# SOMA Project Controls > UK project controls consultancy specialising in Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA), project planning and scheduling, cost management, risk operations, integrated PMO, and project controls advisory. Practitioner-led, chartered through APM / ACostE / AACE / IRM / RICS. Trading since 2023, incorporated October 2024. Based Middlesbrough, UK. > > Structured data: Wikidata Q139796919 (SOMA Project Controls) · Adam O'Neill Q139780553 · Companies House 16001237 · D-U-N-S 232556078 · OpenCorporates gb/16001237 SOMA is a pure-play project controls consultancy — not a side-line of a larger audit, tax or management-consultancy firm. Our lead capability is Quantitative Risk Analysis delivered to AACE International standards (RP 57R-09, 113R-20, 118R-21, 123R-22), using industry-standard tooling (Safran Risk, Primavera Risk Analysis, @Risk, Acumen Risk). We work primarily on UK infrastructure programmes across rail, highways, nuclear, water, defence, energy, and industrial sectors. Recent engagements include Sellafield Ltd, Bilfinger UK, National Highways, AtkinsRéalis, EDF (Sizewell C), Mitsubishi Chemical Group UK, and RRL Consulting Engineers. - Registered name: SOMA PROJECT CONTROLS LTD - Companies House number: 16001237 - D-U-N-S number: 232556078 - VAT number: GB485592149 - Professional indemnity cover: £1m - Incorporated: 7 October 2024 - Registered office: 13T, Queensway House, Queensway, Middlesbrough, TS3 8TF, United Kingdom - Website: https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com - Email: hello@somaprojectcontrols.com (M365 shared mailbox) - Telephone: +44 1904 935370 (UK landline) - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soma-project-controls ## Tools Purpose-built desktop software for UK project controls practitioners. Local-first by design — no cloud, no telemetry, no third-party data processing. Built by practitioners, calibrated on live UK infrastructure programmes. - [SOMA Tools overview](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/tools): The three-product SOMA software toolkit — QSRA Validator, QCRA, and the forthcoming QSRA Modelling engine. - [SOMA QSRA Validator](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/tools/qsra-validator): Desktop input validator for Quantitative Schedule Risk Analysis. Runs DCMA 14-point, CIOB PP21, Acumen Fuse SQI and the flagship SOMA QSRA Readiness framework (25 weighted checks across 5 domains: Logic Integrity, Duration Health, Constraints & Calendars, Float & Critical Path, QSRA Readiness). Accepts Primavera P6 .xer files and Riskhive / Xactium / SOMA-consolidated risk register .xlsx workbooks. Produces RAG-banded scorecards, per-activity findings traceable to source rows, SOMA-branded Excel reports, and Safran-ready flat-file exports. Code-signed Mac .app and Windows Inno Setup installer. V0.15.6. Used on live work at National Highways and adjacent UK infrastructure clients. - **SOMA QCRA**: Excel .xlam add-in for Quantitative Cost Risk Analysis. Runs Monte Carlo directly over a live cost estimate — three-point distributions, correlation, P-value reporting, tornado charts, SOMA-branded report. Available on request — see the [contact page](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/contact). - **SOMA QSRA Modelling**: Internal Monte Carlo engine for schedule risk. In development. Planned capabilities: S-curves (cost and schedule, pre- and post-mitigation), P10 / P50 / P80 / P90 reporting, tornado and sensitivity analysis, risk contribution tables, narrative reporting, correlation-matrix support. Will close the Safran round-trip for in-house work. Register interest via the [contact page](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/contact). ## Services - [Quantitative Risk Analysis](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/quantitative-risk-analysis): Our lead service. Schedule risk analysis (QSRA), cost risk analysis (QCRA) and integrated cost-schedule risk analysis (QCSRA) built to AACE standards. Monte Carlo modelling with correlation, merge-bias handling, P50/P80/P95 confidence curves, and board-grade reporting. - [Project Planning & Scheduling](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/planning-scheduling): Primavera P6 and MS Project schedules built from the WBS up. DCMA 14-point schedule health assessments, logic that holds under scrutiny, defensible float, resource-loaded baselines, monthly progress reporting. - [Cost Management & Assurance](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/cost-management): Cost baseline build, estimate assurance, Earned Value Management (PMB, BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, CPI, SPI), forecast-at-completion modelling, contingency and management reserve governance. - [Risk Operations & Advisory](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/risk-operations): Ongoing risk operations — register build or takeover, monthly workshops, owner discipline, risk reporting integrated with QRA outputs, exposure trending for steering groups. - [Integrated PMO](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/integrated-pmo): A full project controls function delivered as one team — schedule, cost, risk and reporting aligned to a single data model. Embedded with the client delivery team. - [Project Controls Advisory](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/advisory): Independent project controls reviews, expert-witness-grade delay analysis (SCL Protocol-aligned), maturity assessments, and second opinions on controls strategy. - [Project Controls Assurance](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/services/project-controls-assurance): Independent assurance of schedule, cost and QRA controls — DCMA 14-point schedule reviews, cost baseline integrity checks, QRA methodology review, risk register maturity assessment, and gateway review preparation. ## Practitioner guides Long-form, plain-English explainers on project controls techniques. Written by practitioners, UK context, no textbook padding. - [The Honest Guide to QRA](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/honest-guide-to-qra): What Quantitative Risk Analysis actually is, when you need it, how Monte Carlo works, how to tell a good QRA from a bad one. - [Why Your S-Curve Is Lying to You](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/why-your-s-curve-is-lying): Five failure modes of S-curve reporting in project controls, and how to fix them. - [NEC4 and Schedule Risk](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/nec4-schedule-risk): What the NEC4 contract actually expects from the Accepted Programme, the risks to scheduling under clause 31, and early warning mechanics. - [Running a QRA Workshop That Actually Works](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/running-a-qra-workshop): How to facilitate a risk workshop that produces calibrated three-point estimates, not theatre. - [Monte Carlo Is Not Magic](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/monte-carlo-is-not-magic): What Monte Carlo simulation actually does, what it does not do, and what correlation, merge bias, and iteration count really mean. - [Reading a DCMA 14 Result Properly](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/reading-a-dcma-14-result-properly): A practitioner walkthrough of the DCMA 14-point schedule health assessment and what each metric actually tells you. - [Cost vs Schedule Contingency](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/cost-vs-schedule-contingency): Why cost contingency and schedule contingency are different things, how EMV and QRA each generate them, and how to defend a contingency number in a board paper. - [Reading a Contractor's Schedule You Didn't Build](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/reading-a-contractor-schedule-you-didnt-build): A structured audit for when a programme lands on your desk mid-project, from DCMA 14 to client briefing. - [When CPI Is Lying — The Hidden Failure Modes of Earned Value](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/when-cpi-is-lying): How EV metrics mislead through materials on site, gamed progress, lagging ACWP, and SPI that ignores the critical path. - [Integrated Cost-Schedule Risk Analysis — When EMV Isn't Enough](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/integrated-cost-schedule-risk-analysis): Why running cost QRA and schedule QRA separately understates exposure, and how QCSRA under AACE 57R-09 fixes it. - [The Baseline You Can Actually Defend](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/the-baseline-you-can-actually-defend): Setting scope, schedule, and cost baselines that survive the project, and telling honest rebaselining from cover-up. - [Primavera P6 for People Who Inherited It](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/primavera-p6-for-people-who-inherited-it): A two-hour audit of an unfamiliar P6 database — calendars, scheduling options, leveling, baselines, constraints. - [Project Controls Maturity — What "Good" Actually Looks Like](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/project-controls-maturity-what-good-looks-like): A practical diagnostic of a well-run controls function, without the five-level pyramid. - [Reporting That Actually Gets Read at Steering Group](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/reporting-that-survives-steering-group): A one-page summary, five KPIs, honest variance, three risks, one decision — and the anti-patterns to drop. - [NEC4 Early Warnings — The Mechanism Most Teams