
Commercial Manager vs Project Manager: What's the Difference?
Commercial manager and project manager sound similar and work side by side on every project - but the roles have very different focuses, routes and pay. Here's how to tell them apart.

Commercial manager and project manager sound similar and work side by side on every project - but the roles have very different focuses, routes and pay. Here's how to tell them apart.

The RIBA Plan of Work is the framework every UK construction project runs on, and every QS deliverable maps to it. This guide breaks down all eight stages, 0 to 7, and the specific cost documents, estimates and reports a QS produces at each one.

Performance bonds protect employers when contractors default. This guide explains bond types, typical costs, the claims process, and how performance bonds differ from retention bonds and parent company guarantees.

Retention is one of the most contested mechanisms in UK construction contracts. This guide breaks down how much is withheld, when it's released under JCT and NEC, and how the government's proposed retention ban will change payment practice.

Getting variations JCT contract valuations right means knowing the clause 5.6-5.10 hierarchy in order: contract rates, pro-rata rates, fair rates, then daywork. This guide walks through each tier with a worked example and the records needed to defend it.

Value engineering construction gets confused with cost cutting more often than any other commercial practice term. This guide explains function analysis, the VE job plan, when in the RIBA stages VE should happen, who runs it, and what goes wrong when it's done badly.
Free tools
Calculator
Enter your day rate and contract structure to see exactly what lands in your bank account after tax — comparing Ltd Company, Umbrella and Inside IR35 side by side using the latest 2026/27 HMRC rates.