When owners bring Praetorian in
Owners usually bring Praetorian in:
- Before sanction or execution, to put the controls framework, procurement strategy and change process in place so the first dollar of execution is spent against a plan that will hold.
- When the owner's team needs experienced project controls, procurement or contracts specialists to work alongside its own staff in an integrated team.
- When project control systems need to be selected, integrated or improved, whether that means a new system or getting more from one already in place.
How it works alongside the EPCM contractor
Under an EPCM model, the owner often sits at the top of a reporting chain, receiving monthly updates from the firm that is managing its own design through construction. An owner's team controls function works for the owner instead.
Praetorian tracks commitments, accruals, trends and forecasts against the owner's budget, uses earned value analysis and regular site-level reviews to manage contractor performance, and makes sure every change is identified, evaluated and approved by the owner before work proceeds. The question is never simply what was spent last month. It is what the forecast at completion is, what changed it, and what decisions need to be made today to protect the budget.
Systems and Praetorian IQ
Praetorian implements and integrates controls technologies including Primavera, Contruent, Sequence, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite, with document control on SharePoint and Aconex, configured to the project from day one.
Every engagement also includes Praetorian IQ, our cost intelligence platform. It benchmarks the project's cost position against comparable delivered projects and flags cost outliers and schedule drift before they appear in a monthly report.
Services included
Technical and commercial controls across the full project lifecycle.
Procurement & Contracts
Contracting strategy, tender package development, bid evaluation, and contract administration. Praetorian structures procurement to match the project risk profile and stays engaged through close-out to protect the owner's commercial position.
Cost Control & Estimating
Independent cost estimating, budget development, and ongoing cost control throughout execution. Praetorian tracks commitments, accruals, trends, and forecasts so there are no surprises at close-out.
Planning & Scheduling
Integrated project schedules that reflect real contractor logic, procurement lead times, and resource constraints. Praetorian builds and maintains schedules the project team uses to make decisions, and identifies critical path risks before they become delays.
Document Management
Structured document control systems that ensure the right revision reaches the right party at the right time. Praetorian establishes document management frameworks using SharePoint and Aconex supporting construction, commissioning, and handover.
Risk Management
Systematic identification, quantification, and active management of project risk. Praetorian facilitates risk workshops, maintains the risk register, and integrates risk outcomes into cost and schedule contingency at every stage gate.
Change Management
Structured management of scope, cost, and schedule changes throughout execution. Praetorian establishes change management systems from day one, ensuring every change is identified, evaluated, approved, and reflected in the project baseline before work proceeds.
Control System Integration and Implementation
Praetorian supports the selection, integration, and implementation of project control systems across new and existing technology environments.
Our team has hands-on experience with leading industry platforms and works with clients to deploy solutions that fit their reporting, cost, and schedule management requirements - whether implementing a new system or optimizing what is already in place.
Where Praetorian has delivered this service
Calabrian SO2Clean Production Facility
Project controls (WBS, CBS, Primavera P6 scheduling, Prism G2 cost control), contractor prequalification, RFP development and contract administration.
View projectLydian Amulsar Gold Project
Procurement, contracts development and administration, cost control and scheduling.
View projectWesdome Kiena Paste Plant
Contract administration and daily coordination of HSE, project controls, engineering, procurement and construction deliverables.
View projectIAMGOLD Cote Gold Project
Commercial and contract management alongside planning and execution supervision.
View projectGoldcorp Peñasquito CLR Project
Cost control and scheduling as part of an integrated owner's team.
View projectNewmont Emigrant Mine
Cost control and scheduling as part of Newmont's owner's team.
View projectDiavik Underground Project
Cost control, scheduling and survey data management on the open pit to underground transition.
View projectQuestions owners ask
What is the difference between project management and project controls?
Project management is the human activity of directing and coordinating a project. Project controls is the structured system through which a project is measured, monitored and forecast: cost control, schedule control, earned value analysis and change management. On a large mining project, strong project management is not enough without it.
What does an owner's team controls function do that the EPCM contractor's does not?
It works for the owner. It checks contractor reporting independently, forecasts the final cost in the owner's interest, and makes sure every change is evaluated and approved by the owner before work proceeds.
Which project controls systems does Praetorian work with?
Praetorian has hands-on experience with Primavera, Contruent, Sequence, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite, and with SharePoint and Aconex for document control. We help owners implement a new system or get more from the one they already have.
How does Praetorian handle change on a mining project?
Through a formal change management process set up from day one. Every potential change is identified, evaluated for scope, cost and schedule impact, and approved by the owner before work proceeds, so the baseline stays clear and the owner is never surprised by the final account.