Commercial Assurance A63 Hull Improvement Scheme

Phoenix Consulting provided commercial management services to Strabag UK on the A63 Hull Project, delivered as part of a Balfour Beatty Engineering and Construction project on behalf of Highways England, with a total project value of circa £70m.

Phoenix was engaged to provide ongoing commercial support throughout the latter stages of the project, with a particular focus on resolving historic unpaid, queried, and disallowed costs that had accumulated since the commencement of main works in March 2021. The role required close collaboration with Strabag UK, Züblin, and Balfour Beatty’s commercial teams to identify gaps in supporting information, respond to commercial queries, and agree outstanding entitlements.

In addition, Phoenix supported the preparation and management of an external Defined Cost Audit, ensuring all submissions were robust, transparent, and aligned with contractual requirements.

Phoenix Consulting delivered:

• Commercial management and assurance
• Review of unpaid, queried, and disallowed costs
• Liaison with joint venture and client commercial teams
• Audit preparation and response management
• Cost substantiation and reporting

Phoenix Consulting undertook a detailed review of all unpaid and queried costs from March 2021 through to project completion in mid-2025. This included identifying missing documentation, sourcing evidence, and responding to client queries, resulting in the successful recovery of circa £1.4m in additional payments.

Phoenix also collated, reviewed, and prepared documentation for an external Defined Cost Audit covering almost 3,000 individual application lines, with a combined value of circa £24.5m. A comprehensive audit response report was produced to address initial findings, providing a robust and successful defence of Strabag UK’s cost accounting processes.

The outcome strengthened commercial governance, reduced exposure to audit risk, and ensured fair value recovery on a complex, long-running infrastructure scheme.