Built Environment & Commercial Advisory

Strategic Clarity.
Expert Resolution.

Woodrush Solutions provides independent commercial advisory and project delivery for complex built environment schemes. With over 38 years of sector experience, we resolve risk, protect programme, and secure commercial outcomes — from feasibility through to handover.

Request an Advisory Our Heritage

38+

Years of sector experience

100%

UK-delivered projects

20+

Organisations worked with

Est. 2011

Advisory practice

Our Expertise

Three integrated disciplines. One point of accountability.

Commercial Advisory &
Dispute Management

Independent oversight for high-stakes projects — protecting position before problems escalate.

  • Dispute Avoidance Independent project reviews and early-warning panels to safeguard programme momentum.
  • Dispute Resolution Expert input into settlement negotiations, adjudication, and litigation support.
  • Financial Oversight Active management of cost, value, and cash flow across the project lifecycle.

Strategic Bidding
& Growth

Structured bid strategy and financial rigour to win and retain major construction and FM contracts.

  • Major Contract Pursuit Navigating complex procurement processes and multi-stage negotiations for large-scale schemes.
  • Bid Best Practice Task-based and three-point discrete risk estimating for robust, competitive submissions.
  • Business Modelling Financial models to underpin business cases, market entry, and growth strategy.

Operational &
Interim Management

Senior leadership resource at the pace your organisation needs — without the overhead.

  • Business Transformation Planning, implementing, and embedding new business units from conception to full operation.
  • Interim Leadership Budget control, performance management, and project oversight at board and director level.
  • M&A Support Coordinating acquisition activity, due diligence, and multi-stakeholder engagement.

Track Record

Expertise forged across four decades of senior roles in the built environment.

The breadth of our advisory capability reflects the career of our founding Director, Hugh Porter — a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with senior roles spanning Tier 1 contractors, government defence programmes, major infrastructure schemes, and international projects across more than 35 years.

Carillion
Lendlease
Morgan Sindall
Navigant (Ankura)
Kier
Laing O'Rourke
Barhale Construction
Graham Construction
Battersea Power Station
Network Rail
London Underground
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
MODern Housing Solutions
Accord Housing
Andritz VA Tech Hydro (International)
We Build (International)
Alstom Transportation
Business in the Community
Imperial College London

Former WSL Clients

Barhale Construction  ·  Kier  ·  Laing O'Rourke

"Complex projects do not fail for want of talent — they fail for want of clear commercial accountability. That is precisely what we provide."

Our Heritage

Grounded in stability.
Guided by precision.

Our name is drawn from the Luzula woodrush — a perennial indicator species of ancient woodland. Ecologists use it to identify landscapes that have remained stable and undisturbed across centuries. To us, it represents exactly the quality our clients engage us for: deep-rooted, reliable expertise that does not waver under pressure.

That groundedness is paired with the precision of maritime tradition. Our House Flag combines two signal flags from the International Code: Sierra — signifying resolution — nested within Whisky — a call for vital assistance. Together they define our purpose: to be the clear-headed, authoritative presence your project calls upon when the stakes are highest.

Advisory practice established 2011. All work UK-delivered.

Woodrush Solutions House Flag
SierraResolution
WhiskyVital Assistance
LuzulaEnduring Stability

Founding Director

Hugh Porter

FICE  ·  FRSA  ·  BEng (Civil Engineering), Imperial College London

View LinkedIn Profile

Hugh is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 38 years of senior experience across infrastructure, defence, construction, and commercial advisory. His career has spanned roles as Strategy Director, Managing Director, Commercial Director, and General Manager — across organisations including Carillion, Morgan Sindall, Lendlease, and Navigant (now Ankura).

He led the mobilisation of MODern Housing Solutions as Managing Director — a joint venture managing over 40,000 Service Family Accommodation properties across England and Wales, with a turnover of approximately £100m. He was also a key figure in two successful MOD Prime Contract bids, each worth over £500m, with two-year procurement periods.

Earlier in his career, Hugh worked on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link as Alliance & JV Commercial Manager, and conducted a hydrodynamic feasibility study for a tidal power barrage on the Mersey — published in 1992 and still cited in the field. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Qualifications & Memberships

BEng (Civil Engineering)

Imperial College London, 1988

Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers

FICE

Fellow, Royal Society for Arts

FRSA — since 2003

Member, Permanent Way Institution

Ready to discuss your project?

We offer an initial advisory consultation to understand your situation and outline how we can help. There is no obligation and all discussions are treated in strict confidence.

Get in Touch

hugh@woodrush.com