Waste](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/nec4-early-warnings-the-mechanism-most-teams-waste): Clauses 15 and 16 as a protection tool, the consequences of non-notification under 63.7, and the link to compensation events. - [QSRA Readiness — What a Schedule Needs Before the Monte Carlo Runs](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/qsra-readiness-before-the-monte-carlo): Why DCMA, CIOB PP21 and Acumen Fuse SQI each answer a different question, the 25-check readiness framework across five weighted domains, common failure modes that suppress variance, and how to test readiness before the simulation runs. - [QSRA vs QCRA — What Is the Difference and When Do You Need Each?](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/qsra-vs-qcra): The two most important tools in quantitative risk analysis compared — how QSRA and QCRA each work, what each produces, and how to decide which your programme needs. - [Earned Value Management Under NEC4](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/evm-under-nec4): How EVM and NEC4 interact, what the contract demands from EVMS reporting, how to build a performance measurement baseline on a programme with active compensation events, and the four most common EVM failures on NEC4 programmes. - [The DCMA 14-Point Schedule Assessment — UK Guide](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/dcma-14-point-assessment-uk): All fourteen schedule health checks explained — what each metric tests, what the thresholds mean, and how to use the methodology on UK infrastructure programmes. - [CADMID Lifecycle Explained — UK MoD Phases, Gateways and Project Controls Deliverables](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/project-controls-in-defence): What CADMID is (the UK MoD's six-phase acquisition lifecycle: Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, Disposal) and what the controls function must deliver at each phase — QRA at Concept, EVMS at Manufacture, IPA gateway tests, SSRO cost reporting on single-source defence contracts. - [NEC4 Clause 32: Programme Revisions and the Acceptance Loop](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/nec4-clause-32-programme-revisions): NEC4 Clause 32 requires the Contractor to revise the Accepted Programme at stated intervals, after each compensation event, and on PM instruction. What each revision must contain, why PM silence is not acceptance under Clause 31.3, and the failures that hurt at Clause 63 quantum. - [Critical Path Method: How UK Programmes Actually Use CPM](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/critical-path-method-uk-programmes): How the Critical Path Method works on UK infrastructure, defence and nuclear programmes — forward pass, backward pass, total float, near-critical paths under DCMA 14 (≤7 days), and how the deterministic critical path relates to the risk-adjusted Criticality Index from QSRA. Plus NEC4 Clause 31/32/63 implications and Primavera P6 gotchas. - [P50, P80, P95 — Which Confidence Level Should You Actually Use?](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/p50-p80-p95-confidence-levels-explained): The difference between P50, P80 and P95, which your organisation's policy should mandate, and how to defend the choice to a board or gateway reviewer. Includes FAQ answers to: what does P80 mean, why do UK government projects use P80, when to use P50 vs P80, how much contingency moves from P50 to P80, and what is a portfolio P80. Includes a comparison table of all four confidence levels and a downloadable decision reference worksheet. - [Three-Point Estimate Calibration — What Low, Most-Likely, High Should Actually Mean](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/three-point-estimate-calibration): Why most three-point estimates are wrong before the Monte Carlo runs — how to calibrate ranges, avoid anchoring bias, and produce distributions that reflect real uncertainty. - [Writing a QRA Report That Survives Gateway Review](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/qra-report-that-survives-gateway): What IPA and OGC gateway reviewers look for in a QRA submission — the structural and methodological requirements that separate a report that passes from one that stalls a programme. - [Structuring a Risk Register So It's QRA-Ready From Day One](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/risk-register-that-is-qra-ready): How to build a risk register that feeds directly into a quantitative analysis — owner discipline, three-point estimates, correlation flags, and the fields most registers miss. - [NEC4 Clause 15: What Schedule Risk Looks Like in Practice](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/nec4-clause-15-schedule-risk): How the NEC4 compensation event mechanism creates schedule risk, what Clause 15 requires, and how to build a programme that holds up