Pre-claim Stress Test
ForensicFixed FeeFor Subcontractors, Main Contractors & ClientsTimetable agreed in writing at scoping
We test the position you have assembled before a substantive claim is advanced, then set out the commercially sensible next step.
The problem
A position can be real without being complete. You may have an incomplete or complete internal draft, an account extract, a notice and the records you have been able to assemble, but no substantive claim has been sent or received. That is enough to test what the evidence can currently support before a number or narrative is advanced to the other party. An urgent date is triaged first, and a protective notice alone is not automatically treated as a substantive submitted claim; legal effect and time positions remain with the appropriate adviser.
The solution
We review the position as it stands, head by head. The technical review checks the contractual and factual basis supplied, arithmetic, measures, rates, causation records, deductions, gaps and any conditional amount or option being assessed. The commercial review compares supported sums with sourced future expenditure, management effort, collection uncertainty and any counterclaim or settlement effect. Where essential evidence is missing, the affected assessment is not assessable; we keep any demonstrated critical finding visible and do not invent a probability of recovery, rates or solvency view. We explain what would change the decision and what can be done by you, your current team or an appropriate specialist.
The result is candid advice to the instructing client, not a neutral determination or an expert witness appointment. Legal rights, remedies, enforceability and limitation belong with a solicitor, and delay analysis with the appropriate specialist. Existing independence commitments may restrict future work, so any later claim preparation, repair, response or negotiation support is separately considered after a conflict and scope check.
How it works
You flag the external status and urgent dates
You tell us whether anything has been advanced to or received from the other party, what is only internal, and every known response, limitation or contractual date. A protective notice alone is not assumed to be a substantive claim; an urgent date is triaged immediately.
We clear conflicts and confirm the boundary
We check parties and projects against existing commitments, then confirm in writing that this is an advisory review for you, not neutral adjudication, legal advice, delay analysis or an expert witness appointment.
Status and Scope Confirmed
The external status, urgent dates, decision to be supported and boundaries of the review are recorded before substantive testing starts.
You share the position as it stands
You share the available evidence as it stands, including partial or unreliable records and gaps. After the call, we agree the final requirements for the scoped review; a complete prepared claim or final request list is not required.
- A
Written review purpose, instructing party, intended readers, authority, reliance limits and next decision date
EssentialWithout it: The review cannot start safely without an agreed purpose and role
Where to find it: Instruction, appointment and initial discussion
Why we need it: Fix the advisory role and what decision the work supports
- B
Current position, events, potential monetary heads, intended recipient and any internal draft or build-up, however incomplete
EssentialWithout it: No supported head-by-head value or readiness conclusion can be given without an identifiable position
Where to find it: Current matter records and the person who prepared or received them
Why we need it: Understand what might be advanced and the decision before further investment
- C
Contract or order, relevant amendments, pricing documents and the contractual basis relied on for each head
ImportantWithout it: The quantum cannot be assessed against a verified contractual basis
Where to find it: Executed project documents and the advisers holding them
Why we need it: Identify the actual valuation provisions and assumptions used
- D
Supporting records by head, including native calculations, instructions, invoices, timesheets, allocations, measurements and source rates
ImportantWithout it: Unsupported values remain unassessed or unsupported, not automatically zero
Where to find it: Commercial and site records, accounts and the person who assembled the position
Why we need it: Trace the method and every material sum to evidence
- E
Relevant payments, agreed valuations, final-account items, credits, settlements and other overlapping claims, or confirmation of none known
EssentialWithout it: A total could repeat paid, agreed or overlapping sums
Where to find it: Project ledger, payment records and account correspondence
Why we need it: Remove duplicate amounts and distinguish money already resolved
- F
Known deadlines, notices, procedural directions and advisers' written advice on relevant legal or time issues
EssentialWithout it: The review cannot confirm whether an action remains available or fits the actual time allowed
Where to find it: Solicitor, appointed adviser, notices and procedural documents
Why we need it: Triage urgency and attribute conditions on the next step
- G
Attributed period or time analysis for time-related costs and the underlying cost records, where a head relies on time
ImportantWithout it: A time-related amount cannot be supported as an established period or result
Where to find it: Client and competent delay specialist, with cost records from accounts
Why we need it: Separate duration assumptions from the calculation of money
- H
