Quick Project Snapshot

• In one sentence, how would you describe this project and its primary objective?
• Which industry best describes this project? Options: Refining, Petrochemical, LNG, Power generation, Mining / mineral processing, Infrastructure / civil, Other
• What is the current capital estimate range you expect to sanction? Options: Less than $100M, $100M–$500M, $500M–$1B, $1B–$3B, Over $3B, Undetermined
• Which project phase are you currently in? Options: Concept / screening, FEED, Detail design, Early procurement, Owner approval / FID, Construction, Commissioning
• Where is the primary site located (country / region) and are there multiple locations to coordinate?
• Who will be our day-to-day counterpart on your side (primary role)? Options: Project Director, Chief Engineer, Procurement Lead, HSE Manager, Finance / Commercial Lead, Other

Where the Pressure Is Happening

• What single failure today would most likely derail this project’s approval or schedule?
• Which of these pressures currently feel most urgent for your team? Options: Budget growth / estimate creep, Schedule slippage, Regulatory / permitting delays, Supply‑chain / long‑lead equipment risk, HSE or community objections, Labour or contractor availability
• How long have those pressures been affecting decision-making? Options: Less than 3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, More than a year, Newly emerged
• Can you describe a recent example where one of these pressures changed a timeline, scope, or approval?
• Which internal stakeholder or function feels the greatest reputational or financial exposure if the project slips? Options: Executive / Board, Finance, Operations / Asset Owner, Engineering, HSE / Compliance, Local government / Community relations

Who Really Decides?

• If this project had a single veto, who holds it and under what circumstance would they use it?
• Which approval gates must be passed before you can take a positive FID? Options: Board approval, Finance sign‑off, Engineering technical clearance, HSE acceptance, Regulatory permits, Offtake / commercial contract secured
• What is your expected internal timeline to clear those gates? Options: 0–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 12+ months, Uncertain
• Who outside the owner team will materially influence sign-off (lenders, offtakers, insurers, partners)? Options: Lenders / bankers, Equity partners, Offtaker / customer, Regulator, Insurance underwriters, Strategic partner
• How do you prefer to receive commercial and technical inputs during the approval process? Options: Executive one‑pager / decision memo, Detailed technical report, Live workshop with stakeholders, Risk register with mitigations, Integrated cost & schedule model

How Much Certainty Do You Need?

• Would you rather lock in price and schedule now even if it's higher, or keep cost flexibility and accept more risk later? Options: Lock in certainty (willing to pay a premium), Keep flexibility (accept variable outcome), Hybrid — partial guarantees, Undecided / depends on terms
• Which contract pricing model aligns best with your board's risk appetite? Options: Lump‑sum turnkey, Target price with gain/loss share, Cost‑plus with cap, Alliance / integrated team
• What schedule guarantee format would you require (for example, fixed date, milestone LDs, or incentives)? Options: Firm date with liquidated damages, Milestone-based guarantees, Best‑efforts with incentive payments, No formal guarantee at this stage
• Which performance guarantees are non‑negotiable for you at handover? Options: Availability / throughput, Emissions / environmental limits, Energy efficiency targets, Start‑up performance profile, None required at FID
• What range of liquidated damages would your finance team consider acceptable relative to contract value? Options: None, Up to 1% of contract, 1–3%, 3–5%, More than 5%

Where the Real Risks Live

• Which unseen risk today has the highest probability of breaking this project during execution?
• Which long‑lead equipment or services do you see as critical constraints for delivery? Options: Turbomachinery (compressors, turbines), Heat exchangers / specialty vessels, Large rotating equipment, Control systems / PLC / DCS, Specialty fabrication / skids, Transformers / switchgear
• What are the realistic lead times for those top items in your view? Options: Less than 6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, 18+ months, Unknown
• Describe any site constraints that materially affect mobilization or construction sequencing (access, foundations, marine, grid connection, seasonal windows).
• Which permitting, community, or local workforce issues could delay mobilization? Options: Environmental permits, Land access / leases, Indigenous / community consent, Local planning approvals, Skilled labour shortages