under live CE pressure. - [How to Challenge a Contractor's Schedule (Without Starting a Fight)](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/challenging-a-contractors-schedule): The questions that reveal whether a contractor's programme is a genuine delivery plan or a presentation schedule — and how to ask them without triggering a dispute. - [Project Controls Day Rates UK 2026](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/project-controls-day-rates-uk-2026): Benchmark day rates by role — junior planner to QRA specialist to controls director — inside and outside IR35, with sector premiums for defence, nuclear and rail. - [Primavera P6 vs Microsoft Project](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/guides/primavera-p6-vs-microsoft-project): An honest comparison for UK practitioners — what each tool does better, which programme types suit each, and how to decide without the vendor pitch. ## Sectors SOMA delivers project controls across six UK infrastructure sectors. Each sector page covers delivery challenges, relevant standards, how SOMA approaches that sector, and FAQs. - [Defence project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/defence): MoD MPRP, IPA gateway assurance, EVMS to DEF STAN, CADMID lifecycle. Experience with Sellafield estate and UK new build nuclear supply chain. - [Infrastructure project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/infrastructure): NEC4 compensation events, Accepted Programme management, HM Treasury Green Book QRA, multi-contractor interface reporting. National Highways, Network Rail supply chain. - [Energy project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/energy): FEED-to-FID controls, offshore and onshore programmes, net-zero and decarbonisation, long-lead procurement risk. AACE-standard QRA for investment committee submissions. - [Nuclear project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/nuclear): Sellafield estate, Sizewell C, NDA and DESNZ-sponsored programmes. ONR hold points, nuclear baseline control, supply chain controls maturity. - [Rail project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/rail): Network Rail CP7 supply chain, possession scheduling, HS2 controls requirements, TOC-sponsored enhancement programmes. Access and possession risk modelled explicitly. - [Water and utilities project controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sectors/water): AMP7/AMP8 capital delivery, Ofwat totex reporting, asset condition uncertainty, portfolio controls across large supply chain frameworks. ## Training Small-cohort, UK-convention training courses. Named instructors, real project scars. - [Training overview](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/training): All five courses, sector content, instructor credentials, and CPD detail. - Primavera P6 for Real Projects — four-session practitioner course covering calendars, logic, scheduling options, constraints, baselines, and progress on UK programmes. - MS Project and Planning Fundamentals — two-session course for PMs, engineers and commercial leads who need to build, maintain or credibly challenge a Microsoft Project schedule. - Quantitative Risk Analysis Practitioner — five-session course covering workshop facilitation, @Risk, QSRA, QCRA, and reading QRA outputs. Merges the previous standalone QRA with @Risk and Risk Workshop Facilitation courses. - Cost Management & Earned Value — five-session course covering AACE estimate classes, credible estimates, baseline setup, earned value mechanics, and EAC forecasting. Merges the previous standalone Cost Estimating and Earned Value courses. - Project Controls for Project Managers — single-day overview course for PMs and programme directors who commission and interpret project controls outputs. ## SOMA Academy A self-paced, online curriculum hosted at academy.somaprojectcontrols.com. Fourteen modules across four progression tiers (Foundation, Practitioner, Quantitative, Strategic). Built by SOMA practitioners; aligned to IRM Level 2 (not yet IRM-accredited). Free for SOMA clients as part of any engagement; external access available on request. - [SOMA Academy overview](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/academy): What the curriculum covers, how it is structured, what is inside each module, and how access works. - [Access the Academy](https://academy.somaprojectcontrols.com): Sign in or request an account. Manual approval, usually within one working day. SOMA clients are added by us at engagement kick-off. ## Sales collateral Procurement-ready PDFs and a pitch deck. Gated via a short contact form; SOMA responds within one working day. - [SOMA Capability Statement](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources): Two-page branded capability statement with services, sectors, recent