Strategy, systems and technology for the built environment

Synaform exists so that the people who understand a problem and the people who can model and improve the system behind it work as one team.

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What we do

Synaform is a strategic advisory, software and solutions business for the built environment. We combine domain expertise, systems thinking, modelling and simulation with a fairly measured approach to adopting new technology.

We work across the supply chain, from the public bodies that commission work to the manufacturers that make the products, and with the asset owners, developers, designers and specialist contractors in between. Each of them wants something different from the same asset, and many of the hardest problems sit where their interests meet.

There are three ways to work with us, and each can stand alone or work alongside the others.

ServicesAdvice, modelling and implementation for decisions without an obvious answer, from strategy and operating models to process, data and technology.

ProductsSoftware we build and look after, including Project:OS and Playground, usable on their own or with our services.

SolutionsExpertise, methods and technology brought together around specific challenges, such as PFI handback readiness and capital programme control.

Three principles behind the work

These shape how we approach a problem, whatever form the engagement takes.

Systems, not memoriesMost projects depend on what a few people remember. We help write down how the work should run and build it into the methods and tools the team uses, so knowledge survives changes of personnel.

Guidance should be usedDecades of industry reports describe what good practice looks like. We turn that guidance into workflows that teams can follow, check and improve day to day.

Best tool firstTechnology is now the easier part of most problems. We use proven software before we build, and build only where it pays.

A small, senior team

The people you meet are the people who do the work.

We are deliberately small and senior. Engagements are led by people who have delivered major programmes and built software themselves, and who work directly with the client's own specialists. We bring in partners and independent experts where a problem needs knowledge we do not hold: our PFI handbacks worked example, for instance, was developed in collaboration with A7Consult Limited.

The aim is that what we learn with a client stays with the client. Models state their assumptions, methods are written down, and where software helps, it holds the knowledge in a form the team can keep using. Our approach sets out how that works in practice.

Where the approach comes from

Synaform's founders have worked together since 2016, combining commercial and delivery experience with software engineering.

John Lohan and Matt Osment first worked together in 2016, on major projects including the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and Hinkley Point C. At Battersea, amongst other things, they designed the programme logistics system.

For Hinkley Point C they developed a machine learning pilot in 2019, as part of a digital transformation of commercial processes. Synaform Limited was incorporated in August 2025 and grew directly out of that work, the idea being that the people who understand a problem and the people who build the tools to address it should work as one team.

Co-founder & CEO

John Lohan

“Most projects run on people's memories. Good ones run on systems.”

John has more than 30 years in procurement, supply chain, commercial management and programme delivery across construction and infrastructure. He has held commercial leadership roles on major programmes across ports, nuclear, aviation and regeneration. He led procurement and supply chain at Laing O'Rourke and Taylor Woodrow, led construction logistics for the NEOM giga-projects, and led the turnaround and logistics strategy on the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station. He holds an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from King's College London and is MRICS, MCIPS, MCIArb and MAPM.

Co-founder & CTO

Matthew Osment

“Technology is now the easy part. We help clients find the opportunities they didn't know they had.”

Matt designed and built Project:OS. His background spans manufacturing, contracting and commercial analytics, with product roles at 3D Repo and work at Elecosoft and Rapid DCS. He founded Shift, a digital construction consultancy, and speaks at Digital Construction Week.

Our approachHow the method follows the problem ServicesAdvice, modelling and implementation InsightsIllustrative models, worked examples and articles

Get in touch

Tell us what is proving difficult or what needs to change. You will not need a specification, and we can help work out where to begin.

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