NEC People Conference 2025 – Glasgow

Introduction

Keynote

Transport Scotland

Making ECI a success: case study of the Cross Tay Link Road

Making Contractual Behaviours More Likely

Renfrew Project: How to not fall out with each other

Spirit of mutual trust and co-operation – what does it mean?

Ten Top Tips for Managing NEC Contracts Effectively

Who wants to be a NEC millionaire

Question Time Panel

Alistair specialises in contentious construction and engineering matters in Scotland. He has been a solicitor for 30 years and has 20 years of experience advising a range of clients in the construction sector, including main contractors, sub-contractors, construction professionals, developers, trade bodies and house-builders. Alistair is able to give advice and representation on adjudications, Court of Session actions, Sheriff Court actions, mediations and arbitrations. Alistair is also on the Law Society of Scotland adjudicator's panel and has received a number of appointments as adjudicator.

Andy Thompson is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, but one who has spent the last 20 years working in, on and around NEC Contracts, predominantly in the Highways Sector in the UK and Ireland. He is proud to say that none of those projects have ever needed to go to a formal dispute. Today he mixes the roles of NEC Project Manager – he is currently PM on 3 NEC ECC Projects, and Employer’s Representative on another contract under the Irish Public Works form – and delivering NEC Training and independent Consultancy through his own company, drawing on that current, real life experience. He has worked on the development, tendering and implementation of NEC’s of (almost!) all types and sizes and spanning ECC, PSC and TSC and their various short and subcontract variants.

Anna is an NEC practitioner with 20 years’ experience in the construction industry. Anna started her career in civil engineering consultancy, predominantly working on UK and Irish public sector highways schemes. Anna was offered a place on an NEC training course in 2019 and this was the beginning of her transition to the world of NEC. She was awarded a Distinction for the ICE Certificate in Law and Contract Management (CLCM) in 2021. Anna then worked on the development of contract documents for Irish and Scottish road schemes and became part of the NEC PM's team for the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside (CWRR) project in Glasgow. In 2024, after a period consolidating her knowledge, Anna successfully undertook the NEC4 ECC Project Manager Accreditation assessment. Shortly after this the incumbent CWRR NEC PM left the role and Anna stepped in as his replacement.

Barry Trebes FRICS, FAPM, FInstCES is Director of Trebes Consulting Limited: A construction professional with over 30 years’ experience in major projects including transportation, infrastructure, utilities, building projects in the UK and overseas. Procurement experience across a wide range of market sectors. Developed and led NEC training and advice support services in Needleman’s and initiated collaboration with MPS Limited in 1998 to development of the first web-based NEC contract management system named CCM. An active contributor to the body of knowledge on NEC3 and NEC 4 contracts which including co-authoring ‘Managing Reality’ a 5 book set on the practical administration of NEC3 and NEC4 ECC contracts, NEC3/4 ECC Role of the Project Manager, NEC3/4 ECC Role of the Supervisor, NEC4 TSC Role of the Service Manager, Global Risk Assessment Strategic Planning all published by ICE publishing with the objective of giving practical advice and support in the use of the NEC and project risk. Experienced trainer and facilitator.

Widely respected for his extensive experience with contract management and digital transformation, Walker founded CEMAR in 2003 to help large-scale infrastructure projects manage New Engineering Contracts (NEC) and International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) contracts. CEMAR proved instrumental in delivering iconic projects for National Highways, Nuclear New Build, ITER, Heathrow Airport, HS2, Network Rail, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Its rapid adoption across the industry led to its acquisition by Thinkproject in 2018.

Bob Cummins helps people who influence, improve performance through the application of behavioural science.

Business Development Executive, RPCuk. Chris joined RPCuk in 2020 but has been working in the project controls arena for 13 years. The last 10 of these have been spent dealing with software solutions for the likes of Oracle and Aconex, giving him extensive experience across a wide array of organisations within the public and private sectors and across a number of specialist disciplines, such as document control, cost management and change management – predominantly NEC contracts. With this background, he is both excited and wellplaced to help RPC to bring their innovative Oracle Primavera Unifier Solution Sets to market. He fully understands the need – common to all industries using NEC4 contracts – for an efficient, trusted and integrated solution that offers compliance, a high level of control, collaborative working practices and a reliable way to mitigate risk and has extensive experience in working with clients to shape the solution that best meets their requirements.