What Success Will Feel Like

• If you had to defend this project's success to the board in five years, what three concrete outcomes would you point to first?
• Which measurable KPIs will you use to judge whether this project delivered value? Options: On‑time start‑up / commissioning, Final cost vs approved budget, Achieved production / throughput, Safety performance (TRIR / LTIF), Environmental compliance / emissions, Operational reliability / availability
• What are the target numbers or thresholds you expect for your top two KPIs?
• How should acceptance testing and performance validation be structured to satisfy you? Options: Vendor witness tests, Third‑party independent testing, Owner‑led commissioning protocols, Guaranteed performance with O&M handback
• What post‑completion support is critical to your operations team (warranty length, spare parts, training, remote monitoring)? Options: 12‑month warranty, 24‑month warranty, Performance bond / insurance, On‑site commissioning support, Spare parts package, Operational training / O&M support

Deal‑Breakers and Red Lines

• What could an EPC say or promise in a pitch that would make you walk away immediately?
• Which of the following are absolute red lines for your team when selecting a delivery partner? Options: Insufficient financial backing / parent guarantee, No single‑point responsibility (fragmented scope), Poor HSE / safety track record, Over‑reliance on subcontracting for core scope, No comparable project references
• Have you ever terminated or replaced an EPC mid‑project? If yes, what was the primary reason?
• What minimum proof points would overcome those red lines for you? Options: Comparable project references with outcomes, Audited financial statements / credit support, Detailed execution and procurement plan, Fabrication yard and site visits, Robust safety performance data
• Which contractual protections are essential for you to feel comfortable moving forward? Options: Performance bonds, Parent company guarantee, Step‑in rights, Escrow for critical equipment, Clear governance and escalation clauses

Fast‑Forward: What Would Earn Your Trust in 30 Days?

• If we had 30 days to earn your trust, what is the single deliverable or action you would insist on seeing before progressing?
• Which short, tangible activities would move you closest to a decision in that timeframe? Options: Site visit with leadership, Reference checks with owners of similar projects, Risk mitigation workshop with your core team, Draft commercial term sheet, Preliminary lump‑sum or target proposal
• Who on your side must be convinced before you can recommend advancing (list roles)? Options: CEO / MD, CFO / Finance, Head of Engineering, HSE Director, Board representative, Lender / Investor
• What documents or deliverables should we prepare for your next decision meeting? Options: High‑level commercial term sheet, Risk register with mitigations, Preliminary schedule and milestones, Cost estimate with assumptions, Execution organisation chart
• How soon can you make the necessary people and baseline information available for a rapid decision sprint? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, Longer / uncertain

Quick Snapshot: Where We Really Are

• Which phrase best describes your project's current phase? Options: Concept/Opportunity, Pre-FEED / Early FEED, FEED Complete, Detail Engineering underway, Procurement underway, Construction underway, Commissioning/Start-up, On hold
• What is the current internal target sanction or Final Investment Decision (FID) month and year?
• How would you classify the current budget position for the work we would scope with you? Options: Fully funded, Partially funded (gap identified), Funding contingent on approvals, No budget yet
• Who on your team is the single point of coordination for project information and decisions?
• How confident are you that the information you have today (drawings, studies, cost estimates) is sufficient to define delivery risk? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Uncertain, Not confident at all
• If you had to give one short sentence that captures your biggest worry about the project's current status, what would it be?

What Are We Not Seeing That Matters?

• If this project surprised you tomorrow, what single unknown would cause the biggest schedule slip?
• Which of these unknowns do you feel most uncertain about right now? Options: Geotechnical surprises, Permitting delays, Long-lead equipment delivery, Grid/utility availability, Community/stakeholder objections, Funding/timing issues, Other
• How recently has the baseline project information (layouts, MTOs, vendor lists) been updated? Options: Within last 30 days, Within 3 months, Within 6 months, More than 6 months, Never formally baseline
• Tell us about a recent change or surprise on this project — what happened and how much impact did it have?

