Cost Assurance Specialist

Cost Assurance Lead Location: Hybrid Working with occasional travel to Birmingham or other sites when required. Contract Duration: 6 Months (with potential extension) Day Rate: £600-£700 per day Our client is seeking an experienced and dynamic Cost Assurance Lead to join their team and play a pivotal role in delivering commercial assurance, cost optimisation, and analytical challenge across major capital infrastructure programmes. This position is ideal for a professional with a keen eye for detail and a passion for ensuring value for money while fostering contractor accountability. Key Responsibilities Lead cost optimisation and commercial assurance activities across significant contracts and programmes, ensuring efficient delivery outcomes. Provide independent challenges to contractor estimates, budget costs, and final account positions, utilising benchmarking, historical data, and should-cost modelling techniques. Support contract award recommendations by thoroughly evaluating contractor submissions and ensuring all costs are justified with robust evidence. Assess construction methodologies and delivery strategies to understand their impact on cost, programme duration, and risk. Apply commercial and contractual principles to support negotiations and discussions on cost substantiation and risk allocation. Develop and maintain benchmarking and assurance models to enhance commercial decision‑making and identify efficiency opportunities. Produce clear, evidence‑based reports and assurance papers for senior stakeholders and governance forums. Monitor contractor performance against key metrics like cost, schedule, and productivity, and challenge as necessary. Improve reporting and analytical capabilities through digital tools and performance dashboards. Build trusted relationships across commercial, procurement, finance, engineering, project management, and contractor teams, while maintaining an independent viewpoint. Key Requirements Essential: Significant experience in Cost Assurance, Commercial Assurance, Quantity Surveying, or a related discipline within major capital projects. Proven experience in reviewing and challenging contractor estimates and commercial proposals. Expertise in benchmarking, cost modelling, variance analysis, and commercial assurance methodologies. Excellent analytical skills with the ability to work with large datasets and provide practical commercial recommendations. Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. Proficiency in advanced Excel and comfortable with complex datasets. Desirable: Experience within regulated infrastructure, utilities, transportation, or large-scale capital delivery environments. Knowledge of NEC contracts and commercial mechanisms. Familiarity with tools such as Power BI, SAP, Oracle, or Primavera P6. Qualifications Degree or equivalent experience in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Economics, or a related discipline. Professional membership or qualifications such as MRICS, ACostE, CIMA, or ACCA are desirable. What's Desired in a Candidate Naturally inquisitive and curious. Commercially astute and data‑driven. Proactive and self‑motivated with a continuous improvement mindset. Comfortable providing constructive challenges to established norms. Highly organised with exceptional time‑management skills. Confident in engaging with senior stakeholders and balancing technical details with commercial decision‑making. This is a fantastic opportunity for a driven professional to make a significant impact in a collaborative environment that values curiosity and innovation. If you possess the skills and experience outlined above, this could be the perfect role for you!