Dr Jon Broome has over twenty-five years involvement with the NEC family of contracts as an academic, author, trainer and consultant. As an academic, Jon studied under one of its two co-instigators gaining the world’s first PhD through applied research on its use.His finding was fed back into the second edition and third editions, for which his contributions were acknowledged. He has also led the development of the Professional Services Short Contract, in developing the concept and drafting the clauses.As an author, he has numerous articles and academic papers published, is the author of the highly praised book ‘NEC: A User’s Guide’ series of books (with the NEC4 version published last year) and, together with Glenn Hide, wrote the NEC3 eLearning Academy from Built Intelligence.As a trainer, he has delivered over 800 days of training around the world on all aspects of the contract.As a consultant, he prefers to be involved in the front end helping develop contract strategy, particularly for complex projects, from which he has written additional clauses, critiqued and developed the other contract clauses, helped run the selection process and then trained the team

Gary holds the position of Commercial Manager for GRAHAM, having worked exclusively for tier one contractors for 25+ years on £100m - £600mm major civil engineering projects in the highways, water, power and nuclear sectors. Gary is an expert user of the NEC suit of contracts, as well as experience using FIDIC contract for international clients. Also a member of the RICS & CIArb and have a MSc in Construction Law and Dispute resolution from Kings College, London, with expert knowledge and experience of adjudication and have also been involved with arbitration.

Glenn Hide: Director of GMH Planning Ltd which for over 18 years has provided specialist training/consultancy and management resources to those working and administering under the NEC family of contracts. His engaging practical training style has led to a large proportion of the industry calling on GMH Planning for their NEC contract training. Glenn has presented on aspects of the contract at various national conferences and had published into the industry a number of articles. Glenn is the founder of the NEC People LinkedIn Group from which this annual conference has emerged which now has over 12,200 active users and by far the biggest discussion forum for NEC in the UK.

As Chief Executive of CECA Scotland, Grahame Barn leads the organisation in supporting civil engineering contractors across Scotland. He is a strong advocate for skills development and plays a key role in shaping training initiatives that bridge the industry’s skills gap. Grahame is passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation of civil engineers. His work with the CECA Scotland Academy ensures that students gain the knowledge, hands-on experience, and industry connections they need to thrive in the sector. He actively engages with government, industry leaders, and training bodies to promote fair procurement practices and enhance workforce development. Through his leadership, CECA Scotland continues to strengthen partnerships between education and industry, ensuring a skilled and sustainable workforce for the future of civil engineering in Scotland.

Jillian Ferguson: is a Civil Engineer with over 30 years of experience in local government working within both Roads and Planning Services. She is currently Perth & Kinross Council’s Roads Infrastructure Manager, and in this role is responsible for the successful delivery of the Council’s Capital major infrastructure projects. This ranges from environmental improvement schemes to large infrastructure projects, the most recent being the £150million Cross Tay Link Road Project. All projects are adminstered as NEC contracts. Jillian very much favours collaborative working and believes her one team approach plays a signficant part in delivering projects on time and within budget. Jillian and her team have been recognised nationally for their successful approach to procurement and project delivery utilising NEC.

Nathan Lambert is Solutions Director at RPCuk, Oracle Primavera specialists, helping organisations to create a holistic environment in which programmes and projects are routinely delivered successfully – on time and within budget – and expected returns on investment are fully realised

Neil is a quantity surveyor and project manager with over 30 years of experience in procuring and managing NEC contracts in the UK construction industry. He is a recognised expert in NEC contracts and as a trainer has delivered over 1,000 NEC Training courses, spoken at numerous national/international conferences, authored articles and had his work published. Neil’s article on key dates is cited in Dr Jon Broome’s NEC4: A User’s Guide which also includes a write-up of a workshop on collaborative working under NEC held at the NEC People Conference which he co-facilitated with Jon. Through his work across many sectors of industry over the years he has built up an extensive practical knowledge of the NEC contracts and how to set them up and manage them to improve the likelihood of successful outcomes from your projects and services.

Ross is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 24 years of experience within Local Authority Roads Services and Scottish Government Trunk Road contracts. He has worked with various versions of NEC for more than 10 years and fulfilled the roles of Supervisor, Client and Project Manager. His currently role is to lead a team responsible for delivery of detailed design and construction of the Council’s largest capital infrastructure projects. Most recently he has helped to develop and manage an innovative type of ECI contract to meet the Council’s objectives for the recently completed Cross Tay Link Road project, assisting with drafting and administering the contract as well as leading a team of professionals that fulfilled the role of Supervisor.

Yosof Ewing is the founder of Adjudicate, a dispute resolution service built specifically for specialist contractors in construction. After 30+ years in the industry, Yosof knows that adjudication has lost its way - hijacked by bad actors in the legal sector, so-called “independent” experts for hire, and outdated processes that often punish the very people adjudication was meant to protect. Adjudicate is here to put things right. Yosof leads with one clear goal: to restore adjudication as a fair, fast, and fact-based process that respects the truth, protects businesses, and helps all parties move forward with confidence. No legal games. No ego-driven posturing. Just strategic, specialist support when it matters most.Alongside Adjudicate, Yosof runs The Contract Coach®, an education and leadership platform that helps contractors build contract confidence and stay in control before disputes even arise. Together, these brands form part of Breadcrumb Group, his wider mission to reshape construction culture through justice, clarity and compassion. A long-term supporter of the NEC People Conference, Yosof brings a values-driven voice to the conversation, one grounded in lived experience, legal precision and a deep respect for those who build our world.

