Louisa Batten, Applica’s Chief Operating Officer, shares her perspective on what clients really need during the energy transition, and why delivery capacity, workforce planning and realistic mobilisation are becoming critical to project success.

By Louisa Batten, Chief Operating Officer

Key Points

• Clients do not just need “resource”. They need people who understand the project phase, delivery model and operational pressure behind the requirement.

• Workforce planning needs to happen earlier, especially where workloads spike across FEED, permitting, construction and commissioning.

• The right employment model matters. Permanent, interim and contract support all have a role depending on project stage and delivery risk.

• A specialist partner can help reduce delivery risk by supporting role design, mobilisation planning, continuity and realistic market insight.

What Clients Need

The energy transition isn’t short on ambition. It’s short on delivery capacity, especially experienced people who can mobilise fast without adding risk.

When a client says they need “resource”, what they usually require is clarity on what the role needs to achieve in this phase of the project, and the ability to bring in people who’ve seen similar delivery models before. Just as important: having the flexibility to scale up and down (perm, interim, contract) and making sure knowledge doesn’t walk out of the door at the end of a short assignment.

It’s difficult because workloads spike, requirements evolve, and delivery often sits across owners, EPCs and partners. Getting the mix right is as much about context as credentials.

Common Resourcing Pitfalls

Most delivery teams run into the same issues: hiring to a job title rather than the work that actually needs doing, starting searches after the schedule is already under pressure, and underestimating how much interfaces matter (owner vs EPC vs JV, and site HSE expectations). Another common one is forcing a single employment model, trying to make everything permanent, or everything contract, when projects need both.

The cost is delay, churn and rework, plus tougher questions from partners, regulators and funders about delivery readiness.

Where a Specialist Partner Helps

The most useful support happens early: translating the programme into a phase-based resourcing plan, clarifying the critical roles, and agreeing the minimum bar for competence and relevant experience.

At Applica, we support energy teams with technical manpower and practical advice on mobilisation, role design and continuity. That might be interim and contract specialists to get through FEED, construction or commissioning peaks, or permanent hires for the roles you need to keep in-house, plus straightforward market insight on availability, lead times and realistic pay/rate ranges.

The emphasis is on reducing delivery risk while keeping mobilisation realistic.

Questions we work through with clients early on

What are the most critical roles by phase, and do we know the real lead times for FEED, permitting and commissioning? Is it clear what sits with the owner versus the EPC (and what needs specialist support)? And where would interim cover remove bottlenecks without creating a handover problem later?

If you’re planning resourcing for the next 6–18 months, a short market sense-check can help—happy to share what we’re seeing.

Looking ahead

Over the next few years, the differentiator will be who can consistently turn consents, designs and contracts into built, operating assets. That puts more pressure on early workforce planning, and on building teams that can move between phases without losing momentum.