The Bottlenecks That Keep You Awake at Night

• Which single delivery constraint scares you the most if it goes wrong? Options: Long-lead equipment late, Critical subcontractor failure, Site access/logistics, Regulatory or permit refusal, Funding gap or delay, Health & safety incident, Labor shortage
• What are the specific long-lead items you already have on your radar? Please list vendor, item, and current delivery estimate if available.
• How are you currently managing supplier concentration risk for those long-lead items? Options: Single preferred vendor, Multiple approved vendors, Ice-boxing until FEED complete, We haven't addressed it yet, Other
• How exposed is the project to seasonal or weather-driven schedule windows (e.g., winter freeze, monsoon, river levels)? Options: Critical window — single season, Multiple seasonal windows, Minor impact, No seasonal exposure known
• When you think about construction execution, which capacity constraint worries you most—local labor, specialist crews, fabrication capacity, or logistics—and why?

Permits, Studies, and The Paper Trail Nobody Reads Until It’s Too Late

• Are there any permits or approvals that, if delayed, would stop the project from starting on the planned date? Options: Yes — list below, No, Unsure
• Which of the following studies are completed, in progress, or outstanding for this site? (Select all that apply and specify owner/date in the free text follow-up) Options: Geotechnical report, Environmental impact / baseline, Hydrology/flood study, Traffic/logistics study, Archaeological/heritage survey, Grid connection study, None of the above
• Who currently owns the permit and study coordination with regulators (title/organization)?
• Have there been any regulatory or community objections in past projects at this site or nearby that we should know about? Options: Yes — describe below, No
• If a permit or study were to take twice as long as expected, what contingency or mitigation would you want to see from a contractor? Options: Operate floats in schedule, Advance procurement of non-site items, Temporary works design early, Phased construction approach, Financial compensation/mechanism, Other

Site Realities vs. What the Plans Promise

• What site constraint do you suspect is under-represented in the current design pack (e.g., access road width, staging area, utilities)?
• How reliable are the existing site utilities (power, water, sewer, communications) for construction and early operations? Options: Fully reliable, Partially reliable with upgrades, Unreliable — major upgrades needed, Unknown
• Can heavy equipment and module transports reach the site today, or will upgrades to roads/bridges/ports be required? Options: Accessible today, Minor upgrades needed, Significant upgrades needed, Not accessible — new logistics plan required
• Describe any on-site factors that have emotional or political weight (e.g., local community expectations, indigenous land claims, union relationships). How do they influence decisions?
• Who on your team can provide the latest as-built, survey, or site photos within 48 hours if we request them?

What Delivery Risk Would You Pay to Remove Today?

• If you had to accept one commercial trade-off to reduce schedule risk, what would you be open to—pay more, accept a target price, provide incentives, or change milestones? Options: Pay lump-sum premium, Move to target-cost with shared savings, Introduce schedule incentives/bonuses, Adjust milestone structure, Prefer to keep current commercial model
• What contingency percentage of the current estimate do you consider acceptable to protect schedule and performance? Options: <5%, 5–10%, 11–20%, >20%, No standard — depends on scope
• Have you previously asked contractors for vendor guarantees or supplier escrow for long-lead items? What worked or didn’t? Options: Yes — worked, Yes — didn’t work, No — never tried, We tried alternatives
• How important is contractor financial strength vs. execution approach when you weigh proposals? Options: Financial strength is most important, Execution approach is most important, Both equally important, Depends on project phase
• What would you consider a non-negotiable guarantee for us to include in a proposal (schedule date, performance metric, LD cap, bonding)?

If We Could Clear One Thing This Week, What Would Unlock the Most Value?

