02 / Plan & Fund
The cheapest place to solve a problem is on paper.
In a design-build project the design and the budget are the same conversation, and we are accountable for both. We assemble and lead the design team, then price what it draws against a cost basis we control.
We estimate from our own self-performed cost basis for steel and MEP, which means large parts of the budget are not a subcontractor's allowance. They are our own production costs.
Design management
Design-build means one contract and one point of accountability. You hire us, and we carry the design team rather than handing you a second relationship to manage and a seam for problems to fall through.
Some disciplines we perform in house. For architecture and specialist engineering we bring in the partner firms best suited to the building type, and we hold the contract, the schedule, and the coordination risk ourselves.
- Selecting and contracting the architects and engineers for the project type
- Running the design schedule against the construction schedule, not after it
- Pricing each design decision as it is made rather than at the end
- One point of contact for the owner across design and construction
Estimating and budgeting
We provide accurate cost estimates and budgeting for your project, ensuring that it can stay within budget and construction is delivered on time.
Estimates are built up from quantities and our own production rates, then reconciled against the market for the scopes we do not self-perform.
Value engineering
Value engineering has a bad reputation because it is usually a late scramble to cut a number. Done properly it happens early, and it is about the ratio of cost to performance rather than stripping the building.
- Structural system studies, including where prefab steel beats the alternative and where it does not
- Envelope and MEP alternates priced against operating cost, not just first cost
- Schedule compression options with the cost of each one attached
- Life cycle comparisons for owners who will hold the asset
Constructability and design coordination
Our design team, our engineers, and our field leadership review the set together before it is issued. The point is to find the conflicts, the impossible sequences, and the details nobody can actually build, while they are still cheap to change.
Through iterative reviews, the design is refined and ready for construction, ensuring every detail aligns with your vision and regulatory standards.
Plan & Fund
The rest of this stage.
Get a real number
Send us plans, a program, or a napkin sketch. We will come back with scope, budget, and a delivery window you can plan around.