UK project controls consultancy
Project controls consultancy for UK programmes that have to deliver.
Quantitative risk analysis, scheduling, cost management and earned value — practitioner-led. Real partnership. Real expertise.
Recent engagements include
Delivering across
- Rail
- Highways
- Nuclear
- Water
- Defence
- Energy
- Industrial
- Public sector
What makes SOMA different
Pure-play
Project controls is what we do
Not a side-line to audit, tax or management consultancy. Schedule, cost, risk — all day, every day — delivered by practitioners who have lived on the programmes they advise.
QRA-forward
Risk, done to AACE standards
Quantitative risk analysis is our lead capability. Monte Carlo, correlation, merge bias, P50/P80/P95 — done properly and written up so the decision-maker can act.
Practitioner-led
Named people. Real scars.
Professional memberships across ACostE, APM, AACE and IRM. We show who we are, and what we've been through. No anonymous ‘our team’.
How we work
Straightforward. Steady. Honest about the numbers.
We work as an extension of your delivery team. We turn up, we listen, we plan the work properly, and we tell you what the data actually says — including the parts you might not want to hear.
No jargon. No drama. No theatre. Just controls that give programme directors the confidence to make the call.
- 01
Start with the problem
Discovery call, then a short scoping note. If we’re not the right fit we say so.
- 02
Set the controls up properly
WBS, logic, baseline, risk register, cost structure. Done once, done well.
- 03
Run them through delivery
Monthly cadence, clean reporting, honest variance analysis, active risk management.
- 04
Leave you stronger than we found you
Engagements finish. The capability we leave behind does not. Cleaner systems, tested templates, a team levelled up and able to run the next programme without us.
Client voices
What clients say about the work.
You developed the QRA process from being simply a presentation of the outputs to a presentation of insights. The QRA reviews are now much more value-adding and focused. It genuinely feels like you are part of our team.
Head of Risk
National Highways
Read the case study →Thank you for representing us so well and making us all look great. It is work like yours that gives us more and more ambition to enact meaningful change.
Managing Director, PPS Complex Infrastructure
AtkinsRéalis
SOMA were engaged to map out and execute a new process in relation to Risk Management. All work was done to an exceptional standard. They delivered what we asked on time and within budget. Great team effort.
Client reference
Bilfinger UK
Read the case study →Tools
Purpose-built software for project controls.
SOMA QSRA Validator, SOMA QCRA, and a forthcoming Monte Carlo engine. Desktop tools calibrated on real UK infrastructure programmes.
See the tools →
Training
Learn from practitioners, not textbook teachers.
In-house training for project controls teams, delivered on your programme. Named instructors. Real project scars.
See in-house training →
Insights
Plain-English writing on the hard bits of project controls.
Guides, worked examples, a working glossary. No AI-slop, no listicles. The kind of writing we wished existed when we were juniors.
Browse the library →
Frequently asked
Questions we get before a first call.
More detail on the About page and the practitioner guides.
- What does a project controls consultancy do?
- A project controls consultancy provides the disciplines that keep complex programmes on track: planning and scheduling, cost management, risk management, and integrated reporting. SOMA does this for UK infrastructure programmes across rail, highways, nuclear, water, defence and energy — either as a stand-alone capability (for example, running a quantitative risk analysis) or as an embedded controls team.
- What is quantitative risk analysis (QRA)?
- Quantitative risk analysis is a Monte Carlo simulation of a project's cost and schedule risks. It produces a confidence range — typically P50, P80 and P95 outcomes — rather than a single number. A QRA lets a board or sponsor decide how much contingency to approve at a defensible confidence level, and identifies the top risks driving that exposure. SOMA delivers QRA to AACE International recommended practices (57R-09, 64R-11, 65R-11, 66R-11) using Safran Risk, Primavera Risk Analysis, @Risk or Acumen Risk.
- How is SOMA different from the Big Four or a large management consultancy?
- SOMA is a pure-play project controls firm, not a side-line of an audit, tax or general management-consultancy practice. Every engagement is led by a named senior practitioner who has delivered on live UK programmes. We do not run graduate-led teams, we do not sell controls as a staff-augmentation commodity, and we do not write reports in consultant-speak.
- Who runs SOMA Project Controls?
- SOMA was founded in 2024 by Adam O'Neill. The team holds professional memberships across APM, ACostE, AACE and IRM, with more than a decade of project controls experience each on UK infrastructure programmes.
- How quickly can SOMA start on a new programme?
- After a 30-minute discovery call, if the shape of the problem matches the shape of our work we return within one working day with a scoping note covering scope, duration, team and indicative cost. Typical lead time to mobilisation is one to two weeks depending on engagement size. Short independent reviews (for example an outside-view QRA) can be scoped and started inside a week.
- What is the difference between project controls and project management?
- Project management is the overall discipline of delivering a project — scoping, team leadership, stakeholder management, decision-making, and day-to-day running. Project controls is the analytical spine that supports those decisions: planning and scheduling, cost management, risk analysis, earned value, and integrated reporting. A project manager runs the project; the controls function gives them the data to run it well. On major UK programmes the two are distinct roles, often held by different people, working alongside one another.
- How much does a project controls consultancy cost in the UK?
- Most of SOMA’s work is priced as a fixed-scope lump sum, not a day rate. A one-off QRA, an independent schedule or cost assurance review, a baseline build, or a risk-framework uplift is quoted against a defined deliverable and timeline — so you have a fixed price before you commit, not an open-ended meter. A 30-minute discovery call becomes a written scoping note — scope, duration, team and cost — within one working day, with no obligation. For the wider UK market picture, our 2026 project controls day-rate guide breaks down contractor rates by discipline and seniority.
- What sectors does SOMA work in?
- SOMA works in six UK sectors: Highways (National Highways major projects), Water & Utilities (AMP8 capital programmes), Nuclear (decommissioning and new build), Energy and industrial (process plant, grid reinforcement, industrial decarbonisation), Defence (MOD and defence-prime programmes under CADMID) and Rail. Under SOMA's own contracts the firm has delivered in highways, water, nuclear and industrial process; the team brings prior experience from the others.
- Does SOMA work as a subcontractor to tier 1 contractors?
- Yes. A significant part of our work is delivered as specialist controls capability to tier 1 contractors and management consultancies — providing QRA, planning, or risk management expertise on specific programmes or gateway submissions. We work under the prime's branding, security framework, and reporting standards where required. Recent engagements include work through AtkinsRéalis (National Highways), Gardiner & Theobald (Northumbrian Water), and RRL Group (Natara).
- What certifications, insurance and credentials does SOMA hold?
- SOMA Project Controls Ltd is UK-registered (Companies House 16001237) and carries professional indemnity insurance; details on our credentials page. Our practitioners hold professional memberships across APM (Association for Project Management), ACostE (Association of Cost Engineers), AACE International (including DRMP Decision and Risk Management Professional and EVP Earned Value Professional certifications) and IRM (Institute of Risk Management). Full credentials and company policies are available on the Credentials page for procurement teams.
Need an outside view on a live programme?
Book a short scoping conversation. We will listen, say whether we can help, and come back with a clear next step if there is one.