Parties involved in funding large projects that utilise external debt and equity funding need to protect their investments and monitor project outcomes. Project certification is the independent verification of project parameters, typically from the owner's or financier's point of view.

Challenges
These services include certification of the time, cost, quality and systems aspects of a project. They can occur at the design, construct, commissioning or handover stages of the project. Such work may also involve developing systems up front to capture essential data on a regular basis throughout the life of the project.
In many respects, project certification is similar to the service provided by an independent project manager, with added disciplines and responsibilities necessary to meet the requirements of the financiers across the entire scope of the project. The service is vital to the success of large and complex 'one-off' projects sometimes introducing new owner organisations to a sector.

Projects that need certification are typically large, complex and involve substantial debt and equity funding. Commercial arrangements need to be agreed and documented. Accurate cost estimates need to be determined. Effective processes and communication strategies need to be established and maintained.

Expertise
From inception and strategic planning, to commercial closure and throughout project delivery Evans & Peck provides certification services which include:

• Development of the 'cost to complete' test;
• Certification of payments and progress claims;
• Certification of delivery of project scope;
• Verification & validation of design using specialist subcontractors / consultants;
• Certification of schedule changes and monitoring delivery progress against project milestones;
• Certification of quality of works and project auditing; and
• Review of contractor's management systems and project plans.

Experience
Evans & Peck's people have delivered certification services on a range of significant projects.

• A national terrestrial fibre optic cable network: provided cost to complete testing and certification of time, cost and technical aspects during project delivery
• Submarine cable from Los Angeles to Sydney to San Francisco: provided independent certification of time, cost and technical aspects of the beach landing stations
• A fibre optic cable network between Brisbane and Cairns: provided independent certification of time, cost and technical aspects
• Submarine cable system from Portugal to South Africa: provided certification of the manufacture of the cable system and its loading onto a cable ship.

Our people are acknowledged leaders in their fields of expertise and provide our clients with independent project knowledge so that properly informed decisions can be made with confidence.