• What single document, decision, or piece of information would reduce your biggest current risk immediately?
• Who needs to be involved from your side to unblock that item and are they available for a decision within two weeks? Options: Yes — available, Yes — available with scheduling, No — not currently available, Unsure
• Would you be willing to run a short, focused workshop with our delivery leads to fast-track assumptions and align on mitigation options? Options: Yes — within 1 week, Yes — within 2–4 weeks, Maybe — need more details, Not at this time
• What format of deliverable would be most useful to you after that workshop (risk register, revised schedule, procurement plan, go/no-go decision brief)? Options: Risk register with owners, Revised integrated schedule, Long-lead procurement plan, Decision brief for sanction, Cost impact summary
• Please list any documents we should request first to make that workshop productive (e.g., vendor lists, P&IDs, latest MTO, geotech report).

Start Here: Your Project, Squared Away

• What is the project name, site/location, and primary owner organization?
• How would you describe the current project phase? Options: Concept/Pre-FEED, FEED underway, Tendering/Procurement, Awarded / Early works, Construction, Commissioning, Other
• What is the rough order of magnitude for capital value (select closest)? Options: <$100M, $100M–$500M, $500M–$1B, $1B–$3B, >$3B, Undisclosed/Confidential
• Who is our main point of contact for commercial and who for technical conversations? (Name + role)
• What single outcome, if achieved, would make this project a clear success for you?

Are We Underestimating the Risks That Will Stop This Project?

• What keeps you awake about delivery risk on this project—what’s the one scenario you worry will derail plan A?
• Which of these risk areas feel most unresolved today? Options: Long‑lead equipment availability, Site access/logistics, Permitting and approvals, Local labor capability, Contractor financial strength, Interface complexity between scopes, Regulatory or HSE obstacles, Other
• Tell us about the single largest long‑lead item for this scope and its current procurement status (specific vendor or model if known).
• How confident are you in your current supply‑chain resilience for key equipment? Options: Very confident, Moderately confident, Uncertain, Not confident
• Have you experienced comparable supply or execution shocks recently on other projects? What happened and how long did recovery take?

Who Actually Signs Off—and Who Can Stop It?

• Who are the decision-makers that must explicitly approve moving forward, and who influences them most?
• Which approval gates apply for this project (select all that apply)? Options: Capital allocation/Board approval, Finance (budget release), Technical/Engineering sign-off, HSE/Environmental clearance, Local government/permit authority, Commercial/procurement committee, Other
• How predictable are your internal approval timelines—do they slip, and by how much on average? Options: Reliable (within planned window), Occasionally slip (weeks), Often slip (months), Unpredictable
• Which stakeholder groups would you say are most skeptical of an integrated EPC single‑point model, and why?
• If we needed an executive-level briefing to reassure the board or CFO, what facts or guarantees would they require to proceed?

Where The Schedule Is Most Fragile

• If the schedule had a single Achilles’ heel, where would it be—permits, fabrication, transport, or workfront readiness? Options: Permits/approvals, Fabrication yard capacity, Transport/logistics (heavy lifts), Local labor availability, On-site civil works, Interfaces across packages, Other
• What are your committed milestone dates today (FID, major procurement, mechanical completion, start-up) and which are fixed vs aspirational?
• How much schedule float remains between award and first critical milestone? Options: >6 months, 3–6 months, 1–3 months, <1 month, No float/unknown
• Which activities have you already de‑risked, and which still need a mitigation plan? Options: Permits, Site access preparation, Long‑lead orders, Local contracting strategy, Temporary works, Interfaces & tie‑ins, None/All need work
• If permit timing slips by 3 months, what impact would that have on cost and delivery—describe worst realistic outcome?

What 'Good' Really Means — Not Just Cost or Date

• Beyond schedule and budget, what measurable performance outcomes must be met for this project to be accepted? Options: Throughput/capacity, Efficiency/fuel consumption, Emission limits, Availability/uptime, Product quality/specs, Safety incident rate, Other
• Which acceptance tests or performance guarantees will be non‑negotiable at handover?
• How will performance be measured and by whom during the warranty/defect liability period?
• What penalty or remedy structures do you expect if performance guarantees aren’t met? Options: Liquidated damages, Performance bonds, Step-in rights, Re‑work at contractor cost, Price holdback, Other
• How important is operator and maintenance team readiness at turnover versus hitting a mechanical completion date? Options: Operator readiness more important, Both equally important, Mechanical completion date prioritized, Undecided

