Launching: July 2026
More to come …
what's in a name?
About Us
The name Grey Comma reflects our approach to commercial advisory: to always be capability-led, outcome-focused, & adaptable.
Grey speaks to maturity and nuance. Commercial lessons are hard-earned, and complex commercial problems are rarely resolved with templated, or generated, solutions.
Comma represents the importance of the considered pause: that moment taken to think, to clarify, to confirm, and, where appropriate, to adapt the approach, optimising outcomes as context evolves.
Together, Grey Comma represents mature, well-executed commercial thinking for optimal outcomes.
what we do
Our Services
transaction commercials
Commercial strategy, procurement artefacts, pricing models, and evaluation and negotiation support for new-market transactions.
- transaction strategy: Shaping of the procurement pathway, commercial approach, risk allocation and market engagement strategy so transactions are structured for clear decisions, competitive tension and deliverable outcomes
- commercial frameworks: Design of the commercial risk profiles, pricing model, payment schedules, and incentive and control mechanisms that align supplier behaviour with client objectives, optimising for cost, risk, transparency, and overall value-for-money
- RFP commercial artefacts: Development of the commercial schedules, pricing templates, returnables, evaluation criteria and supplier instructions needed to obtain clear, comparable and commercially useful market responses
- commercial evaluation: Assessment of pricing, assumptions, departures, dependencies and commercial risk to support defensible procurement decisions and identification of the issues that matter most before negotiation
- commercial negotiation: Preparation of commercial positions, issue registers, trade-off options and negotiation materials, then support the resolution of key issues through to the preferred outcome and contract close
- incumbent transition: Structuring the commercial responsibilities, cost treatment, risk allocation, dependencies and continuity protections needed to transition from incumbent arrangements to a new supplier or delivery model
- performance frameworks: Definition of incentives (carrot and stick), service levels, KPIs, reporting obligations, governance rhythms, credits, incentives and escalation mechanisms that create practical accountability during delivery and operations
- commercial-in-delivery: Support post-award mobilisation, commercial governance, supplier reporting, issue resolution and contract handover so the commercial intent survives into delivery and management
live contract commercials
Commercial support for live contracts, incumbent suppliers, variations, renewals, resets and performance improvement.
- commercial health check: Review of the current commercial position, obligations, risks, gaps and opportunities to identify what is working, what is unclear, and where value or control may be improved
- performance review: Assessment of supplier performance against service levels, KPIs, governance expectations and operational outcomes, with a focus on whether the commercial framework is driving the right behaviours
- commercial reset: recalibration of pricing, scope, obligations, governance, service levels or commercial controls for where the contract no longer reflects the operating reality or client objectives
- variation and change support: Structuring, assessment and negotiation of variations, scope changes, claims and commercial impacts, ensuring value for money and contractual alignment
- supplier performance uplift: implementation of practical mechanisms to improve supplier accountability, reporting, issue resolution and governance, while strengthening the client’s ability to manage performance over time
- renewal and extension strategy: Assessment of extension, renegotiation, recompete or transition options, then designing the commercial strategy, negotiation position and supporting materials needed for the preferred path
- benchmarking and value review: Leveraging quality independent benchmarkers, testing of pricing, service quality, market alignment and value-for-money against current alternatives, identifying whether the contract remains fair, competitive and commercially fit-for-purpose
- commercial issue resolution: consideration of commercial positions, evidence, rights and options to support practical resolution of performance issues, claims or disputes
complex commercials
Specialist support for complex IT/OT commercial issues, including integration risk, obsolescence, inflation, FX, transition, exit and acceptance.
- integration risk allocation: Definition of commercial responsibility where multiple suppliers, client systems, interfaces and dependencies need to work together, with risk allocated to the parties best placed to manage it
- obsolescence and lifecycle responsibility: Definition of responsibility for technology currency, obsolete components, end-of-life products, supportability, spares, refresh obligations and roadmap alignment across long-term IT/OT environments
- inflation, indexation and FX models: Design of escalation and currency mechanisms that fairly allocate exposure to labour, hardware, software, offshore costs, source currencies, hedging assumptions and market movement
- interface and dependency management: Definition of commercial accountability for technical interfaces, client inputs, third-party systems, environments, approvals, data, access, cooperation obligations and dependency failures
- acceptance, defect and scope credit regimes: Design of acceptance, known defect treatment, remediation obligations, production-readiness controls and commercial consequences where systems need to go live with managed residual risk
- technology refresh and upgrade obligations: Definition of upgrade, patching, version currency, regulatory change, vendor roadmap, cyber and platform-change obligations over the contract term
- transition and exit commercials: Definition of commercial rules for incumbent exit, new supplier mobilisation, cooperation duties, knowledge transfer, stranded costs, continuity risk and accountability during transition
- change and scope control: Design of practical mechanisms for managing assumptions, latent scope, dependencies, variations and emergent requirements so change is assessed, priced and governed transparently
commercial assurance
Independent review and challenge of commercial strategies, artefacts, positions and decisions before they become difficult to unwind.
- procurement readiness review: Review of the commercial strategy, procurement pathway, market approach and key artefacts before release, identifying gaps, risks and clarifications needed for a robust transaction
- commercial artefact review: Review of pricing schedules, returnables, evaluation models, performance frameworks and commercial terms to confirm they are clear, complete, aligned and fit for market release
- pricing and risk assurance: Review of pricing structures, assumptions, dependencies, risk allocation and commercial controls to test whether the model supports value-for-money, transparency and delivery confidence
- evaluation assurance: Review of the commercial evaluation approach, evidence, scoring, moderation and decision logic to support defensible, transparent and well-documented procurement outcomes
- negotiation readiness review: Review of negotiation issues, fallback positions, trade-offs, risk priorities and approval pathways so the client enters negotiations with clear positions and decision boundaries
- contract readiness review: Review of the proposed commercial position before contract close to identify unresolved issues, embedded assumptions, delivery risks and matters requiring executive attention
- mobilisation assurance: Review of the transition from procurement to delivery, including governance, reporting, obligations, performance measures and commercial management arrangements needed for effective mobilisation
- in-contract commercial health check: Review of live contract performance, commercial controls, supplier obligations, pricing, variations and governance to identify risks, leakage, improvement opportunities and value recovery options