Cost planning by a Chartered Quantity Surveyor identifies economies without compromising a building's design.
The "ideal" of the cost plan is not only to see the building design so controlled that the tender figure agrees with the budget but that it identifies economies that can be achieved without compromising the client's brief.
The most effective cost plans are prepared collaboratively with the design team between the briefing and sketch scheme stage.
The starting point is often an initial budget cost plan based on current building cost data. Subsequently a more detailed cost analysis will be prepared on an elemental basis using as far as possible current "all-
in" rates. Then as each element is designed the price can be checked against the analysis; differences can be addressed either by redesign or by transferring an under- or over-spend to another element so as to keep the project as a whole on target.
Architects can also find the analysis useful by posing "what if" questions to obtain comparative costs for alternative designs, materials and finishes. Comparisons can be made for different plan shapes, internal layouts and methods of construction as well as finishes.
Cost planning is best used as a working tool to reflect and record the effect of cost decisions throughout the design process; it can assist and guide those decisions to ensure a project returns maximum value for money.
Featured Projects
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Employers AgentAmesbury – School Extension
Our client for this project was a consortium consisting of a major house builder and local authority. The house builder agreed to finance an eight classroom extension to a local school as part of a ‘planning gain’ agreement. Planning consent had already been obtained so we suggested tendering on the basis of a design and build contract. -
Employers AgentWindsor – eleven superior apartments
Our client acquired this site with the benefit of planning consent and a contractor who had started preliminary works. We suggested negotiating with the contractor on the basis of a design and build contract. -
Employers AgentKingsclere – Tyre Depot
Our client owned and operated their business from this site, part of which was sold for residential development. To free up the residential site the redevelopment scheme including building a new depot in a corner of the site. We suggested tendering on the basis of a design and build contract. -
Employers AgentSlough – nine house residential development
Our client acquired this site with the benefit of planning consent and wanted to build out the scheme as quickly as possible. We suggested tendering on the basis of a design and build contract. -
Employers AgentWantage – Mixed Use Development
Our client for this project owns the nearby shopping precinct and had looked at various options to develop the vacant site. Financial viability and local authority pressure eventually culminated in planning consent for a mixed use, shop, office and residential scheme.