NEC People Conference: 24th Nov 2026, Leeds

Welcome and Introduction to Conference

Jock’s Lodge Project

Deemed accepted: how NEC contracts are won and lost between Contract Data and the final assessment

From Early Warnings to tribunal, and everything in-between: the NEC Dispute Resolution toolkit, with a space for ADR

The Contract Says Co-operate, The Humans Have Other Ideas

Preventing commercial divergence on long term NEC contracts

What makes collaboration work?

Mock Adjudication

Question Time Panel

Alastair Lewis is a Chartered Civil Engineer and the Contracts Director for GRAHAM’s Civil Engineering division, where he oversees a major project portfolio valued at £328 million. With more than 25 years of experience delivering critical UK infrastructure, Alastair specializes in the strategic execution of complex, high-value frameworks across the nuclear, defence, highways, and energy sectors. An expert in collaborative contract delivery and risk management, he brings invaluable front-line insights to the stage on driving operational efficiency and successfully navigating multi-disciplinary engineering projects.

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.

Director of Sodak Limited and Principal Behavioural Scientist. Bob is the founder and Director of Sodak Limited, whose goal is to challenge and improve much of the current entrenched thinking around human performance management and leadership. With over 30 experience years in construction, he has worked for Contractors and Clients in both the private and public sector. Bob is a graduate of Portsmouth University, an Advisor to the Cambridge Center for Behavioural Studies in the USA and currently undertaking a doctorate in Responsible Business Leadership. Bob has been studying and applying behavioural science since 2005. He has successfully used it to dramatically improve the business performance of a number of companies here in the UK and also Canada and the US.

Carly Thorpe is a leading construction law specialist, qualified adjudicator, and Partner in the Construction & Engineering team at Walker Morris LLP. Recognized as a Next Generation Partner by The Legal 500 and a winner at the European Women in Construction & Engineering (WICE) Awards, Carly brings extensive practical experience to the stage, specialising in both the strategic procurement and contentious resolution of complex projects under the NEC4 contract suite. As a panel adjudicator for RICS and CIArb, she is highly regarded for her pragmatic approach to contractual mechanisms—ranging from sophisticated delay analysis to pioneering sustainability initiatives like Option X29. At this year's NEC4 People Conference, Carly will leverage her deep industry insight to provide professionals with actionable, real-world strategies for successfully navigating and executing NEC4 contracts.

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.

Jack Greening is a Director at WaltersCM, a specialist commercial advisory and assurance consultancy supporting the nuclear, energy and wider infrastructure sectors. A Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), Jack has held senior commercial leadership roles managing NEC contracts ranging from small reactive works to multi-billion-pound portfolios, involving organisations across the UK, Europe and Asia.Shortlisted for the UK RICS Matrics Construction Surveyor of the Year award in 2024, Jack has also presented to members of the Nuclear Industry Association on supply chain lessons learned. His expertise spans commercial leadership, contract management, governance and dispute avoidance and resolution.

Mike is an award winning chartered construction project manager and Sustainability Chair for the National Association of Construction Frameworks with experience of delivering projects in the commercial, leisure, education, private and social housing sectors. As a YORhub Performance & Improvement Manager, Mike has a broad scope including client advice, sustainability, and digital construction.

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.

Nick, a stalwart in the construction software industry with 22 years of experience, is the Managing Director of Digital Beehive. His extensive experience in the construction industry provides a solid foundation for shaping Beehive’s strategic vision and navigating the complexities of the ever-evolving landscape.

Patrick Waterhouse is a highly experienced construction adjudicator, accredited mediator, and dispute resolution expert with over 25 years of engineering and construction sector experience. As the director of Bowdon Consulting, he specializes in resolving complex contractual and cost disputes under NEC, JCT, and PFI frameworks. Patrick is a dual-qualified Chartered Civil Engineer (FICE) and Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), and serves as the Chair of the Contracts and Dispute Resolution Panel for the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES). An accomplished author and educator, he frequently speaks on procurement and contract management, has decided or assisted in over 180 construction disputes, and is the author of NEC4: Resolving and Avoiding Disputes.

Sarah is a Solicitor-Advocate (2001, 2007) and Mediator accredited by CEDR and CMC (2024), specialising in construction, engineering, technology and infrastructure projects. She is also an accredited CAPMPMI® (with PMP-PMI® in view). Sarah has had a tri-partite legal career: private practice, in-house Senior Counsel at both client (London Underground and TfL) and professional services provider (WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff) and, since 2014, independent consultant. Her London-headquartered company, Schutte Consulting Limited, has the strapline: “Making law work for the construction and engineering industry” (#SCLGLobal #SCLatSW11) and serves clients globally. She has over two-decades’ experience of working with NEC contracts, designing terms to release collaborative potential, supporting delivery through training and facilitation workshops, and in adjudications. She focusses on putting law in its practical and purposive context, and on confident contract management, leveraging her unusual technical edge.

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.

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

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.

Trebes Consulting is an leading independent Cost Consultant and Projectchartered surveyor founded by Barry Trebes in 2014. Barry was one of the first people to use the NEC back in 1993. Trebes Consulting brings unmatched depth in NEC4 implementation, training, and strategic project support. Barry has trained thousands of professionals and co-authored 12 NEC publications, including the widely respected Managing Reality. As a member of the NEC4 Drafting Committee, his influence continues to shape industry best practice. Our team operates across diverse sectors including aviation, building, civil engineering, defence, energy, infrastructure, nuclear, rail, transportation, and water. We have experience in major programmes and complex projects, delivering clarity, confidence, and commercial rigour through the NEC suite.Trebes' Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers can assist your team in many different ways, we're able to provide support from inception through to the completion of your project, including; Commercial Management, Contract & Procurement Advice, Critical Friend, Dispute Resolution, Mentoring &Training, Planning & Programme Control, Project Management, Risk Management, Supervision & Site Support Whether you're navigating a complex contract or scaling up delivery, Trebes Consulting is your trusted partner for NEC excellence. Please reach out via info@trebes.co.uk.

Tudor Rose is a specialist construction consultancy based in the UK, providing advisory and expert dispute services to clients globally. Founded in 2007 by a team of construction experts, the firm has built a strong reputation for delivering commercially focused advice and solutions to complex contractual challenges.Supporting clients in the avoidance and resolution of disputes is central to Tudor Rose’s approach. As an owner-managed consultancy, the business is committed to delivering a responsive, client-focused service, supported by highly regarded expert witnesses whose experience and professional standing are trusted by tribunals.To discuss any current matters or to learn more about Tudor Rose’s services, team and contact details, please visit: www.trconsult.co.uk

Established in 1904, the University of Leeds is one of the largest universities in the UK, part of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities and is renowned globally for the quality of research and teaching.