Welcome to Hanga Projects Ltd

Welcome aboard. We're glad you're here.

This induction pack was generated by Ako from the documents your onboarding team uploaded. It covers how we work, what we use, who to go to, and what experienced people here wish they'd known on day one. Read it properly — not just the first few pages.

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About Us

What we do

Hanga Projects Ltd is an independent project management and quantity surveying consultancy. We work across residential, commercial, education, and mixed-use sectors, primarily in London and the South East.

We act as trusted advisors to clients on construction projects — managing programmes, contracts, and costs from feasibility to final account. Most of our work is repeat business. That says a lot about how we operate.

Who we work for

Our clients include private developers, housing associations, local authorities, and education institutions. Project values typically range from £500k to £50m. We don't have a minimum project size — if the client is right, we'll engage.

What we're known for

No-nonsense advice. We don't tell clients what they want to hear. We tell them what they need to know, early enough to do something about it.

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Your Team

Team structure

We have 14 people across two offices — London Bridge and Bristol. The team is split roughly 60/40 between PM and QS.

London:

• Hugh Davies — Managing Director (PM)
• Sarah Okafor — Associate Director (QS)
• James Worrall — Senior PM
• Priya Mehta — PM
• Tom Albright — Graduate PM
• Yemi Fadahunsi — Graduate QS
• Claire Benson — Operations & Finance

Bristol:

• Marc Llewellyn — Director (QS)
• Nadia Cortez — Senior QS
• Ben Pryor — PM
• Isabel Ferreira — Graduate QS

Remote / hybrid:

• Callum Drury — Senior PM
• Asha Wren — Marketing & Proposals
• George Tao — IT & Systems

Who does what

• Hugh Davies runs the London office and leads client relationships across the residential and mixed-use portfolio. If you're working on a London residential or mixed-use project, Hugh is almost certainly the Client Director.
• Sarah Okafor leads all QS output in London. Any QS deliverable going to a client is reviewed by Sarah or Marc before it goes out.
• Claire Benson handles all finance, invoicing, and HR administration. Timesheets, expenses, queries about pay — Claire is your first contact.
• George Tao manages all IT systems, software licences, and access. First-day tech issues go to George directly at george.tao@hangaprojects.co.uk.

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Day to Day

How we work

We are a hybrid team. The expectation is office presence on Tuesdays and Thursdays minimum. Client site visits are non-negotiable — you go when the project needs it, not when it's convenient.

We work in project teams that typically include one PM and one QS. You'll be allocated to 2–3 projects at any time depending on their stage and size.

Time recording

We use Harvest for time recording. All time must be recorded against the correct project code and activity type. You'll receive an invitation to Harvest in your first hour.

Rules:

• Record time on the day it is worked. Do not batch entries at the end of the week.
• Minimum entry is 15 minutes. Do not round up.
• Time deadline: all entries must be submitted by 10:00 every Monday for the previous week. Claire runs the payroll and billing cycle off this — missing it causes real problems.
• Use the correct activity code. "Meetings" and "Project management" are not interchangeable.

If you're unsure which project code to use, ask your project lead the same day. Do not leave it and guess.

Document management

We use SharePoint for all project documents. Every project has a folder in the Hanga Projects SharePoint site, structured as follows:

• 01 Correspondence
• 02 Contracts
• 03 Programme
• 04 Cost
• 05 Reports
• 06 Drawings
• 07 Meeting Notes
• 08 Admin

File naming convention: [Project Code]_[Document Type]_[Description]_[Date]_[Rev]

Example: HP-047_Cost Report_Interim Valuation 3_2026-03-15_R0

Do not store project documents on your local machine. Everything goes into SharePoint immediately.

Purchase orders

Any commitment to a supplier or subcontractor requires a purchase order. This includes any external professional fees — surveyors, specialists, testing labs.

PO thresholds:

• Under £500: Project lead approval via email is sufficient
• £500–£5,000: Director approval required (Hugh or Marc depending on project)
• Over £5,000: Director approval plus Claire notified before issue

Never verbally commit to expenditure and then raise the PO later. This has caused problems before.

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Tools and Systems

The main tools you will use day to day:

Microsoft Teams rules

• Direct messages for quick questions. Channels for anything that creates a record.
• The #projects channel is for project-specific updates. Use it.
• Do not use WhatsApp for project-related communication. It happens and creates problems.

Email

Your Hanga Projects email is firstname.lastname@hangaprojects.co.uk. All client communication goes through your Hanga email. Never use personal email for client work.

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Contracts and Commercial Awareness

Contract types we use

We work primarily under:

• NEC4 Professional Services Contract (PSC) — our standard appointment for PM and QS services
• JCT Design and Build 2016 — common on developer-led projects
• NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) — used on public sector and infrastructure-adjacent projects
• RICS Standard Form — occasional, usually for smaller professional fee appointments

We work primarily under NEC4 Option A (Priced Contract with Activity Schedule). On some projects we use Option C (Target Contract with Activity Schedule). Make sure you know which option applies to each project you work on — the risk and commercial mechanisms differ significantly between them.

