Company Profile

We are a multi-disciplinary construction consulting group specialising in contract, commercial, project controls, and dispute resolution solutions.

Our experience covers a wide range of complex projects with our expertise being called for—and highly beneficial—at any stage. We manage project risk from the tender stage through project execution and closeout, to resolution of any potential disputes.

Our specialist services are welcomed from a broad range of clients that sit on either side of the table. These include:

• Owners and government organisations
• Main contractors and subcontractors
• Utility companies and manufacturers
• Legal firms
• Insurance firms
• Banks and financial institutions

In the natural resources sector, we’ve worked on large scale oil and gas, LNG, mining and metals and renewable energy projects.

Our expert involvement has profitably impacted infrastructure including aviation, civils, light and heavy rail, power, water and manufacturing.

Large scale property experience includes multi-use commercial developments, super high-rise buildings, federal and state government facilities, sports, hospitality and leisure.

CDI Experts evolved from its original constitution, Qillin Group, founded in 2014 by managing partner, Tony Hughes. CDIE was then founded in 2019 by John Brells and Tony Hughes. Having worked together in one capacity or another for years, our partners, directors and staff share over 200 years of technical and live project experience.

We know how to work together to get the job done and have achieved this on a range of diverse and iconic projects across the world.

Whatever it takes to exceed expectations is what we’ll deliver. We bring rigour to our approach and processes, often revealing issues unseen by our rivals. Accuracy, efficiency and timeliness is always our main aim.

Our specialist consultants are formally educated and professionally trained. They were selected to join us because of their notable achievements on previous commercial building and construction projects.

Collectively and individually, we harness a level of commercial nous that others don’t. We see how project problems fit together in the context of wider business problems—and how best to resolve or mitigate them holistically.

Drawing extensively from the experience we’ve gained in these different global regions and industry sectors, we convert that to innovative solutions for our clients.

With complete independence as a privately owned company, we put your interests first, protecting you by delivering outstanding service to solve complex commercial challenges.

We are driven by a strong level of passion in what we do. This is expressed in how we go about our work, knowing that things can always be improved. Central to our actions and promise to our clients is the principal of quality. It imbues every facet of our business.

It drives quick response and innovation.

It drives exceedingly great outcomes.

All of which drive mutual success and growth.

These are the principles that our clients know and value—and why they repeatedly return.

Honesty ultimately underpins efficiency.

When we tell it how it is, we give clients the opportunity to make better decisions based on accurate information and expert opinion.

Facts need to be accepted as facts and they need to be understood. Problems shared help to ‘right the ship’ earlier, which leads to sizeable savings in cost, time and the prevention of risk.

CDI’s construction consultants are experienced practitioners from both private practice and contracting backgrounds forming multi-disciplined teams.

Measured and methodical in our daily conduct, our common goal is to achieve maximum efficiency. This means anticipating what the effects of our actions in any given moment might be. Whatever circumstances present, we remain alert, receptive and adaptable in unfamiliar, fast-changing environments.

Our strategies and solutions focus on using the best techniques to achieve the most cost effective and timely results.

We’re high on quality, low on rates, require less bodies to do the job well, and you have more access to input from our executive-level team.