Best Construction Project Management Companies in London: How to Choose (and Where Craftex Fits)
The best construction project management company for your project is the one whose role matches what you need: independent oversight of other people's work, or one team that plans, manages and delivers the build itself. Once that is settled, choose on six things: experience of projects like yours, cost control, programme discipline, how they handle approvals and CDM duties, the named project manager, and how they report to you.
"Project management" means very different things in London construction. To one firm it is a fee-based consultant who checks the contractor. To another it is the contractor's own project manager running the site. To a third it is a development manager steering a scheme from land to sale. All three are useful, but buying the wrong one is an expensive mistake. Craftex provides construction project management as part of delivering projects, so we also say clearly when an independent consultant is the better choice.
First decide which kind of project manager you need
| Type | What they do | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Independent client-side project manager | Represents you, appoints and manages designers and the contractor, reports on time, cost and quality | You want someone to check other parties' work and will appoint the contractor separately |
| Quantity surveyor-led practice | Cost plans, tender, valuations and final account, often with project management added | Cost control is the main worry and the design team is already in place |
| Architect as contract administrator | Designs, then administers the building contract | Design-led projects on a traditional contract |
| Contractor-led project management (design and build) | One team plans, prices, manages and builds | You want one accountable party and the fastest route to site |
| Development manager | Runs the whole scheme for an owner: appraisal, planning, funding, build and exit | You own land or a building and want a developer's skills without selling |
Our guide to what construction project management is explains the role in more detail, and development management fees covers the last row.
Six checks for any construction project manager
- Projects like yours. Ask for completed projects of a similar type, size and setting (an occupied office, a live school, a listed building) and speak to the client.
- Cost control in practice. Ask how the last budget was set, how variations were assessed and how close the final account came to the contract sum. A programme of monthly cost reports is only useful if someone acts on them.
- Programme discipline. A realistic programme, every trade coordinated and progress tracked weekly. Ask what the project manager does on the day a key delivery fails.
- Approvals and CDM 2015. Building Regulations, planning conditions, landlord consent and the duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 all have owners. As the client you have legal duties too; read our CDM 2015 client duties guide. Ask who takes on which duty.
- The named project manager. Who exactly, how many other projects they are running, and who covers when they are away.
- Reporting and decisions. What you will see each week or month, and which decisions come back to you. Good reporting makes problems visible early, while they are still cheap.
How the main types of project management firm compare
Typical patterns, not verdicts on any firm.
| What matters | Independent PM consultancy | QS-led practice | Architect as contract administrator | Contractor-led (Craftex) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence from the builder | High | High | High on contract matters | Not independent: we also build |
| Single point of responsibility | No, oversees others | No | No | Yes, for design, cost, programme and build |
| Buildability review | Varies | Varies | Design-led | Done by the people who will build it |
| Cost control | Good, with a QS | Core strength | Contract administration | Lump sum; detailed cost plan if commissioned |
| Speed to site | Separate tender stage | Separate tender stage | Separate tender stage | No separate tender stage: Beaumont House was on site two weeks after first contact |
| Fee model | Fee on top of build cost | Fee on top of build cost | Fee on top of build cost | Included in the project price, or a fee for development management |
Where Craftex is not the right fit
- When you need independent oversight of a contractor you have already appointed. We are a contractor as well as a project manager. If what you want is someone to police another builder on your behalf, an independent client-side project manager has no conflict and is the cleaner choice.
- Projects well under £100,000. We typically work on projects from £100,000.
- Very large schemes that need a multi-disciplinary consultancy. If the project needs a large client-side team across cost, programme, design and legal, a big consultancy is better placed.
What Craftex project management covers
Our project managers start before site, because projects rarely fail on site; they fail in the decisions before it.
- A realistic programme, every trade coordinated and progress tracked weekly.
- Budgets reviewed, contractor prices compared and variations assessed properly.
- Drawings checked for buildability before they reach site.
- Advice on procurement and on choosing contractors and suppliers.
- Building Regulations, CDM 2015 and planning conditions managed throughout.
- Weekly quality checks, with snags closed before handover.
Every project we have delivered has finished ahead of programme and on budget. Craftex holds ISO and CHAS accreditation and carries £10M public liability and £10M employers' liability cover.
Projects where the management was the job
- Beaumont House, High Street Kensington. Five weeks before a lease expired, 150+ staff to move, and other contractors quoting at least 12 weeks. We were on site two weeks after first contact, refurbished 750 sq m in three weeks with zero snags, and managed the client's move. £350K.
- Portsoken House Reception, Aldgate. A 70 sq m reception rebuilt in 12 weeks, working through the night and at weekends so tenants were never disrupted. £450K.
- Francis Holland School, London. A 1,250 m² swimming pool and facilities refurbishment in a live school, 16 weeks, sequenced around term dates and ready for pupils at the start of term.
- Macmillan Cancer Care Centre, London. A 2,100 m² healthcare fit-out over seven months, with every trade directly managed and the works planned around a sensitive setting.
The people who manage your project
Earlier projects mentioned are from each person's career before Craftex.
- Martin Hickey, Preconstruction Director: more than 50 years in construction, from labourer at 16 to site manager, running his own company from 1987 to 1996, then contracts management. At Craftex he is responsible for preconstruction and project management, and leads our use of digital project management tools.
- Joe Crawford, Operations Director: 37 years on the commercial and operational side of construction; projects from £100K to £135M, including the fit-out of Dior's flagship store on Bond Street.
- Konstantin Jegorovs, Projects Director: 16 years in retail and commercial, an Oxford Brookes construction management graduate; he oversees each project from first consultation to delivery and works to ISO management systems.
- Rob Barton, Development Director: when project management becomes development management, Rob leads. He was previously a Regional Managing Director at Berkeley Homes and held Managing Director and Land Director roles at plc housebuilders including Countryside and St Modwen, delivering more than 4,000 homes on schemes including Acton Gardens (2,340 homes). See our development management service.
See our construction project management service for how we run each stage, and how to deliver a construction project on time and on budget.
