Data centres run to the tightest programmes in construction, against liquidated damages pinned to a go-live date the market fixed long before anyone knew whether the job could hit it. VERTX protects that position, from the baseline programme through to the delay claim if it comes to one. Director-led and independent, with 25+ years across highways, rail and HS2, bridges, nuclear and energy, grid connections and M&E-integrated builds — the disciplines that decide whether a data centre opens on time.
What we do for data centres
Forensic delay analysis & claims
EOT, prolongation and disruption, built on recognised SCL Protocol methods and the contemporaneous record. Analysis built to stand up to scrutiny from a certifier, adjudicator or tribunal.
Expert witness & dispute support
Independent delay expertise for adjudication, arbitration and litigation — pre-appointment advisory, expert reports and support through the hearing.
Planning & project controls
Tender, live and claims planning in Primavera P6, with long-lead power equipment, OFCI interfaces, grid-connection dates and M&E commissioning built into the logic. NEC Clause 31/32-compliant programmes, kept current so the Accepted Programme still means something when it is needed.
Delay-risk health checks
A short, independent read of a live programme — where the float really sits, whether energisation and commissioning are modelled, what a claim would look like today. Cheaper than finding out later.
Why Data Centres Need This
Grid and power-connection dates that slip by years. Switchgear, transformers, generators and chillers on 12–18 month leads. Level 1–5 commissioning and integrated systems testing, not the build, often sitting on the critical path. Client change and GPU churn landing mid-build. Damages often fixed to energisation, ready-for-service or customer handover. The gap between the promised date and the buildable one is where the dispute starts — and much of it is visible months in advance.
The experience behind it
Energy and grid-connection works, M&E-integrated builds, nuclear and major rail — the same long-lead, services-heavy, commissioning-driven programmes a data centre is assembled from. The risks that move a data-centre date are the ones we have spent years planning and defending on projects like these.
Who we help
- Developers & operators
- Hyperscale owners
- Main contractors
- M&E / turnkey specialists
- Designers & engineers
- Cost & PM consultants
Across NEC, JCT, FIDIC and bespoke turnkey forms — employer-side assessment of a contractor’s claim, or contractor-side preparation of one, never both sides of the same dispute. Independent either way: the person you meet is the person who does the work.