Objectives, decision-makers, budget for next steps, management capacity and sourced future costs from the client or advisers
EssentialWithout it: No complete comparison of future cost and benefit can be made
Where to find it: Client decision-maker, role and time estimates, current written adviser scopes or cost inputs
Why we need it: Compare the value of a practical next step with its incremental cost and burden
- I
Existing or proposed settlement options, counterclaims, concessions and the precise sums and terms being compared, or confirmation of none known
EssentialWithout it: A settlement comparison could omit liabilities, payments or conditions
Where to find it: Claim correspondence and the client or legal adviser
Why we need it: Compare equivalent positions and identify what an option would resolve
- J
Correct counterparty identity and any held payment history, security information and current collection concerns
ImportantWithout it: Payment prospects cannot be established from a valuation alone
Where to find it: Contract and client ledger, current attributed adviser or public-record evidence where scoped
Why we need it: Identify collection uncertainty separately from supported quantum
- K
Earlier reviews, advice and their assumptions, plus changes since they were written
OptionalWithout it: No comparison with previous advice can be claimed
Where to find it: Earlier advisers and the client's matter file
Why we need it: Explain differences and preserve restrictions attached to earlier appointments
Copies are fine. Send what you have and we will tell you what's missing.
- A
We test each head technically
We review the contractual and factual basis supplied, head-by-head arithmetic, quantities, rates, records, deductions, counterclaims and repairs. We separate supported quantum from any conditional amount or option and name the missing evidence or assumption behind each uncertainty.
Every Head Has a Reason
Each head records what the evidence supports, what remains conditional and what repair or decision would change it; no headline total hides a weakness.
We review the commercial next step
We compare the supported position and any conditional amount or option with sourced future expenditure, management effort, collection uncertainty and counterclaim or settlement effects. We do not assign invented probabilities, rates or solvency opinions.
You and your current team choose the route
You decide which records to repair, what to reserve, whether to approach the other party and whether the position is worth advancing. We put self-help and current-team actions first, with owners and decision points, so the report does not depend on another purchase.
We explain the findings and next steps
We issue the findings and discuss them with you, including the evidence boundary, commercial choice and any referral needed for legal, delay or other specialist work.
We deliver the written review and next steps
What you get
A written review with checked workings and an explained risk profile. It covers the position and contractual assumptions, valuation method, records, consistency and overlap, specialist time inputs, the other party's position, relevant deadlines, future cost and capacity, and collection or settlement uncertainty. Where the information supports an assessment, we explain each material issue’s severity on a 1–5 scale and show the strength of its evidence separately. The overall assessment reflects the highest material unresolved severity, rather than an average. If essential information is missing, we mark the relevant assessment as not assessable and keep any demonstrated critical finding visible. The score helps you prioritise action; it is not a percentage chance of success or failure. The report answers five practical questions: what did we review, what did we find, what does it mean for you, what should happen next, and how can we help if further work is worthwhile? Actions have an owner and a decision point, including steps you or your current team can take. Any optional further service is separately scoped and agreed after the review. This is not a prediction of winning or recovering money.
The Handover Pack accompanies the work with its dates and sources, likely outcomes and responses, scope boundaries and ready-to-send correspondence where needed.
The fee and timetable are agreed in writing after the evidence and scope have been reviewed.
We will agree the timetable in writing when we scope the work. We will confirm the start and target dates once we have the information needed for the agreed work. If something is missing or unusable, we will explain the options and agree any change before starting. We will confirm your target date.
Where the turnaround is stated in working days, the confirmed start day is day zero.
The turnaround ends when we issue the agreed deliverable and its supporting handover documents.
Tell us about any live deadline straight away. Contractual or statutory deadlines continue to run while information is being gathered.
We will confirm the target date for your agreed work.
Free Service Pack
A step-by-step Handbook, with the templates and working documents you need to carry out the work it covers yourself. You supply your own project information and records.
Follow the Handbook's scope and stopping points, and obtain independent advice where required. The pack is not project-specific advice or independent sign-off.
Tips that raise your odds of success
Frequently asked questions related to this service
If the findings call for it, optional further work can be scoped separately: Data Organisation, Claim Preparation and Assembly, or Settlement Negotiation Support. None is required to use this report.