Money, Guarantees and the Questions That Keep Finance Up

• If you had to choose, would you prioritize a fixed lump‑sum price, a target cost with shared savings/risk, or another model—and why? Options: Lump‑sum (price certainty), Target cost with shared risk/reward, Cost‑plus with fee, Hybrid / milestone‑based, Undecided
• What level of contractor financial security and bonding is required by your procurement rules? Options: Performance bond 10–20%, Parent company guarantee, Bank guarantee/LG, Insurance alternatives, Not yet defined/varies by contract
• How much cost contingency do you expect to hold at sanction, and where would you accept scope adjustments first? Options: >10% contingency, 5–10%, <5%, No contingency — firm budget
• Have payment milestones driven by construction progress created disputes on past projects? What were the common causes?
• What commercial protections would make you comfortable shifting more execution risk to a single EPC partner? Options: Stronger guarantees/bonds, Clear milestone governance, Escrowed payments, Independent verification agent, Performance-based holdbacks, Other

What You’ve Tried Before—Lessons That Matter Now

• Tell us about a past project where delivery didn’t meet expectations—what were the root causes and who was accountable?
• Which contracting approaches on previous projects produced the best outcomes for you (in‑house EPC, multiple contractors, EPC with major subcontractors)? Options: Single integrated EPC, Multiple prime contractors, Client-managed with specialist contractors, EPC with large subs performing package work, Other
• What types of vendor or contractor evidence (case studies, performance data, reference visits) have most effectively reduced your concerns historically? Options: Comparable project case studies, Third‑party audits, Reference site visits, Financial statements/ratings, Insurance/underwriter confirmation, Other
• Where do your teams usually experience the most friction with contractors—change orders, quality, schedule, commercial claims, or safety performance? Options: Change orders, Quality issues, Schedule slippage, Commercial claims/disputes, Safety/HSE concerns, Other
• If you could rewrite one clause or process from past contracts to avoid repeating a failure, what would it be?

People, Culture, and Local Complexity — The Soft Risks

• How would you describe the relationship between your internal team and external contractors today—trusting partnership or transactional oversight? Options: Trusted partnership, Mixed — depends on contractor, Mostly transactional, Adversarial/political
• What local constraints (labor rules, union issues, security, cultural factors) deserve early attention?
• How important is local content or workforce development to project approval for your stakeholders? Options: Critical requirement, Important but flexible, Nice to have, Not a factor
• Describe any site or community sensitivities that could escalate if the project faces delays.
• Would you prefer the EPC to manage local partnerships and hiring, or to carve that into a client‑managed scope? Options: EPC manages local partnerships, Client manages local hiring, Joint approach, Undecided

What Would Give You Confidence to Move Forward Right Now?

• If we could remove one single source of uncertainty in 60 days, what should it be?
• Which proof points would most change your view of an EPC partner’s credibility? Options: Comparable project delivery record, Performance bond/guarantee demonstration, Live reference site visit, Third‑party schedule and cost validation, Detailed execution plan with named team
• How valuable would a jointly developed early works and procurement acceleration plan be to your stakeholders? Options: Highly valuable, Somewhat valuable, Neutral, Not valuable
• What information or deliverables do you need next from a prospective EPC to brief your board or investment committee?
• Would an early commercial pilot or staged contracting approach help bridge internal approvals here? If so, which form (early procurement-only award, engineering-only, small civil works)? Options: Procurement-only, Engineering-only (FEED), Early civil/temporary works, Pilot package (equipment/fabrication), No, prefer full award

Practical Timelines—When Will Decisions Actually Happen?

