Commercial Manager - Pre-Construction in Dartford

Detailed Roles & Responsibilities Framework

Purpose of the Role

The Commercial Manager shall be responsible for the overall commercial governance, assurance, compliance, reporting, and continuous improvement of the pre-construction function.

The role is not intended to replace the operational responsibilities of the Lead QSs within each division. Instead, the Commercial Manager acts as the commercial custodian for the department, ensuring consistency, robustness, accuracy and compliance across all divisions.

The Commercial Manager will provide the Head of Pre-Construction with confidence that all commercial submissions, forecasts, reports and procedures are being delivered to a consistently high standard and that accurate commercial intelligence is available to support strategic decision making.

Organisational Structure

Head of Pre-Construction - Commercial Manager (Pre-Construction) - Lead QS - Division A1 Lead QS - Division A2 Lead QS -

The Lead QSs remain accountable for:

• Production of CVRs
• Day-to-day commercial management
• Cost planning
• Tender adjudications
• Staff management and development
• Divisional performance

The Commercial Manager is accountable for:

• Governance
• Compliance
• Assurance
• Auditing
• Reporting
• Standardisation
• Commercial process implementation
• Executive reporting

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial Governance & Compliance

Act as the owner of all pre-construction commercial processes and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and maintain commercial procedures.
• Ensure all divisions operate in accordance with company commercial governance requirements.
• Monitor adherence to delegated financial authorities.
• Introduce standardised commercial controls across all divisions.
• Undertake regular compliance reviews.
• Manage corrective action plans where non-compliance is identified.
• Ensure lessons learned are embedded into future opportunities.
• Commercial Procedure Handbook.
• Governance Compliance Tracker.
• Audit Action Register.
• Monthly Governance Dashboard.

2. CVR Assurance and Review

Whilst Lead QSs remain responsible for CVR production, the Commercial Manager shall ensure all reports are accurate, substantiated and consistent before submission.

Responsibilities

• Review all divisional CVRs prior to issue.
• Challenge assumptions and commercial positions.
• Verify forecast values.
• Review risk and opportunity allowances.
• Validate margin forecasts.
• Review contingency provisions.
• Ensure consistency of reporting methodology across divisions.
• Investigate variances and unusual movements.
• Ensure supporting evidence exists for significant commercial movements.
• Assurance Review Checklist.
• Monthly CVR Audit Report.
• Variance Analysis Report.

3. Executive Reporting & Director-Level Documentation

The Commercial Manager shall convert technical commercial information into concise executive reporting suitable for senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Present commercial performance to the Head of Pre-Construction.
• Develop trend analyses.
• Highlight key risks and opportunities.
• Provide strategic commentary rather than simply reporting numbers.
• Produce monthly and quarterly performance packs.

Monthly Executive Dashboard

Including:

• Secured Work Value
• Conversion Rates
• Tender Success Rates
• Forecast Revenue
• Forecast Margin
• Commercial Risks

Quarterly Commercial Review Pack

Including:

• Division Performance Comparison
• Trend Analysis
• Resource Forecasting
• Strategic Risks

4. Audit & Quality Assurance

Provide independent commercial assurance across all divisions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct scheduled audits.
• Review commercial files.
• Ensure tender adjudication procedures are followed.
• Ensure procurement approvals are compliant.
• Measure quality of commercial submissions.

Audit Areas

• Supply chain strategy.

Cost Planning Audits

• Historical cost comparison.
• Inflation assumptions.

Procurement Audits

• Commercial recommendations.

5. Commercial Process Development

Drive continuous improvement within the department.

Responsibilities

• Identify process inefficiencies.
• Introduce automation opportunities.
• Develop Power BI reporting.
• Improve commercial visibility.
• Process Improvement Register.
• Standard Templates Library.
• Commercial Toolkit.
• Lessons Learned Database.

6. Performance Management of Lead QS Function

Hold Lead QSs accountable for commercial standards.

Responsibilities

• Conduct monthly commercial reviews.
• Monitor quality of outputs.
• Review divisional performance.
• Ensure consistency across divisions.

KPIs

• CVR Accuracy
• Forecast Accuracy
• Commercial Compliance Scores
• Audit Scores
• Reporting Timeliness

Provide visibility of commercial risks across the entire portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Review risk exposure monthly.
• Challenge risk allowances.
• Monitor emerging market risks.
• Assess inflation impacts.
• Review supply chain risks.
• Escalate significant risks.
• Monthly Risk Dashboard.

Develop a commercial intelligence function for the business.

Responsibilities

• Monitor supply chain pricing.
• Benchmark divisional performance.
• Labour Market Reports.
• Supply Chain Intelligence Reports.
• Margin Trend Analysis.

Act as the senior commercial authority within Pre-Construction.

Responsibilities

• Drive consistency.
• Support recruitment.
• Assist resource planning.
• Develop succession planning.

Reporting Requirements to Head of Pre-Construction

Weekly Reporting

• Commercial issues requiring escalation.

Monthly Reporting

• Divisional performance summary.
• CVR assurance certificate.
• Governance compliance report.
• Risk and opportunity report.
• Margin forecast report.

Quarterly Reporting

• Strategic commercial review.
• Performance benchmarking.
• Resource forecast.
• Improvement initiatives.

Success Criteria for the Role

After 12 months, the Commercial Manager should be able to demonstrate:

Governance

• 100% compliance with commercial procedures.
• Fully audited commercial processes.

Reporting

• Consistent reporting across all divisions.
• Single source of truth for commercial data.

Assurance

• Improved forecast accuracy.
• Reduced reporting errors.
• Reduced commercial risk exposure.

Leadership

• Improved commercial capability.
• Strong succession planning.

Strategic Value

The Commercial Manager should ultimately become the "commercial conscience" of the Pre-Construction department, providing the Head of Pre-Construction with complete confidence that reported figures are accurate, risks are understood, procedures are being followed and strategic decisions are being made from reliable commercial intelligence. This allows the Head of Pre-Construction to focus on winning work, client relationships and departmental growth whilst maintaining full visibility and control of commercial performance.

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