JustEng is the world’s specialist recruiter for quantum experts, delay experts, planners, scheduling analysts and commercial claims consultants in construction disputes. We place SCL Protocol-fluent professionals into arbitration teams, expert-witness practices, claims consultancies and contractor claims departments across the UK, the Gulf, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and North America.
Why quantum & delay recruitment is its own market
Quantum and delay is the largest single sub-discipline within construction disputes. Every substantial claim — whether adjudicated under the UK Construction Act, arbitrated under DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, SCCA, SIAC, HKIAC or ICC rules, or litigated in the TCC — requires expert evidence on how much (quantum) and how long (delay). Yet only a small handful of recruiters in the world genuinely understand the difference between a Time Impact Analysis and a Windows Analysis, or why a client would want a MCInstCES-qualified quantum expert instead of an MRICS one for a particular dispute. JustEng does. That is why disputes leaders in London, Dubai and Singapore keep us on speed-dial when they need to hire.
Quantum expert recruitment
Quantum experts quantify financial loss on construction disputes — direct loss, loss of overhead and profit, prolongation costs, disruption costs, acceleration costs, wasted expenditure and consequential loss. They give evidence under CPR Part 35 in England, IBA Rules internationally, and equivalent rules in every major arbitral seat. We recruit at every level:
- Senior Quantum Consultant / Assistant Director: MRICS or MCInstCES, 5–10 years’ disputes experience, some second-chairing on written expert reports. UK £75k–£105k; UAE $135k–$180k; Singapore S$140k–S$190k.
- Director / Managing Consultant: Signing own reports on mid-size disputes; 10–20 years’ experience; often FRICS or FCIArb. UK £110k–£160k plus bonus; UAE $200k–$300k; APAC S$220k–S$340k.
- Partner / Senior Managing Director / Expert: Signing on large or mega-disputes; 20+ years; reported cases; frequently instructed by leading disputes law firms. UK £180k–£350k+ plus profit share; Gulf $350k–$700k packages; hourly rates £450–£900+.
Typical client base: HKA, Secretariat, FTI Consulting, Ankura, Kroll, J.S. Held, Diales, Systech, Silver Shemmings, Vinci Facilities Construction, Deloitte’s Forensic & Dispute Services, KPMG Forensic, Alvarez & Marsal, plus the disputes teams of Arcadis, Turner & Townsend, RLB, Gleeds, Currie & Brown and Gardiner & Theobald.
Delay expert & planner recruitment
Delay experts and forensic planners establish (or defend) the cause and effect of programme slippage. They are expected to be fluent in the six methodologies recognised by the Society of Construction Law Delay & Disruption Protocol (2nd edition, 2017) — Impacted As-Planned, Time Impact Analysis, Time Slice Windows, As-Planned versus As-Built, Longest Path Analysis and Collapsed As-Built — and to be able to defend the chosen methodology on cross-examination. We recruit into five bands:
- Senior Planner / Contractor’s Claims Planner: £55k–£75k UK; the pipeline into delay analysis.
- Delay Analyst / Consultant: Working under a Delay Expert on live disputes; Primavera P6 essential, Asta Powerproject useful, some coding (Python / SQL) increasingly valued. UK £70k–£95k; UAE $130k–$170k.
- Senior Delay Analyst / Managing Consultant: Second-chairing reports; UK £95k–£130k; Australia A$220k–A$300k; Singapore S$180k–S$260k.
- Delay Expert (Director / Testifying): Signing own reports; UK £130k–£200k; Gulf $250k–$400k.
- Senior / Named Delay Expert: Reported cases; UK £200k–£380k+; hourly rates £500–£950; frequently instructed on megaproject disputes.
The methodologies we recruit against
We test for methodology fluency directly during longlist qualification, because a delay or quantum expert who cannot articulate why they chose a particular methodology will not survive cross-examination:
- Time Impact Analysis (TIA): Prospective, contemporaneous. Frequently required by NEC clauses; sometimes contested for retrospective use.
- Windows Analysis / Time Slice: Retrospective, granular; the SCL Protocol’s preferred retrospective method.
- Collapsed As-Built / As-Built But For: Simpler, but heavily challenged in Anglo-common-law tribunals; still common in Gulf arbitration.
- Impacted As-Planned: Rarely accepted alone; useful for illustration.
- As-Planned vs As-Built: Baseline for most delay analyses.
- Global claims / total-cost claims: Rarely successful post-Walter Lilly v Mackay in England; still argued in the Gulf.
On the quantum side we recruit against Hadley v Baxendale-style loss principles, Hudson formula prolongation calculations, Emden and Eichleay overheads formulae, and the SCL Protocol’s guidance on measured-mile and earned-value disruption analysis.
Where the biggest quantum & delay hires are happening in 2026
United Kingdom
HS2 disputes, Sizewell C supply-chain claims, Hinkley Point C prolongation and disruption disputes, TCC BLO litigation post-Mulalley v Sto, and the wave of BSA-driven claims are anchoring UK demand. See UK regional hub.
