Questions we are often asked

CMPC is an Auckland based consultancy that helps New Zealand contractors, subcontractors and asset owners with construction claims, extension of time, adjudication support, contract administration, project controls with earned value, and programme governance and risk. We also set up AI, workflow automation, websites and marketing for businesses of any kind, and produce market maps that show who is winning public work in a region. You work directly with the principal, Davide Pierli, who has 20 years of experience on major projects.

Under the Construction Contracts Act 2002, you must provide a payment schedule within the time set by your contract or, if the contract is silent, within 20 working days of the payment claim being served (section 22). If the payment claim is valid (it meets section 20, including stating that it is made under the Act) and you do not provide a payment schedule in time, you can become liable to pay the full claimed amount. Check your contract early and get advice before the deadline.

Adjudication is a fast, statutory way to resolve construction contract disputes in New Zealand, most often about payment. Either party can refer a dispute to an adjudicator, who usually decides within 20 working days after the response period ends, with limited extensions, including any longer time the parties agree (section 46). The decision is binding and enforceable even if the dispute later goes to court or arbitration.

NZS 3910 is the New Zealand standard form. In the 2023 edition, the old Engineer to the Contract role is split into a Contract Administrator, who acts for the principal, and an Independent Certifier. NEC contracts are built around early warnings and compensation events, managed by a Project Manager. Both have notice time bars: NZS 3910:2023 generally expects notice within 20 working days, and under NEC a contractor who does not notify a compensation event within eight weeks of becoming aware of it can lose the entitlement, unless the Project Manager should have notified it. Many contracts amend these clauses, so always check your own.

Earned value management (EVM) compares the value of work planned, the value of work actually completed and the actual cost, so you can see whether a project is ahead or behind on both cost and time at the same moment. It turns progress reports into early warnings and gives a credible estimate at completion before overruns become fixed.

Both. CMPC has worked for main contractors, subcontractors and clients, which helps in negotiations because we know how the other party will read a notice or a claim. A conflict check is carried out before any engagement starts.

Yes. CMPC is based in Auckland and works across New Zealand and Australia, remotely or on site as the work requires.

Reviews are usually fixed fee, agreed upfront once we understand the scope. Ongoing or embedded roles are charged at a day rate. The first 30 minute call is free, with no obligation.

Yes, whatever your industry. We look at how work flows through your business, find the tasks a system can do reliably, such as enquiries, reports, registers and payment tracking, and set them up with tools you already use where possible. A person stays in charge of every decision that matters. Construction is where we know the most. We also rebuild websites, improve search visibility, run marketing and film drone video of your sites, premises and finished work.

A fixed-price report that shows who has won public civil, water, energy and building contracts in your region over the last two years, which councils and agencies are buying, what is coming up in the next 12 months, and which firms and owners to approach. It uses company-level information only, and you can ask for a free sample for one region and one sector first.

Yes. We review the contract, the notices and the records to test your entitlement, carry out delay analysis where time is in dispute, and then help you negotiate or prepare for adjudication. The earlier we see it, the more options you have.