DAC Beachcroft are international and UK teams of lawyers and advisors working with clients across a range of sectors and are market-leaders in the insurance, health and real estate industries as well as specialising in providing legal advice on NEC (New Engineering Contract) contracts. They offer guidance on various aspects of these contracts, including administration, compensation events, dispute resolution, and termination.

Digital Beehive has been at the forefront of digital transformation in the UK construction industry since we released CCM, the first cloud-based NEC Contract Change Management software, over 20 years ago. Now, we are proud to introduce our latest innovation Contract Bee, the next-gen SaaS solution that makes managing construction contracts easier, faster and more compliant than ever. With Contract Bee, you can manage an unlimited number of contracts and frameworks on any web-enabled device. You can also stay on top of your contracts with Live Actions Dashboard and Notifications. Contract Bee’s 360-Notes allow unparalleled and seamless collaboration and communication between all parties.

Gather provides digital site reporting software, creating powerful data-led insights and structured commercial analysis to unlock productivity opportunities in the infrastructure sector and accelerate sustainable construction. By providing granular data insights into the who, what, where, when and why of projects, teams are able to identify risks and opportunities and intervene sooner to navigate challenges before they arise. By aligning data with industry standard methods of measurement, teams can make more informed commercial decisions with quantifiable evidence to drive proactive contract administration and supply chain collaboration.

Since 2006 GMH Planning have provided specialist NEC training, consultancy and resources into organisations who are using the NEC form of contract. Clients who we have provided extensive training programmes to include HS2, CECA, Crossrail, Thames Tideway, London Underground, Heathrow, Parliament, many local authorities as well as to a majority of the main contractors and consultants working in the UK.We provide engaging practical training to delegates who attend our sessions which are run both in-house and as public sessions. We also provide joint training to project teams which allows both Parties to understand the key principles of the contract and their own contract data/Z clauses, allowing them to head off in the right direction in terms of understanding and how to practically follow the rules of the contract. In addition, we provide more general consultancy and advice to clients and contractors, in particular in terms of disputes and also understanding Z clauses on a specific project.The GMH Planning website offers a wealth of free information in the form of guidance material, published articles, downloadable documents and a regular blog, so please visit for more details at gmhplanning.co.uk

K&L Gates LLP are one of the largest law firms in the world. Spanning five continents, we have more than 40 fully integrated offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres. We offer clients local market knowledge and access to both national and international capabilities. We foster an inclusive and collaborative environment across our fully integrated global platform that enables us to diligently combine the knowledge and expertise of our lawyers and policy professionals to create teams that provide exceptional client solutions. Our construction and infrastructure lawyers are global leaders in construction law. Their knowledge and understanding covers all aspects of a project’s life cycle, from the early stages of finance, development, and design through implementation, construction, and project close-out. Our lawyers draw upon their legal and technical experience to work with clients to minimize disputes and accomplish common project goals on a local, national, and international scale. With full-time, dedicated construction lawyers located in most major cities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, our firm has one of the largest and most geographically diverse construction law practices in the world. Our extensive global footprint allows us to service our clients’ needs on a multijurisdictional basis and provide insight into the local legal and cultural issues that commonly arise in particular jurisdictions.

As Oracle Primavera specialists and members of the Oracle Partner Network, RPC offer the full end-to-end lifecycle for providing a Primavera solution, creating a holistic environment in which programmes and projects are routinely completed on time and within budget – and expected returns on investment are fully realised.Our innovative pre-built Oracle Unifier solutions enable clients to expedite the deployment of previously complex project controls solutions across a number of common business areas, including Contract Management and Earned Value.Deploying Oracle’s Unifier Accelerator with NEC4 Contract Management delivers not only a comprehensive system for managing and controlling your NEC4 Contracts, but direct links to Cost Management, Scheduling via P6 and the reporting capabilities that this offers, creating what we believe to be the most powerful and fully integrated projects control platform available.RPC is proud to be 100% employee owned, guaranteeing our customers the highest level of service and commitment from every single member of the team, providing:• World-leading Oracle Primavera EPPM software products • Oracle Specialized Primavera product implementation, integration and reporting consultancy expertise • Oracle Primavera application support • Oracle Primavera product education and training • Oracle SaaS and cloud hostingGet in touch to find out how we can help you to transform your project controls.