Resources
Engineering and methods
A project is won or lost before the first bucket of earth is moved. It is at the engineering stage that the real cost, the achievable programme and the risks nobody will see coming are decided.
Scope
What the engineering stage covers
Analysis and pricing
- Critical reading of the tender documents
- Independent quantity take-off
- Assessment of site and access constraints
- Pricing itemised by work item
- Identification of risks and uncertainties
- Technical alternatives where they make sense
Construction methods
- Selection and justification of methods
- Site layout plan
- Phasing and maintenance of existing access
- Sizing of resources by phase
- Method statements and work procedures
- Coordination with other parties
Planning and monitoring
- Detailed programme by activity
- Critical path and float identified
- Contractual milestones and hold points
- Setting out and survey control
- Progress monitoring and interim valuations
- As-built documentation
Why it matters
What preparation prevents
Projects rarely slip because of a problem in execution. It nearly always traces back to insufficient preparation: a quantity misjudged, an access not verified, an existing service not located, a seasonal constraint ignored when the programme was built.
We would rather flag a difficulty at tender stage, even if that means a less flattering proposal than a competitor's, than discover it during construction and turn it into a variation. A low price that slips costs the client more than a fair price held to the end.
In practice this means a proposal comes with the assumptions behind it: the quantities we have committed to, what is included, and what would legitimately change the price. It is less striking than a discount, but it is verifiable at handover.
Works to deliver? Talk to us.
Describe the project, its location and its deadline. We come back to you within two business days with an initial assessment and whatever is missing.