Services

Decision situations, not service packages

Clients rarely arrive with a fully scoped commission. They arrive with a situation. Below are the situations Erebus is most often called into, what the client is actually facing, and what we do about it.

Early stage and feasibility

Before the shape of the project is fixed

The decisions made here constrain everything downstream, and they are made with the least information.

“We need to decide, but we don't yet trust the answer.”

Client reality

Is this technically viable, or just theoretically possible?
Which options genuinely differ, and which are false choices?
What assumptions matter most if this goes wrong?
Where are the real constraints: grid, regulation, system boundaries?

Erebus role

Feasibility studies and options appraisal
System boundary definition and constraint mapping
Independent decision framing and recommendation logic
Focus on defensible choices, not exhaustive modelling

Services referenced: Feasibility & Options Appraisal · System Strategy · Independent Decision Review

“We're stuck between design ambition and system reality.”

Client reality

Are grid constraints killing this project, or just changing the route?
Are co-located assets such as BESS, hydrogen or heat helping, or adding risk?
Are we about to go to market with the wrong requirements?
What will we regret locking in too early?

Erebus role

System-level strategy
Pre-procurement technical and strategic shaping
Independent challenge of performance expectations
Identification of viable paths through constraint

Services referenced: System Strategy · Pre-Procurement Support · Owner's Engineer

Investment and scrutiny

When the decision has to survive challenge

Boards, funders and regulators do not accept conclusions. They test the reasoning behind them.

“This has to stand up to scrutiny.”

Client reality

Will this survive board, funder or regulator challenge?
Are the technical assumptions robust enough for investment?
What are the uncomfortable questions we haven't answered yet?
Where could this fail under audit or cross-examination?

Erebus role

Independent decision review, in a critical friend capacity
Pre-FID technical assurance and red-flag due diligence
Stress-testing of assumptions, evidence and logic
Preparation of scrutiny-ready technical narratives

Services referenced: Independent Decision Review · Scrutiny-Ready Support · Portfolio Risk & Assurance

From paper to site

The point where assumptions meet a contractor, a programme and a price

Pre-construction and construction

When the project moves from paper to site

Construction is where optimistic assumptions become expensive. Independent oversight is what keeps the client in technical control.

“We're approaching site mobilisation, but I'm not sure we're actually ready.”

Client reality

Are the Employer's Requirements complete enough to hold a contractor to account?
Have the interfaces between design packages, programme and procurement been properly resolved?
What risks are we carrying into construction that we haven't explicitly acknowledged?
What will we regret not resolving before the contractor is on site?

Erebus role

Independent review of Employer's Requirements and design information for completeness and constructability
Interface and programme risk assessment prior to mobilisation
Pre-construction technical readiness review with clear red-flag findings
Structured risk register review focused on decisions needing resolution before work starts

Services referenced: Pre-Construction Readiness Review · Independent Technical Assurance · Owner's Engineer

“We need someone who can take on the Principal Designer role, not just advise on it.”

Client reality

Who is coordinating health and safety across the design phase, and are they actually discharging the statutory duty?
Do our designers understand their CDM obligations, and is anyone holding them to account?
Are pre-construction hazards being identified and resolved before they become construction problems?
Will our health and safety file reflect what was actually built and decided?

Erebus role

Appointment as Principal Designer under CDM 2015, with statutory coordination duties through to handover
Pre-construction hazard identification and design risk management across all contributing designers
Coordination of designer competence, information flow and risk elimination through the design process
Pre-construction information pack and health and safety file production

Services referenced: Principal Designer (CDM) · Pre-Construction Readiness Review · Owner's Engineer

“We need independent technical oversight, but we don't have it in-house.”

Client reality

Who holds the contractor to account when things drift from what was agreed?
How do we maintain technical control of a project without running the delivery ourselves?
Are we being told what we need to hear, or what the contractor wants us to hear?
When commissioning comes, will we actually know this asset has been built to standard?

Erebus role

Independent technical oversight throughout construction on behalf of the developer or funder
Design review, approval management and deviation assessment
Change control and contractor instruction oversight
Commissioning readiness review and completion assurance
Specialist site coordination where required, including BESS, wind, solar and ecological

Services referenced: Owner's Engineer · Pre-Construction Readiness Review · EPC Contractor Support

“We need someone in our corner who understands what the contractor is telling us.”

Client reality

Is the contractor's proposed design actually what we specified and procured?
Are the change requests we're receiving legitimate, or scope creep dressed up as necessity?
Do we have the technical capacity to evaluate submissions, RFIs and programme claims?
Who is protecting our technical interests while the contractor manages their own?

Erebus role

Review and assessment of contractor design submissions against Employer's Requirements
Independent evaluation of contractor change requests and their technical and commercial justification
RFI and technical query management on behalf of the client
Clear, timely recommendations at each contractor decision point

Services referenced: EPC Contractor Support · Owner's Engineer · Independent Technical Assurance

Operation, failure and dispute

When something has already gone wrong

At this point the question is no longer what to build. It is what actually happened, and what can be defended.

“Something unexpected has happened, and we need an independent technical view.”

Client reality

Is the contractor's assessment of this problem credible, or self-serving?
Do we understand the true programme and cost impact of what's being proposed?
Are we making a decision we'll struggle to defend later, to funders, insurers or in dispute?
What does an independent expert actually conclude, without a stake in the outcome?

Erebus role

Independent technical assessment of mid-construction problems, deviations or disputes
Evaluation of contractor claims for programme delay, changed conditions or design failure
Clear, evidence-based findings structured for scrutiny by funders, insurers or legal teams
Coordination of specialist investigation resource where discipline-specific input is required

Services referenced: Independent Technical Assurance · Expert Witness · Technical Fault Investigation

“Something isn't working, and we need to understand why.”

Client reality

Why is this system underperforming?
Is this a design issue, an operational issue, or systemic failure?
Do we fix, repower, life-extend or exit?
What is the safest and most defensible next step?

Erebus role

Independent fault investigation and root-cause analysis
Strategic advice on remediation, repowering or decommissioning
Portfolio-level insight into recurring failure modes
Clear, evidence-based recommendations

Services referenced: Technical Problem Solving · Portfolio Risk & Assurance · Strategic Asset Life

“This has become contentious.”

Client reality

What actually caused the failure or delay?
Are the technical claims being made credible?
How exposed are we, technically and reputationally?
What would an independent expert conclude?

Erebus role

Independent technical investigation
Expert witness and dispute support
Clear causation and responsibility analysis
Support to legal and insurance teams

Services referenced: Expert Witness · Technical Fault Investigation

Working with specialist partners

Independent oversight, with the right expertise behind it

Erebus is structured as a senior, judgement-led practice. Where an engagement requires specialist site presence or discipline-specific expertise, we draw on a select network of experienced independent practitioners.

Single point of oversight

Erebus coordinates requirements, information flow and decision integrity. Specialists contract directly with the client where that serves them better.

Site supervision

Construction management and site supervision across utility-scale BESS, wind and solar PV.

Commissioning and integration

BESS commissioning and systems integration support.

Environmental compliance

Ecological services and environmental compliance during construction.

How engagements start

A short conversation, not a tender process

Most engagements begin with a focused conversation to clarify the decision being faced, the uncertainty around it, and what level of independent support would be most useful. That often leads to a brief, clearly bounded piece of work. From there, support can scale or stop as required.

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