A programme can show a planned start date with great confidence while leaving the approval basis unresolved. The estimate then inherits that confidence, often through preliminaries and resource assumptions that depend on the date being achieved.
For higher-risk buildings in England, the Building Safety Regulator’s guidance states that the client must ensure the required building-control approval is granted before building work starts. The estimator needs to understand how the project’s delivery plan addresses that requirement.
This does not mean adding an arbitrary delay allowance. It means identifying the information, review and approval assumptions on which the price depends.
- Design information
- Application preparation
- Approval before relevant work
- Controlled construction changes
- Completion information
A simplified estimating interface map. Check the applicable building-control requirements and transitional arrangements.
Price the stated plan
If the team expects a period between application and the relevant start, show how staff, temporary facilities and procurement commitments are treated during that period. Distinguish costs that continue from costs that can be deferred.
Changes during delivery also need a process. A design revision can affect both physical work and the information required to support it. The estimate should not assume that the cost of a change is limited to the visible material quantity.
The regulatory specialists should establish the applicable obligations, including any transitional position. The estimating team should translate the agreed delivery approach into a reviewable cost basis.
A clear assumption gives the project something to monitor. An unexplained percentage gives it a number without a trigger for action.