Some guiding principles on cost, time and risk from Alinea’s Iain Parker
When you walk around a construction site, much of the project cost is obvious and tangible - the materials you can touch, and the site organisation and set-up tasked with delivering the scheme. However, the reality of what you are seeing on-site the day before practical completion probably reflects about 80-90% of the final account the QS is about to settle – so where is the remaining cost and does it represent an opportunity to win back?
There are many strands to a final build cost, which has travelled through a briefing, design, procurement and construction process, but let’s highlight some of the key areas of this evolution to spark some thought around ‘how to do better’ in striving to enhance the project’s commercial success.
Starting with the brief, has this been prepared in a scrutinised fashion with debate and challenge or are previous versions being wheeled out because they seemed to work last time? Perhaps there are items which could be considered to be ‘over the top’ because that’s an easier path than finding the energy or time to debate whether it’s absolutely necessary.
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