MHA+ Framework Spotlight – Jonathan Barron

Through the MHA+ Professional Services Partnership (PSP) framework, Waterman Aspen provides Leicestershire County Council (LCC) with flexible access to specialist capability when major projects need it most.

As part of that support, Jonathan Barron, Project Director – Major Projects is seconded into the council team on the North & East Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (NE MMDR) scheme.

With more than 14 years at Waterman Aspen and extensive experience across East Midlands local authorities, Jonathan brings a rare blend of hands-on engineering insight and digital problem-solving, helping LCC strengthen governance, move faster with confidence and reduce the day-to-day administrative load that can slow down major programmes.

Strengthening governance and NEC delivery

Jonathan supports LCC as a Senior Engineer and Assistant NEC Project Manager, helping the team administer the NEC4 Option C contract effectively and consistently. This includes:

• supporting the assessment and management of compensation events (CEs)
• providing commercial insight to senior officers
• chairing Early Warning meetings so risks are identified early and managed collaboratively
• maintaining continuity of formal NEC communications when covering the Project Manager’s absence

The result is stronger governance, clearer decision-making and added capacity during demanding phases of the programme.

Turning data into decisions: practical tools that reduce burden and improve accuracy

A standout feature of Jonathan’s secondment is the way he applies digital thinking to everyday project controls, building tools that make processes faster, more accurate and easier to audit, while strengthening LCC’s commercial confidence.

Cost-to-Employ (CTE) calculator

A bespoke calculator that consolidates defined-cost inputs (including timesheets, attendance, plant/vehicle data and subcontractor costs) to help the team:

• validate contractor quotations consistently and transparently
• test scenarios quickly to support commercial decisions
• identify anomalies early and focus reviews where it matters most

This has become an evidence-based mechanism for improving accuracy and speeding up defined-cost and CE reviews.

Integrated finance model

An Excel-based model that brings together actuals, forecasts, risk, change and cost/value movements to:

• reduce manual data collation time
• improve consistency in reporting
• provide clearer outputs for a wide range of stakeholders
• highlight trends and emerging risks earlier

The approach has been shared with LCC finance colleagues to demonstrate how structured, automated reporting can enhance project governance.

Additional micro-tools supporting efficiency and auditability

• payment application template to improve clarity and reduce review time
• Stage 1 timesheet/value tracker to evidence activity and support client management of the ECI period
• automated calculations for contractor share and index-driven price adjustments

Collectively, these innovations help the project operate more efficiently, reduce administrative burden and support clearer, more confident commercial decision-making.

Delivering measurable value

Working as part of LCC’s site team, Jonathan supports the assessment and negotiation of compensation events under NEC4, which involves reviewing entitlement, testing programme and cost evidence and working collaboratively with the contractor to ensure quotations are robust and aligned to defined cost principles.

This role builds on earlier involvement during the ECI stage, where he supported the identification, assessment and quantification of value engineering proposals, helping to challenge solutions, understand associated risks and ensure that departures from standard were appropriately justified and governed. This included contributing to the development and application of structured assessment and governance processes for departures.

He has been particularly involved in complex, high-uncertainty events, including those linked to archaeology, flooding impacts and adverse weather, where rigorous scrutiny and structured challenge are essential to control cost and programme escalation while maintaining progress on site.

Through evidence-led analysis, consistent commercial governance and constructive negotiation, the LCC site team has helped secure meaningful value improvements across compensation events and contractor-led proposals, strengthening the project’s financial resilience while maintaining positive working relationships.

Risk, site presence and health & safety

NE MMDR has faced challenging site conditions, including periods of extreme weather. By chairing (and, when required, increasing the frequency of) Early Warning meetings, Jonathan supports a proactive, disciplined approach to risk management and practical problem-solving.

As part of LCC’s client-side presence, he also carries out joint health and safety inspections with the contractor, supporting safe systems of work, strengthening communication on site and reinforcing a collaborative safety culture.

The value of the framework: specialist support, exactly when needed

Enabled through the MHA+ PSP framework, Jonathan’s secondment demonstrates how local authority project teams can access experienced support that delivers:

• stronger governance and continuity
• practical digital innovation that improves efficiency
• measurable commercial value
• confident decision-making on complex, risk-heavy events

For LCC, it’s added capability and assurance on a major piece of infrastructure. For Waterman Aspen, it’s a clear example of how secondments deliver practical value combining engineering expertise with modern, data-driven tools that help clients move faster, with confidence.

Does your team need extra capacity or specialist expertise to move a programme forward? Waterman Aspen is here to help, get in touch to discuss secondments, targeted support packages or framework-based delivery support.