Are contracts used unamended?

Rarely. NEC4 PSC is usually used with Z-clauses added by clients. JCT DB is frequently amended — sometimes heavily. Always check the Z-clauses and amendments before advising a client or making any call on contract administration.

If you're not sure how an amendment affects your advice, ask Sarah or Marc before you respond to the client.

Key commercial awareness points

• Payment notices: Under our appointments and those of contractors we manage, payment notices must go out on time. A missed payment notice can remove our client's right to withhold payment. This is a compliance obligation with financial consequences.
• Compensation events under NEC: Must be notified promptly. Early warning notices must be issued at the first opportunity. Failing to notify in time can extinguish the contractor's entitlement — and can expose our client to a claim of unfair dealing.
• Retention: Track retention figures on every project. Retention releases require sign-off from the project lead and director — do not agree a release verbally.

Common commercial mistakes new starters make

1. Treating contract administration as a tick-box exercise rather than a risk management tool
2. Verbally agreeing to contractor requests before checking the contract position
3. Not reading Z-clauses and assuming standard form conditions apply
4. Issuing valuations before checking the application is compliant with the contract
5. Not flagging disputes or potential disputes early — the earlier Sarah or Marc know, the more options we have

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When to Escalate

Escalate immediately (same day) for:

• Any potential contract dispute, claim, or legal threat — even if informal
• A client expressing dissatisfaction about our service
• Any instruction that would require us to act outside our appointment
• Anything involving money you're not sure we're entitled to
• Any H&S incident on a project we're managing
• A contractor or consultant going into administration

Never without director approval:

• Issuing a programme extension
• Agreeing a compensation event entitlement, even in principle
• Issuing a practical completion certificate
• Agreeing a final account — even a verbal indication
• Signing any document on behalf of the client unless you have written authority
• Agreeing any variation over £10,000 in value

Who to go to:

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What Good Looks Like Here

The unwritten rules

• We never blame clients. Even when they make bad decisions — which they sometimes do — we find a way to advise constructively and move forward.
• If you don't know the answer, say so, and tell the client or colleague when you'll come back to them. Never guess.
• We treat contractors the way we want to be treated. Firm but fair. Don't confuse tough commercial management with being difficult.
• Respond to client emails in a timely manner — use your judgement based on urgency.
• Meeting notes go out within 24 hours. Not 48. Not "when you get a chance."

What new starters get wrong

1. Waiting to be told what to do. You are expected to be proactive on your projects. If you don't know what needs doing next, ask — but ask once, then take ownership.
2. Treating internal deadlines as flexible. They're not. Claire's billing cycle, Sarah's review slots, client reporting dates — these are real and they affect other people.
3. Under-recording time in the first few weeks because it feels uncomfortable. Record accurately. We need accurate data to run the business.
4. Copying directors into every email. Use your judgment. Loop in where it's necessary — not as a habit.
5. Not escalating early enough on commercial issues. We would always rather know about a problem early than be told once it's become difficult.

What experienced people wish they'd known on day one

• Hugh reviews all client reports before they go out. Don't leave report drafts until the last minute — allow at least 24 hours for review.
• The Bristol team are not remote workers — they are a separate office with their own clients and their own ways of doing things. If you're coordinating with Bristol, pick up the phone.
• Harvest is not just an admin tool. It is how we measure project profitability. Your time coding directly affects whether a project runs at a profit. Take it seriously.
• Sarah has a high bar for QS deliverables. If she marks up your cost report, fix it properly — don't just make the visible changes and resubmit.
• We have a small team. How you behave with clients and contractors reflects directly on the firm. Think before you send.

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Your First Week Checklist

Day 1

• IT setup — contact George Tao (george.tao@hangaprojects.co.uk) for laptop, email, Teams, SharePoint, and Harvest access
• Complete your bank details form with Claire
• Set up two-factor authentication on all work accounts (Microsoft, Harvest)
• Attend onboarding meeting with your line manager (30 min)

Days 2–3

• Attend project team meeting for each project you're assigned to
• Review SharePoint structure for each project — read the key documents (appointment, programme, latest cost report or meeting notes)
• Complete your first Harvest timesheet entries
• Read the NEC4 or JCT contract relevant to your first project — at least the key clauses

Week 1

• Attend a client call or site visit with your project lead (observe — don't speak to the client without a briefing first)
• Complete mandatory H&S induction (link on SharePoint under Admin > HR > Onboarding)
• Review the Hanga Projects standard report templates (SharePoint > Admin > Templates)
• Have a 1:1 with Hugh or Marc (depending on your office) at the end of week one

First 90 days

• Weekly 1:1 with your line manager (15 min minimum)
• Monthly check-in with Claire re: time recording and expenses
• Draft your first client deliverable under supervision
• Complete at least one Ako scenario relevant to your role. Ako is Hanga's scenario-based training platform — your line manager will share a link. It takes around 25 minutes and is designed to be done at your desk.