Understand the likely cost before you go to market.
Reliable cost information is fundamental to good project decisions.
Civil Solutions provides independent cost planning and Engineer’s Estimate services for civil infrastructure projects, helping clients, consultants and project teams understand the likely construction cost of proposed works before procurement.
Our estimates combine first-principles pricing, current market information and practical construction experience to provide a realistic view of what the market is likely to price.
From early concept budgets through to detailed pre-tender estimates, our approach can be scaled to suit the stage, complexity and information available.
Engineer’s Estimates
An Engineer’s Estimate should provide more than a benchmark number. It should represent a reasoned assessment of what a competent contractor is likely to require to deliver the works based on the proposed design, methodology, resources, programme and market conditions.
Civil Solutions develops independent Engineer’s Estimates using contractor-style estimating principles.
- First-principles rate build-ups
- Labour, plant and material resources
- Productivity and production assumptions
- Supplier and subcontractor market pricing
- Preliminary and general costs
- Construction methodology and sequencing
- Temporary works and logistics
- Programme considerations
- Risk and opportunity allowances
- Market conditions and pricing position
The estimate can be developed from high-level benchmarking through to a detailed Work Breakdown Structure with transparent cost build-ups and assumptions.
Cost Planning
Good cost planning starts well before tender. As a project develops, decisions around scope, design, methodology, staging and programme progressively determine its eventual construction cost.
- Concept and feasibility estimates
- Design-stage cost plans
- Budget development
- Option comparison
- Cost impact assessments
- Design development reviews
- Construction methodology comparisons
- Programme and staging cost impacts
- Market escalation considerations
- Pre-tender cost estimates
Rather than treating the estimate as a one-off exercise, the cost plan can evolve with the project as information and design certainty improve.
Optioneering & Cost Comparison
Sometimes the most valuable cost advice is not determining what the current design costs. It is understanding whether there is a better option.
Civil Solutions can combine cost planning with constructability and optioneering to assess alternative designs, methodologies, staging arrangements or delivery approaches.
- Construction cost
- Programme
- Resources
- Temporary works
- Access and logistics
- Construction complexity
- Delivery risk
- Operational impacts
A cheaper design is not necessarily a cheaper project. The objective is to identify the solution that provides the best overall delivery outcome.
Independent Cost Reviews
There are times when a project needs another set of eyes. Civil Solutions can independently review existing estimates, budgets and contractor pricing to test whether the underlying assumptions appear reasonable and consistent with the proposed delivery approach.
- Quantities and scope coverage
- Rates and resource build-ups
- Productivity assumptions
- Preliminary and general costs
- Construction methodology
- Programme assumptions
- Supplier and subcontractor pricing
- Risk allowances
- Market conditions
- Potential omissions or duplication
The purpose is not to manufacture a different number. It is to understand the estimate, challenge the assumptions behind it and identify areas that warrant further investigation.
Benchmarking & Market Insight
Historical rates are useful, but they need context. Civil construction pricing can vary significantly depending on project scale, location, access, programme, risk allocation, market capacity and procurement conditions.
Civil Solutions combines available benchmark information with current supplier, subcontractor and contractor market knowledge. Where appropriate, benchmarking is used alongside first-principles estimating rather than replacing it.
Contractor Thinking on the Client Side
Civil Solutions is not a traditional quantity surveying practice. Our cost planning capability comes from estimating, managing and delivering civil infrastructure.
We consider the questions a contractor will ultimately have to answer: How will we build it? What plant and people will we need? What productivity can realistically be achieved? How will we access the work? What temporary works are required? What does the programme demand? Where is the construction risk? And what is the market likely to do with that risk?
Those questions ultimately influence the price received at tender. By considering them before procurement, clients can enter the market with a clearer understanding of likely construction cost and the reasons behind it.
Supporting Better Project Decisions
Reliable cost information can support more than tender evaluation.
- Establish and validate budgets
- Compare design and delivery options
- Prioritise scope
- Identify cost pressures early
- Support funding decisions
- Test affordability
- Prepare procurement strategies
- Evaluate tender returns
- Understand significant market movements
- Manage change during design development
Our role is to provide transparent cost information and practical construction insight so the project team can make informed decisions.
Need an Independent View of Project Cost?
Whether you are developing an early project budget, preparing an Engineer’s Estimate or want an independent review before going to market, Civil Solutions can help establish what the works are realistically likely to cost.