Lower Thames Crossing
Client Type
Highways
Services provided
Utility audit services / due diligence strategic audit, strategic support, utility value engineering, utility commercial management
Independent expertise drives stronger utilities delivery on the Lower Thames Crossing project
Our insights created savings of £15 million while strengthening the approach to utility management, helping to safeguard project timelines and minimise potential disruptions on this nationally.
Background
Balfour Beatty Highways are delivering the Roads North package of National Highways’ Lower Thames Crossing. To bolster capability on the complex utilities workstream, Balfour Beatty appointed Assisting Success to provide strategic support across Stage One of the scheme.
The brief
Balfour Beatty asked us to perform an independent, rapid “due dilligence” into the utilities package after early signs of challenges emerging across several areas. Our remit covered governance, planning, risk, cost control, change management and design management. The aim was to identify areas for improvement, quantify commercial exposure and set out prioritised actions to de-risk delivery and recover momentum on this critical workstream.
Our solution
We initiated a whole-system review to interrogate contract data, concept designs, utilities programme, risk registers and governance arrangements, and held focused interviews with Balfour Beatty, Atkins and National Highways teams to map issues and pinch-points.
The resulting report identified a roadmap of actionable recommendations covering improvement works to governance, rigorous change-control, risk ownership and schedule realignment, all designed for fast adoption.
Recognising the challenges around obtaining the power required, we identified several innovative solutions that could cut upfront CAPEX and generate seven-figure savings for Balfour Beatty.
We then helped Balfour Beatty scale its Utilities Project Team, bringing in specialist planning, commercial and management resource to execute the ‘Clearing the Way’ strategy ahead of main works.
The result
Our intervention gave Balfour Beatty a clear, costed route-map to introduce improvements that would strengthen control of the utilities package, with governance disciplines now embedded, risks transparently managed and a realistic, resource-loaded schedule in place. Crucially, some of our recommendations open the door to multi-million-pound capital savings while still meeting stringent sustainability and EV-charging obligations – delivering better value and stronger delivery confidence for the Lower Thames Crossing project.
Their insights and detailed reviews directly influenced improvements in risk management, commercial control, and overall project governance. Assisting Success provided invaluable support, accelerating delivery and adding real, measurable value to HS2’s objectives.
