Quantity Surveying & Cost Management
Cost Planning
Early Cost Advice |
The decision to build; is that the correct solution to your problem or do you want to refurbish your existing premises? Perhaps the solution is the “do nothing” option. We can help your decision making with broad brush cost yardsticks obtained from our project cost data base to generate and form a project brief and a possible project budget |
Feasibility Studies |
Various building options emerge from the inception phase, some seem more feasible than others. How are you going to reduce those options to the best solution? At this stage options are considered and tested for functionality technical and financially. We can draw on our expensive experience and construction cost data base to provide cost estimates in an elemental format for comparison purposes to narrow and define the options |
Outline Proposal |
At this stage there is some consensus for the design team focus towards a project solution as more detail comes to hand to enable the Client to agree to a likely solution for the construction proposal. We can begin to firm and confirm costings at this stage and ensure that the design is within the Clients overall project budget |
Concept Design |
The design is getting more settled at this stage with more detail being input by the respective design consultants and the specification becomes more formulated towards formal approval by the Client. Our role is to confirm the emergent design is still within keeping of the overall project budget with more detailed and cost checking specific items for the designers. |
Detail Design |
Detail design is in full production by this stage towards the culmination of a set of final tender documentation. We are preparing a full estimate of cost to provide the Client with a likely tender price and cost checks as necessary for specific items confirming items for the designers are still within the budget. Together with our experience of the current tender market conditions we will provide an accurate estimate of cost at this stage that should at least prove that the lowest tenderer is in fact the correct price. |
Bills of Quantities
Guaranteed Bill |
We have experienced Bill measurers within the organisation that measure and produce Bills of Quantities. Tenderers appreciate being placed on the level playing field with their commercial rivals knowing that they have an even chance of success. Once the successful tenderer becomes the contractor then the Bill alters its role to that of an aid for pricing variations or at least a cost analysis function for the quantity surveyor. Clients are misled into believing that there is a cost saving to be made without commissioning the quantity surveyor to produce bills of quantities especially in the larger projects without thinking of the post contract implications for he use of a detailed Bills of Quantities |
Builders Bills |
We have noticed a compensating rise in the request for Bills of Quantities from builders in direct opposition to the decline in use by the clients. Builders do not want to know every detail that falls within the guidelines of the Standard Method of measurement. However builders know we have the skills long developed to be able to produce the “builders bill” combining all the usual requests made by builders on a trade by trade basis and we have develop a standard “Builders Bill” along those agreed guidelines lines. Their sub contractors also appreciate this and are able to produce more and complete pricing in a shorter timeframe. |
Tender Documentation and Evaluation
The tender closes and the evaluation process takes place to discover the exact meaning of these submitted tenderers following which we can compile a report and recommendation of acceptance to our Client. With the knowledge that the lowest tenderer is not necessary the best option, each time that we carry out a tender evaluation we use our market experience to assess critically each of the valid tenderers.
Contract Administration
We can assure the Client or financier that by the time a builder’s progress claim has been assessed and preferably agreed on site in a timely manner, including the settlement of variations if any, the Client will take comfort from us knowing that he will be paying our recommendation for exactly what has been built on site, usually on a monthly basis. This process also assures the builder of a cash flow on a reasonable basis. This is where our cost control expertise gained from hands on knowledge comes into play.
Draw Down Certification
This is an area of expertise that is increasing more and more as financiers rely on our skills to prepare drawdown recommendations on the cost to complete format basis. Our reports are much broader with the financier becoming in place of the Client and we virtually put ourselves in the place of the financier to reduce the risk to the financier in the unlikely event that the builder goes awry.
Replacement Cost
We have been asked on numerous occasions to provide an estimate of cost to replace a building for insurance replacement purposes, sometimes choosing a fine line between original design concepts being replaced by modern design and construction techniques. On the other hand our Clients are also concerned about paying too high a premium for replacements costs. We are ideally suited to the task here.
Tax Deprecation
Our wide experience in this field ranges from the single unit investment unit through to apartment blocks, factories and warehouses. Whether it is for sale purposes at the building completion we can provide assessment for plant and materials in accordance with the requirements of the taxation authorities.
Life Cycle Costing
Building owners are of course aware that construction costs are just part of a building life cycle.