Design Audit
A focused review at DD stage.
$15K – $25K
- DD-stage drawings reviewed in full
- Consultant coordination check
- Constructability flags
- Written report with prioritised recommendations
Service — 02
Design Management.
Independent buildability review before the design hits site.
The most expensive mistake in any project is the one that hits site as an RFI. Design Management is the upstream service that prevents it — by reviewing and coordinating the design package before tender, on the owner's behalf, with no incentive to inflate scope.
Why this service exists
Mid-market developers chronically under-buy this function.
Architects don't always police constructability. Their fee is on the design, not on the build.
GCs offering pre-construction services have a financial incentive to flag scope-increasing items. They're not wrong to do so — but they're not the right reviewer either.
Lender technical due diligence happens too late and protects the lender, not the developer.
An independent owner-side review at the design stage routinely catches issues that would cost five to twenty times as much to fix on site. We do that review.
Scope
A structured review of the design before tender.
01
Buildability and constructability review
We read the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and envelope drawings together — flagging coordination conflicts, ambiguous specifications, and details that will not survive contact with the build.
02
Cost and value engineering against the build
We benchmark the design against current Bow Valley construction costs, identify where spec is over-built for the asset class, and propose value-engineering options that protect intent and yield.
03
Spec lock-down and tender preparation
We coordinate the consultants to a final, tender-ready package — closing out RFIs in advance and minimising change-order exposure once the GC is on board.
How we engage
Three formats, by depth.
Design Management — Standard
A continuous review from DD to IFC.
$30K – $60K
- Everything in Audit, plus:
- Consultant coordination meetings
- Value-engineering options paper
- Spec lock-down to tender-ready
- Tender-package preparation
Design Management — Extended
Full pre-construction including procurement.
$60K – $100K
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Procurement strategy memo
- GC vetting and shortlist
- Tender adjudication and recommendation
- A handover memo into the build phase
Timing
At DD stage, ideally.
Earlier than that we have nothing to review; later than that the architect has already moved on. The right window is when the drawings are detailed enough to assess but before they go to tender.
Get started
Book a Design Audit.
A short engagement that pays for itself in the first RFI it prevents.
Book a Design Audit →