• What is the next formal decision milestone and its target date (e.g., board approval, FID, award)?
• How committed is the organization to that milestone—would missing it trigger a re‑baseline or project pause? Options: Firm — missing causes major re‑baseline, Flexible — can slip by weeks, Uncertain — depends on circumstances, Not committed
• Who needs to be involved in a decision briefing to ensure a yes on the next milestone?
• Realistically, how quickly could you provide access to site data, prior studies, and stakeholder lists if we requested them? Options: Within 1 week, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, Longer / depends on approvals
• What would be an acceptable cadence for joint governance (weekly, biweekly, monthly) during pre-deployment to keep momentum? Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Ad hoc as needed

Final Check—What Have We Missed That’s Important to You?

• Is there any hidden constraint, political dynamic, or upcoming event we haven’t asked about that could change priorities suddenly?
• What does your ideal first 90 days with an EPC partner look like—three specific outcomes we should commit to?
• Would you like us to prepare a tailored one‑page risks & mitigations summary for your internal review? (If yes, please list required recipients) Options: Yes — include Exec Sponsor, Yes — include Project Director, Yes — include Finance, No
• Any other notes, attachments, or prior reports you want to share now to speed alignment?

Start Here: Tell Us About Your Project

• What's the project's name and a one-line purpose statement we can reference?
• Which one best describes where you are today in the lifecycle of this project? Options: Concept / pre-FEED, FEED underway, FEED complete, Awaiting sanction / approvals, Sanctioned — detailed design, Under construction, Commissioning / startup, Operational, Other
• Which funding or capital band does this project fall into? Options: <$100M, $100M–$500M, $500M–$1B, $1B–$3B, >$3B, Undisclosed / prefer not to say
• Who is the executive sponsor and which organizational functions will need to sign off? (select all that apply) Options: Project Director, Chief Engineer, Operations, Procurement, HSE, Finance / CFO, Board / Executive Committee, External Regulator, Owner's Engineer / Technical Advisor, Other
• What are the top three outcomes you absolutely need from a delivery partner? (choose up to three) Options: Schedule certainty, Cost certainty (fixed/target), Performance guarantees (throughput/efficiency), Safety and environmental excellence, Local execution and labour capability, Supply chain resilience for long-lead items, Single-point accountability, Technical innovation / optimization, Other
• What is your target or expected sanction / investment decision date? Options: Within 3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 12–24 months, No fixed date / TBD

If This Project Could Break Its Own Rules

• What's one assumption everyone is making about this project that you quietly doubt—what keeps you skeptical?
• Which constraints feel immovable right now (budget, schedule, regulatory, site footprint, etc.)? Options: Budget cap, Fixed completion date, Regulatory constraints, Site footprint / access, Local content / hiring rules, Financing covenants, Environmental mitigation requirements, Other
• Have you deferred important decisions to maintain momentum? Tell us one decision still waiting and why it was deferred.
• How much genuine flexibility exists to trade cost for schedule or performance if push comes to shove? Options: High flexibility, Moderate flexibility, Low flexibility, None — non-negotiable
• Which stakeholder groups in your organization are most likely to resist a change in delivery approach, and what are their main concerns?
• If the assumption you just named proves false, what is the first real-world consequence you expect to see?

Where Delivery Often Unravels

• Which single failure mode in delivery would be catastrophic for this project?
• Please rank the delivery risks you worry about most (select up to five). Options: Long-lead equipment delays, Procurement cost inflation, Contractor financial failure, Interface / engineering mismatch, Permitting and regulatory delays, Site access / logistics, Skilled labour shortages, HSE incident causing shutdown, Other
• Have you had past projects where an EPC contractor missed guarantees or failed on execution? Briefly describe one example and its root cause.
• How confident are you that your current risk register and mitigation plans accurately reflect reality? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Not confident, We don't have a formal register
• Which specific suppliers, vendors, or equipment items do you consider single-source or schedule-critical?
• If a major delivery risk materializes, what escalation path do you expect the owner and contractor to take? Options: Project Steering Committee, Board-level escalation, Joint Risk Task Force, Formal contractual claims, Third-party mediation / expert determination, Other

