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Commercial Manager - Pre-Construction
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Commercial Manager – Pre-Construction
Detailed Roles & Responsibilities Framework
Purpose of the Role
The Commercial Manager shall be responsible for the overall commercial governance, assurance, compliance, reporting, and continuous improvement of the pre-construction function. The role is not intended to replace the operational responsibilities of the Lead QSs within each division. Instead, the Commercial Manager acts as the commercial custodian for the department, ensuring consistency, robustness, accuracy, and compliance across all divisions.
The Commercial Manager will provide the Head of Pre-Construction with confidence that all commercial submissions, forecasts, reports, and procedures are being delivered to a consistently high standard and that accurate commercial intelligence is available to support strategic decision-making.
Organisational Structure
Head of Pre-Construction
↓
Commercial Manager (Pre-Construction)
↓
Lead QS – Division A1 Lead QS – Division A2 Lead QS –
The Lead QSs remain accountable for:
- Production of CVRs
- Day-to-day commercial management
- Cost planning
- Tender adjudications
- Staff management and development
- Divisional performance
The Commercial Manager is accountable for:
- Governance
- Compliance
- Assurance
- Auditing
- Reporting
- Standardisation
- Commercial process implementation
- Executive reporting
Key Responsibilities
1. Commercial Governance & Compliance
Responsibilities
- Develop, implement, and maintain commercial procedures.
- Ensure all divisions operate in accordance with company commercial governance requirements.
- Maintain a department Commercial Procedures Manual.
- Monitor adherence to delegated financial authorities.
- Introduce standardised commercial controls across all divisions.
- Undertake regular compliance reviews.
- Manage corrective action plans where non-compliance is identified.
- Ensure lessons learned are embedded into future opportunities.
Deliverables
- Commercial Procedure Handbook
- Governance Compliance Tracker
- Audit Action Register
- Monthly Governance Dashboard
2. CVR Assurance and Review
Responsibilities
- Review all divisional CVRs prior to issue.
- Challenge assumptions and commercial positions.
- Verify forecast values.
- Review risk and opportunity allowances.
- Validate margin forecasts.
- Review contingency provisions.
- Ensure consistency of reporting methodology across divisions.
- Investigate variances and unusual movements.
- Ensure supporting evidence exists for significant commercial movements.
Deliverables
- Assurance Review Checklist
- Monthly CVR Audit Report
- Commercial Risk Summary
- Variance Analysis Report
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3. Executive Reporting & Director-Level Documentation
Responsibilities
- Produce board-level commercial summaries.
- Create executive dashboards.
- Present commercial performance to the Head of Pre-Construction.
- Develop trend analyses.
- Highlight key risks and opportunities.
- Provide strategic commentary rather than simply reporting numbers.
- Produce monthly and quarterly performance packs.
Expected Outputs
-
Monthly Executive Dashboard
- Bid Pipeline Value
- Secured Work Value
- Conversion Rates
- Tender Success Rates
- Forecast Revenue
- Forecast Margin
- Resource Utilisation
- Commercial Risks
- Commercial Opportunities
-
Quarterly Commercial Review Pack
- Division Performance Comparison
- Trend Analysis
- Win/Loss Reviews
- Resource Forecasting
- Strategic Risks
- Market Intelligence
4. Audit & Quality Assurance
Responsibilities
- Conduct scheduled audits.
- Conduct spot-check audits.
- Review commercial files.
- Ensure tender adjudication procedures are followed.
- Ensure procurement approvals are compliant.
- Audit pricing build-ups.
- Review subcontractor package comparisons.
- Audit estimate assumptions.
- Review tender query schedules.
- Measure quality of commercial submissions.
Audit Areas
-
Tender Audits
- Estimate build-ups
- Risk allowances
- Value engineering
- Supply chain strategy
- Qualification schedules
-
Cost Planning Audits
- Unit rate verification
- Benchmarking
- Historical cost comparison
- Inflation assumptions
-
Procurement Audits
- Tender compliance
- Competitive tendering
- Commercial recommendations
5. Commercial Process Development
Responsibilities
- Identify process inefficiencies.
- Standardise templates.
- Streamline reporting formats.
- Reduce duplication.
- Introduce automation opportunities.
- Develop Power BI reporting.
- Improve commercial visibility.
- Promote best practice sharing.
Deliverables
- Process Improvement Register
- Standard Templates Library
- Commercial Toolkit
- Lessons Learned Database
6. Performance Management of Lead QS Function
Responsibilities
- Conduct monthly commercial reviews.
- Monitor quality of outputs.
- Review divisional performance.
- Establish KPIs.
- Identify skills gaps.
- Ensure consistency across divisions.
- Support professional development.
KPIs
- CVR Accuracy
- Forecast Accuracy
- Tender Margins Achieved
- Commercial Compliance Scores
- Audit Scores
- Reporting Timeliness
- Tender Conversion Rates
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7. Risk Management
Responsibilities
- Maintain departmental risk register.
- Review risk exposure monthly.
- Challenge risk allowances.
- Monitor emerging market risks.
- Assess inflation impacts.
- Review supply chain risks.
- Escalate significant risks.
Deliverables
- Commercial Risk Register
- Monthly Risk Dashboard
- Executive Risk Summary
8. Commercial Intelligence & Benchmarking
Responsibilities
- Maintain cost databases.
- Develop benchmarking models.
- Analyse market trends.
- Monitor supply chain pricing.
- Benchmark divisional performance.
- Provide market intelligence reports.
Outputs
- Cost Benchmark Reports
- Labour Market Reports
- Supply Chain Intelligence Reports
- Margin Trend Analysis
9. Leadership & Team Support
Responsibilities
- Mentor Lead QSs.
- Drive consistency.
- Support recruitment.
- Assist resource planning.
- Lead commercial workshops.
- Develop succession planning.
Reporting Requirements to Head of Pre-Construction
Weekly Reporting
- Bid pipeline update
- High-risk opportunities
- Resource utilisation
- Commercial issues requiring escalation
Monthly Reporting
- Divisional performance summary
- CVR assurance certificate
- Governance compliance report
- Risk and opportunity report
- Margin forecast report
Quarterly Reporting
- Strategic commercial review
- Performance benchmarking
- Resource forecast
- Market intelligence
- Improvement initiatives
Success Criteria for the Role
After 12 months, the Commercial Manager should be able to demonstrate:
- Governance
- 100% compliance with commercial procedures
- Fully audited commercial processes
- Reporting
- Consistent reporting across all divisions
- Single source of truth for commercial data
- Assurance
- Improved forecast accuracy
- Reduced reporting errors
- Reduced commercial risk exposure
- Leadership
- High-performing Lead QS network
- Improved commercial capability
- Strong succession planning
- Strategic Value
- The Commercial Manager should ultimately become the "commercial conscience" of the Pre-Construction department, providing the Head of Pre-Construction with complete confidence that reported figures are accurate, risks are understood, procedures are being followed, and strategic decisions are being made from reliable commercial intelligence. This allows the Head of Pre-Construction to focus on winning work, client relationships, and departmental growth while maintaining full visibility and control of commercial performance.
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