About
Senior judgement, applied hands-on.
Senior commercial, claims and dispute advisory for complex construction and infrastructure projects. We support contractors, subcontractors, and legal teams with contract-led, evidence-based advice — from live project delivery through to formal dispute processes.
Our Story
Building Better Commercial Outcomes
Sumit Consulting was established to address a clear gap in the Australian construction market: the need for senior-level commercial, claims, and dispute advisory without the overheads or dilution of expertise often found in larger consultancies.
We work alongside project teams to manage risk, protect contractual entitlement, and support better commercial outcomes throughout the project lifecycle. Our approach is practical and evidence-based, grounded in the realities of live construction environments.
Early involvement is central to how we operate. By identifying issues early, strengthening substantiation, and aligning strategy with contract mechanisms, we help clients resolve matters commercially wherever possible and avoid unnecessary escalation.
Where disputes do arise, we provide disciplined support across adjudication, mediation, arbitration, and litigation, delivering clear analysis and defensible positions that withstand scrutiny.
How we work
Four moves. One standard.
Every engagement follows the same discipline, whether the matter settles in a meeting or lands before a tribunal.
Step 01
Instruct
A confidential briefing on the position as it stands — the contract, the dispute, the exposure. Engagement is direct: senior-led from the first conversation, no intake layer.
Step 02
Investigate
The record is assembled and tested. Contract provisions, programmes, correspondence, and site records are indexed into a single evidentiary base.
Step 03
Quantify
Entitlement is measured, not asserted. Delay, disruption, and cost build-ups substantiated line by line — to the standard a tribunal expects.
Step 04
Resolve
The position is put — in negotiation, adjudication, or formal proceedings — with the evidence arranged to carry it. Most matters settle before they escalate.
Our purpose
Mission & vision
Mission
To deliver practical, defensible commercial outcomes through contract-led advisory and evidence-based analysis, supporting clients from live project delivery through to dispute resolution.
Vision
To be a trusted specialist consultancy for complex commercial issues and disputes in the Australian construction market, recognised for rigour, independence, and sound commercial judgement.
Our values
What we stand for
- 01
Integrity
We act independently, ethically, and transparently — particularly where entitlement and evidence are contested.
- 02
Accountability
We take ownership of our advice, assumptions, and deliverables, and communicate clearly at every stage.
- 03
Excellence
We apply rigorous methodology and attention to detail so our work stands up to commercial and legal scrutiny.
- 04
Collaboration
We work constructively with project teams, clients, and legal advisors, even in high-pressure environments.
- 05
Innovation
We apply practical tools, systems, and approaches that improve commercial outcomes and decision-making.
- 06
Results-Driven
We focus on entitlement, exposure, and resolution — not unnecessary process.
- 07
Fairness
We approach disputes with balance and impartiality, ensuring positions are grounded in fact and contract.
Senior judgement is not a layer of review. It is the work itself.
Malachy Mullin — Managing Director & Founder
Malachy Mullin
BSc (Hons), MRICS, ACIArb
Quantum Expert · Managing Director & Founder, Sumit Consulting
Leadership
Meet the founder
Malachy Mullin is the Founder and Managing Director of Sumit Consulting and a Chartered Quantity Surveyor (MRICS) with extensive experience supporting major construction and infrastructure projects across Australia and the UK.
22+ years$13B+ advisedMRICSACIArb
His practice focuses on commercial advisory, claims strategy, quantum assessment, and dispute support, including Security of Payment matters. Malachy is known for his contract-led analysis, practical judgement on live projects, and ability to articulate complex commercial issues clearly and defensibly.
He works closely with project teams, subcontractors, principals, and legal advisors, often becoming embedded within delivery teams to manage risk, protect entitlement, and support early commercial resolution. Where disputes escalate, he provides structured support suitable for adjudication, mediation, arbitration, and litigation, coordinating with specialist consultants where additional expertise is required.
Malachy's approach is grounded in independence, transparency, and proportionality — ensuring clients are well positioned commercially while remaining prepared for formal determination if necessary.
Project value advised — $13B+ — reflects direct involvement in the delivery phase of major projects, not tender pipelines.
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management
- Diploma in Project Management
- Diploma in Leadership & Management
- Diploma in Surveying Practice
Memberships
- Member, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)
- Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb)
- Member, Society of Construction Law
Professional Affiliation
As a RICS-regulated firm, we operate in accordance with the highest standards of professional conduct, ethics, and technical competence — particularly in contentious and high-risk matters.
Work directly with the founder.
A confidential conversation about your contract, claim, or dispute position — straight into the matter, at senior level.