Episode 30 of the WHySE Creatures Stories
This post first appeared on LinkedIn on 10 September 2026.
M
How much responsibility can a single letter hold?
Construction drawings, schedules and cost tables cover the large table. Right in the middle, Monkey places a note:
“EPC or EPCM?”
“The M looks small,” says Dog. “For contracts, interfaces and risks, it makes a big difference.”
Under EPC, a general contractor takes on the agreed package of engineering, procurement and construction.
Under EPCM, a specialist planner coordinates the work. The client typically holds the individual contracts and remains more closely involved in decisions and risks.
The construction site may look similar in the end. The path towards it follows a fundamentally different structure.
Landmark 6 of the WHySE Compass shows:
→ the roles of Buffalo as general contractor and Horse as EPCM partner
→ where the contractual interfaces lie
→ how responsibilities and risks are allocated
→ which common misconceptions surrounding EPC(M) can obscure the way forward
Unclear scope of supply and incorrectly allocated risks can later lead to supplementary agreements, schedule delays and unclear responsibilities.
If you are faced with the decision between EPC and EPCM, it is therefore worth taking a close look at contracts and interfaces – before awarding the contract and before FID.