Show Me Your Decision Map

• Who truly signs the check for this project, and how often do their priorities diverge from the project team?
• Which approval gates are mandatory before sanction and throughout execution? (select all that apply) Options: Finance / CFO approval, Technical / Engineering approval, HSE / regulatory sign-off, Procurement approval, Operations readiness acceptance, Board / Executive Committee, Lender / financier approval, Other
• What is the expected cadence for governance meetings (steering committee, board updates, lender meetings)? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad hoc as required
• How long does a typical approval take at each gate, and where do delays most commonly occur?
• Who will be our primary day-to-day commercial contact and who has authority over change orders? Options: Project Director, Procurement Lead, Commercial Manager, Owner's Engineer / PMO, Contract Signing Authority (CFO/Exec), Other
• Are there non-negotiable reporting, audit, or compliance requirements we must embed into governance from day one?

What Good Really Looks Like

• If this project were judged in 12 months, what specific outcome would make you call it an unequivocal success?
• Which KPIs will you use to declare success? (select all that apply) Options: On-time completion, Within guaranteed cost, Performance guarantee met (e.g., throughput / efficiency), Safety record (TRIR / LTIs), Environmental compliance, Commissioning acceptance by date, Punchlist items below threshold, Other
• What minimum performance guarantees or acceptance criteria are non-negotiable (quantify if possible)?
• What specific acceptance tests or performance trials will determine final payment and acceptance?
• Who signs off on final handover, and what documentation or evidence will they require?
• What post-commissioning support would you expect from a delivery partner (select all that apply)? Options: 12-month warranty / defects liability, 24-month warranty, Operations & maintenance training, Spares package / consumables, Long-term O&M contract, Performance tuning & optimization support, Other

Hidden Realities of the Site—Tell Us the Unseen

• What small, ugly site detail would embarrass you if it surfaced during construction?
• What is the current status of critical permits and approvals for construction and operation? Options: All permits approved, Most permits approved, Some permits approved, Permitting not started, Unsure / under review
• Are there known geotechnical, contamination, buried utilities, or structural issues we should plan around? Options: Challenging geotechnical conditions, Contamination / remediation required, Unrecorded utilities present, Protected habitats or archaeological constraints, None known, Other
• Describe any live operations, tie-ins, or neighboring activities that must remain online during works.
• How constrained is laydown, storage, and on-site fabrication area? Options: Ample space, Manageable but limited, Very constrained — major logistics challenge, No usable space / off-site staging only
• What local security, access, labor sourcing, or customs issues will materially affect execution?

Money, Guarantees, and the Things That Keep CFOs Awake

• What would make your finance team refuse to sign a lump-sum EPC contract today?
• Which commercial structures are you actively considering for delivery? Options: Lump-sum turnkey (fixed price), Target cost with pain/gain share, Cost reimbursable, EPCm (owner-managed construction), Other
• What level or form of security, bonding, or parent company guarantee will lenders or your board expect?
• How comfortable is your organisation with liquidated damages, milestone penalties, or performance deductions? Options: Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Reluctant, Unacceptable
• What payment milestone cadence and protections would you want to see to protect both parties?
• Are there lender or financing covenants that will materially constrain contract terms (select all that apply)? Options: Lender approval of selected contractor, Cashflow / DSCR covenants, Insurance / collateral requirements, Restrictions on subcontracting, No lender constraints, Unsure

If We Could Wave a Wand—What Would Change First?

• If you had an extra slice of budget or a few extra months, what's the single change you'd insist on to materially de-risk this project?
• How open are you to a single-point integrated EPC versus a split design-bid model for this scope? Options: Prefer single-point integrated EPC, Prefer split contracts (design separate from construction), Open to either with clear risk allocation, Undecided
• What would we need to demonstrate in our first proposal to earn a place on your shortlist?
• Which documents or data can you share now to accelerate alignment (select all that apply)? Options: FEED studies, Geotechnical reports, Permit register, P&IDs / process diagrams, Long-lead procurement list, Risk register / lessons learned, Other
• What would a sensible, high-impact first 90-day plan look like from your perspective (priorities and milestones)?
• When would you like to reconvene to review a proposed delivery approach and initial commercial terms? Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–3 months, 3+ months, No set timeline