engagements, credentials and insurance summary. Available on request. - [SOMA QRA & Risk Management Capability](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources): Two-page risk-practice deep-dive — QRA methodology (AACE TCM / RP-40R-08), independent validation, tool-agnostic QCSRA, recent engagements, National Highways pull-quote. Available on request. - [SOMA Training Course Brochures (v2.0)](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/downloads/soma-all-course-brochures-v2.0.zip): Five fully SOMA-branded course brochures (~5 pages each) — Primavera P6, MS Project Fundamentals, QRA Practitioner, Cost Management & EV, and Project Controls for PMs. Each includes positioning, audience, outcomes, prerequisites, full syllabus, what is included, and CPD detail. Direct gated download from the all-courses zip; per-course PDFs linked from each `/training/[slug]` page. - [SOMA Pitch Deck](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources): Fifteen-slide branded deck — SOMA story, eight services, three case studies. Available on request. ## Glossary - [Project controls glossary](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/resources/glossary): Plain-English definitions of UK project controls terms — QRA, EVM, DCMA 14, merge bias, Monte Carlo, CPI, SPI, TCPI, EAC, ETC, PMB, CBS, RBS and more. ## Case studies - [Case studies overview](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies): Anonymised real-project stories with numbers — what the brief was, what we found, what changed. - [Sellafield — Independent Programme Risk Assurance](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/sellafield-independent-risk-assurance): Independent risk assurance on a £1bn+ confidential nuclear capital programme (specific programme under NDA). - [National Highways — QRA Framework](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/national-highways-qra-framework): Programme Risk Lead on a £1bn+ regional investment portfolio (via AtkinsRéalis) — QCRA / QSRA, governance uplift, Safran automation, Xactium → RiskHive transition. - [Cavendish Nuclear — PP&E Programme Risk](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/cavendish-nuclear-ppe-programme): Principal Risk Specialist on the Process, Plant & Equipment portfolio — CSRA, Joint Confidence Levels, JAEA Monju Reactor decommissioning bid win, in-house risk team capability uplift. - [Northumbrian Water — PMO Risk Transformation](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/northumbria-water-pmo-risk-transformation): PMO Risk Lead across a £350m, 400+ project portfolio (via Gardiner & Theobald) — 70 man-weeks reclaimed, 96% risk-identification uplift. - [Bilfinger UK — Project Puma](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/bilfinger-uk-project-puma): Schedule recovery and risk analysis on an industrial controls programme. - [Natara PMO & Project Controls](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/case-studies/natara-pmo-project-controls): Integrated PMO setup for a multi-site consulting-engineering programme (RRL Consulting Engineers, RRL Project Consulting). ## Company - [About SOMA](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/about): Founding story, how we work, who we serve. - [The team](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/team): Named practitioners with chartered credentials. - [Credentials](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/credentials): Accreditations held, insurance cover, professional memberships. - [Contact](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/contact): Email (hello@somaprojectcontrols.com), phone (+44 1904 935370), location, enquiry form. ## In the news - [News and partnerships](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/news): Third-party partnership announcements and press mentions, hosted at source. - [RRL Group × SOMA partnership (Mar 2025)](https://www.rrlgroup.co.uk/post/rrl-partners-with-soma-to-elevate-project-control-and-risk-assessment-capabilities): RRL Group announced a strategic partnership with SOMA to bring QRA, QSRA and QCRA capabilities into RRL's engineering and project-management services across chemical, nuclear, oil & gas and manufacturing sectors. ## Policies - [Privacy policy](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/privacy) - [Terms of business](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/terms) - [All company policies](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/policies) ## Optional - [Full content dump for LLM ingestion](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/llms-full.txt): The complete text of every service page, guide, case study and glossary entry, concatenated for machine reading. - [XML sitemap](https://www.somaprojectcontrols.com/sitemap.xml)