Ernest & Wright QS provides quantity surveying and commercial management services to contractors and subcontractors, alongside quantum and claims support for expert witness firms and claims consultancies.

We help clients manage the commercial challenges that arise throughout the project lifecycle — from procurement and contract award through to completion, final account, and dispute avoidance.

Our approach is built around practical experience delivering live construction projects within leading main contractors. We understand the competing pressures faced on construction projects, and the importance of effective decision-making.

We provide clear advice that considers the commercial, contractual, and operational factors influencing each project.

Our advice helps clients:

  • Improve cost control and commercial performance

  • Identify and manage project risk

  • Strengthen contractual and commercial positions

  • Resolve issues before they escalate

  • Support effective dispute resolution when required

We provide flexible commercial support tailored to the needs of each project, whether supporting a challenging phase of delivery, strengthening commercial controls, or addressing a specific issue.

We also work within the construction disputes sector, providing construction claims services to our clients, and quantum support to expert witness and claims consultancies.

About

Matthew Wright is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS) with 18 years’ experience delivering construction projects within leading main contractors across London.

His experience spans the full commercial lifecycle of construction projects, from procurement and contract negotiation through to final account and the resolution of complex commercial issues. He has delivered projects across a range of sectors including commercial, healthcare, education, public, and leisure, with values ranging from £2m to £100m.

Having worked within main contractors throughout his career, Matthew brings a practical understanding of the pressures faced by project teams, clients, and supply chains. His advice is informed by first-hand experience of managing procurement, commercial risk, change, claims, and final account negotiations on live projects.

Matthew began his career in site management, gaining hands-on experience from project commencement through to completion and defect rectification. This practical grounding developed his understanding of how contractual obligations, commercial decisions, and delivery challenges interact on live construction projects, ultimately leading him into quantity surveying.

Qualifications

  • MSc Construction Law and Practice

  • BSc (Hons) Building Surveying

Professional Memberships

  • Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)

  • Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb)

  • Member of the Society of Construction Law

  • Member of the Adjudication Society

TESTIMONIAL

“Meticulous and precise, engaging manner, achieved good outcomes for us….” 

— Steve Oakford, Co-Founder and Director, 8build.

Our Services

Explore our range of services designed to help you move forward with confidence, wherever you're headed next.

  • Providing focused quantity surveying services throughout the project lifecycle, from procurement and contract award through to final account settlement.

    • Procurement & tendering

    • Bills of quantities and remeasurement

    • Contract reviews and negotiation

    • Contract administration

    • Valuations and payment

    • Final account preparation and negotiation

  • Providing commercial management support to contractors and subcontractors, helping improve project outcomes through effective risk management, cost control, and commercial decision-making.

    • Commercial strategy and advice

    • Risk identification and mitigation

    • CVRs, cost reporting, and forecasting

    • Cash flow management

    • Change control

  • Providing construction claims services to our clients, and quantum support to expert witness and construction claims consultancies, drawing on extensive main contractor experience.

    • Early-stage dispute avoidance and commercial advisory support

    • Quantum analysis and assessment

    • Claims preparation and defence

    • Project and commercial data analysis

    • Expert report and evidence support

    • Sub-consultancy and overflow support

Case Studies

Prior to founding Ernest & Wright QS, Matthew delivered various schemes for main contractors across London. These case studies highlight some of Matthew’s delivery experience during this time.

New Build Development

Construction Claims
Change & Commercial Recovery
JCT Design & Build
Project Value £18m

The project involved the construction of a central London RC frame development incorporating double basement excavation and complex construction interfaces. The project experienced significant delay events arising from design issues, the Covid-19 pandemic, and flooding, creating complex commercial challenges under both the main contract and subcontracts.

Role: Commercial lead responsible for procurement, full commercial management, final accounts, and claims.

Key outcomes included:

  • Supported external legal teams in preparing claims, analysing causes and effects of delay, and quantifying associated loss and expense.

  • Prepared quantum analysis for the recovery of costs under the JNP and contractor’s insurance policies.

  • Assisted solicitors in relation to a subrogated insurance claim.

  • Managed the preparation and agreement of a prolongation claim under the main contract.

  • Assessed and negotiated the superstructure and MEP subcontractors’ claims (including prolongation, acceleration, disruption, and variations), minimising commercial exposure whilst maintaining constructive commercial relationships and avoiding formal escalation.

Operational Emergency Services Facility

Commercial Management
Change Control & Risk Management
JCT Intermediate
Project Value £8m

The project involved the extension and refurbishment of an operational emergency services facility, requiring careful coordination of stakeholder requirements, management of live operational constraints, and robust change control processes to maintain commercial visibility and cost certainty.

Role: Commercial lead responsible for procurement, main and subcontract management, cost control, change management, and final account negotiations.

Key outcomes included:

  • Proactive management of project delays, securing recovery of time and costs whilst maintaining a collaborative client relationship.

  • Assessment and negotiation of subcontractor prolongation, disruption, and variation claims, ensuring commercial exposure was effectively managed.

  • Implementation of a structured change control process, securing value and maintaining cashflow, whilst remaining fully auditable.

  • Resolution of defects through technical and contractual analysis to narrow the scope and reach a proportionate solution to the key issues with the employer and supply chain.

Commercial Office Development

Two-Stage Procurement
Risk Management & Contract Strategy
JCT Design & Build
Project Value £103m

The project involved the construction of a 35,000m² new build commercial development delivered within a major Tier 1 contracting environment. The two-stage procurement route required careful management of supply chain risk, package negotiations, commercial opportunities, and contractual alignment during a period of significant market uncertainty following the Brexit referendum.

Role: Management of second-stage tendering, procurement strategy, package negotiations, and pre-construction commercial management.

Key outcomes included:

  • Managed procurement of key work packages through a two-stage tender process, converting packages to lump-sum with a combined value of £30m, including a £13m curtain walling package.

  • Identified and mitigated construction risks during procurement, including crane capacity constraints, façade installation CDM risks, weather-related programme exposure, and coordination risks between RC frame and curtain walling packages.

  • Revised procurement strategies for European suppliers following the Brexit referendum, including collaboration with commercial and finance teams to manage currency exposure.

  • Provided commercial advice to in-house counsel during negotiation of the main contract conditions, ensuring project risks were identified and appropriately managed.

  • Negotiated subcontract terms, ensuring that contractual risk was appropriately allocated and aligned with the project commercial strategy.

  • Established the project change control and risk management processes, drawing on best practice within the wider business.