Middle East
NEOM (The Line, Trojena, Oxagon), Diriyah Gate, Qiddiya, Red Sea Global, Saudi’s Public Investment Fund-backed programmes, Riyadh Metro Phase 2, UAE Etihad Rail, Qatar’s post-World Cup Lusail disputes and Oman’s Duqm are driving the highest-value quantum and delay instructions on the planet. Packages are frequently 30–60% above equivalent UK roles. See Middle East regional hub.
Asia-Pacific
Australia’s iron-ore, LNG and Metro projects (Rio Tinto, BHP, Woodside, Cross River Rail, Suburban Rail Loop), Singapore’s Cross-Island Line and Changi T5, Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis, and Malaysia’s ECRL are the main hiring drivers. See Asia-Pacific regional hub.
North America
US megaproject disputes (Tutor Perini W-hotel line of cases), the Baltimore Key Bridge litigation, Canadian LNG and pipeline arbitration, and increasing cross-border US/UK instructions on FIDIC contracts. See North America regional hub.
Our methodology for quantum & delay searches
- Conflicts pre-clearance against your live and reported instruction list.
- Methodology screen — every longlisted candidate is asked, live, to walk through the methodology they would deploy on your dispute type. We rate their answer.
- Report-writing sample — where confidentiality permits, we obtain a redacted report extract.
- Cross-examination reference check — we speak to counsel who has led their evidence.
- Confidential shortlist delivered within 5–10 working days.
Related resources
- Forensic Engineering & Expert Witness Recruitment (pillar)
- Forensic Engineering Salary Guide 2026 — quantum & delay bands broken out by grade and region
- How to Become an Expert Witness Engineer
- Construction Disputes Glossary (SCL Protocol, TIA, BLO, Scott Schedule and more)
- Quantity Surveying Recruitment for adjacent commercial hires
Frequently asked questions: quantum & delay recruitment
What is a quantum expert?
A quantum expert is a professionally-qualified consultant — usually MRICS, MCInstCES, FCIArb or a similar chartered surveyor / cost engineer — who quantifies the financial loss claimed on a construction dispute and gives independent expert evidence on it in adjudication, arbitration or litigation.
What is a delay expert?
A delay expert is a chartered professional (often CEng, MCInstCES, MCIArb or PMP-qualified) who analyses the cause and effect of programme delay on a construction project and gives independent expert evidence on entitlement to Extension of Time and prolongation.
What is the SCL Delay & Disruption Protocol?
The Society of Construction Law Delay & Disruption Protocol (2nd edition, 2017) is the internationally-recognised guidance on how time and disruption claims should be analysed and presented. Familiarity with the Protocol is a de-facto requirement for any delay analyst or expert.
Do quantum and delay experts need to be chartered?
Effectively yes, if they are to be independently instructed as testifying experts. Chartered status (MRICS, MCInstCES, MICE, MCIArb) confers professional credibility, ethical obligations, and CPD discipline that tribunals rely on. Non-chartered analysts routinely work under a testifying expert but rarely give evidence themselves.
Primavera P6 or Asta Powerproject?
Both. Primavera P6 dominates the megaproject and international arbitration space; Asta Powerproject is more common on UK domestic projects. Any senior delay analyst should be fluent in both, and increasingly in Python or SQL for large-programme forensic analysis.
What’s the typical salary for a quantum expert in the UAE?
A signing Director-level quantum expert in the UAE typically packages between $200k and $300k tax-free, plus housing and school allowances; Partners on named-expert instructions can reach $500k+ package including bonus. See our salary guide for the full grid.
How does JustEng handle conflicts of interest on quantum & delay searches?
We take a client conflicts brief up front — parties, matters, opposing experts — and screen every candidate against that brief before making contact. Any potential conflict is disclosed before a candidate is shortlisted.
What is the difference between adjudication, arbitration and litigation for a quantum or delay expert?
Adjudication (UK, Ireland, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore) is fast statutory dispute resolution with short reporting timescales and no cross-examination. Arbitration is longer, involves full expert reports and (usually) oral evidence; the seat determines the procedural rules. Litigation (e.g. in the TCC) is court-based with full CPR Part 35 obligations. Different experts prefer different fora; we match candidates accordingly.
Do you recruit in-house claims managers as well as consultants?
Yes. We recruit senior contractor-side and employer-side commercial claims managers, Heads of Contracts and Heads of Commercial into major contractors, project sponsors and PMO functions.
How quickly can you deliver a quantum/delay shortlist?
Confidential longlists within 3–5 working days; conflict-cleared shortlists within 5–10. Emergency mandates (instruction cover) can be turned around in 48 hours in London, Dubai, Riyadh and Singapore.
Talk to our quantum & delay team
Register a vacancy, email info@justeng.co.uk or call +44 (0)203 950 6222. Candidates: submit your CV for a confidential conversation.