Sound Familiar?
You won the job. The margin looked right. The team got started.
Then the client changed something. Engineering developed the design further than was priced. Site found conditions nobody accounted for. A few extras got done to keep the relationship moving.
Nobody raised a variation. Nobody stopped to challenge it. The team just cracked on.
By the time you looked at the numbers, the margin had gone — and you couldn’t clearly explain where.
You’re not running a bad business. You’re running a business where commercial control stops at the point of order.
That’s where profit leaks. Not at the quote. After it.
His advice has materially strengthened how we structure and present our quotations. He helped us correctly allocate commercial clauses to protect margin, manage scope creep and deal properly with change requests — without damaging client relationships.
Grant Bond — Managing Director
Gabitie Group
the real conversation
What directors in your position say privately
What they say publicly
“Margins are tight.”
“Clients are getting worse.”
“Engineering always adds hours.”
“Site always finds problems.”
“We need to quote better.”
WHAT THEY WORRY ABOUT PRIVATELY
“We’re working too hard for what we’re making.”
“I don’t know which jobs are actually healthy.”
“The lads just crack on and we end up paying for it.”
“We leave the variation conversation too late.”
“We don’t have control once the PO lands.”
The root cause isn’t your team. It isn’t your quotes. It isn’t your clients.
Scope boundaries are not operationalised after award. There is no reliable mechanism to identify change early, convert it into a commercial event, and protect recovery before the work gets absorbed. Every unchallenged change costs twice — once to do the work, and again to deal with the consequences across engineering, fabrication, fitting, install, and commissioning.
This is not a people problem. It is a commercial control problem.
The fix
Control that fits how you actually work.
EPD Engineering Solutions works with owner-directors of UK engineering and fabrication businesses to stop fixed-price projects drifting commercially after order.
not this:
this:
who is epd
25 years.
Every level of the chain.
EPD Engineering Solutions is led by Matthew Millward — an engineering director and commercial delivery specialist with 25 years of experience from shop floor to General Manager level.
That background spans fabrication, mechanical fitting, machining, automated material handling, multi-discipline engineering programmes, and direct P&L responsibility for live project delivery.
It matters because commercial failure in fixed-price engineering doesn’t stay commercial for long. It turns into fabrication rework, install pressure, commissioning pain, client tension, and director stress. Matthew has worked through that chain at every level.
Real-world result
£1.2m
Original Contract
£1.5m
Closed Value
8%
Final Profit
A project that had drifted significantly off its commercial position. Scope re-baselined, variation control reset, job closed at profit. That is the difference commercial control makes on a live job.
how we work
Everything starts with one conversation
A free 15-minute Commercial Health Check. We look at one live job, ask the right questions, and tell you whether there’s a problem worth addressing. If there isn’t, we’ll say so.
Free Commercial Health Check
£0
— 15 minutes
A direct diagnostic call on one live job. We ask the right questions and give you a straight answer. No obligation, no follow-on commitment unless you see the value. If there’s nothing to address, we’ll tell you.
Independent Project Delivery Review
£1500
— fixed fee
A structured review of one live or recently completed fixed-price project. Document review, 90-minute session, written findings, and a 30-minute action call. Identifies exactly where commercial control has broken down and what to do about it.
Delivered within 5 working days from receipt of documents. One project, one report, no retainer.
Quote Pressure Test
£1750 — £6,500
An independent commercial challenge of scope, assumptions, programme, and pricing before a quote goes out. Stops businesses pricing risk they’ll spend the rest of the job paying for. Tiered by opportunity size and complexity.
Project Rescue
£3,500 — £12,000
A 2–4 week intervention on a live job that’s already drifting. Re-baselines scope, resets variation control, protects remaining margin. Tiered by project value and commercial exposure level.
Commercial Control Review
£6,500
A 30-day engagement to find out what your projects are actually making versus what you think they’re making. Builds the commercial visibility most SME directors don’t have.
Retained Project Delivery Oversight
£2,500 — £3,500/month
Ongoing commercial discipline across live projects. For businesses that want the problem solved permanently — not just on one job. This is where the real business value sits.
Matt’s strong commercially and operationally — he keeps projects moving, handles stakeholders well, and doesn’t let things drift. When problems arise, he stays level-headed, gets to the root cause, and drives a solution. I’d recommend him without hesitation.
Joseph Lane — Project Manager
Tracoinsa Systems UK (former direct report)
Not ready for a call yet?
Start with the free Margin Drift Early Warning Checklist
A free one-page diagnostic for engineering and fabrication directors. In under five minutes, it tells you whether your live projects have the commercial control in place to protect the margin you quoted.
If you tick two or more boxes in any section, your job is already drifting.
Download Free
No Email Required
Built from delivery control on £100k–£15m live industrial programmes. Use it now on any live job.
Or if you already know there’s a problem — book the free call instead.
the next step
One conversation.
No obligation.
A straight answer.
If you’re running fixed-price bespoke engineering projects and margin is tighter than it should be — book the free 15-minute Commercial Health Check. We’ll look at one live job and tell you exactly where you stand.
Or find me on LinkedIn