, would act as a disincentive to bring claims during the construction phase and at the same time incentivise a high standard of design and build.
I am not aware of any research that has been carried out into how many PFI projects have experienced disputes, either between SPV members or between Project Co and the Contracting Authority. Anecdotally, it seems the dispute cash cow is back (if it ever went away). Are we experiencing an increase, if not proliferation, in disputes which are either being referred to adjudication (with awards reading more and more like judicial judgments) or heading to the courts? I hope I am wrong and that after 25 years, the industry is not back to where it was.