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.
Chartered through ACostE, APM, AACE, RICS, IRM. We show who we are, and what we've been through. No anonymous ‘our team’.
Services
Eight services. One controls function.
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 →The quality of the QSRA has been significantly enhanced by our consultant’s management and involvement.
Civil Programme Head of Risk
Sizewell C
JAEA expressed their sincere appreciation for the hard work and dedication that has gone into getting us to this important point. From estimate submission through to contract signature, it has required a tremendous amount of focus, persistence and collaboration.
International Senior Business Manager
Cavendish Nuclear
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.
Small-cohort, UK-convention training in Primavera P6, QRA with @Risk, and Earned Value. Named instructors. Real project scars.
See the courses →
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.
- 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, 113R-20, 118R-21, 123R-22) 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, chartered 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 is chartered through the APM, ACostE, AACE (DRMP and EVP), RICS 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?
- Independent project controls engagements in the UK typically range from £400/day for a junior planner through to £900–1,300/day for a controls director or senior QRA practitioner, with most mid-level consultancy work landing in the £600–900/day band. Fixed-scope engagements (a one-off QRA, a schedule assurance review, a baseline build) are usually priced as a lump sum based on duration and seniority mix. SOMA publishes an honest 2026 day-rate guide to UK project controls; the figures are available on the Insights page.
- What sectors does SOMA work in?
- SOMA delivers project controls across six UK sectors: Rail (Network Rail supply chain, HS2, TOC enhancements), Highways (National Highways, regional works), Nuclear (NDA estate including Sellafield, new build including Sizewell and Hinkley), Water & Utilities (AMP7/AMP8 capital programmes), Defence (MoD and defence prime programmes under CADMID and DEF STAN), and Energy (offshore wind, decommissioning, grid reinforcement, net-zero industrial decarbonisation). Our practitioners have hands-on delivery experience across all six.
- 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 (Northumbria Water), and RRL Group (Natara).
- What certifications, insurance and credentials does SOMA hold?
- SOMA Project Controls Ltd is UK-registered (Companies House 16001237, VAT GB485592149) and carries £1m Professional Indemnity insurance. Our practitioners are chartered through 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), IRM (Institute of Risk Management) and RICS. Full credentials, insurance certificates and company policies are available on the Credentials page for procurement teams.
More detail on the About page and the practitioner guides.
Got a programme that needs the numbers straight?
Tell us what you are working on. We will come back within one working day with a useful answer — not a sales pitch.