Know the cost before you commit.
Estimators, schedulers and field leaders who join at concept, test every assumption and hand you a budget and a logic-driven schedule you can take to your board. A deadline is only as strong as the plan behind it, and this is where the plan gets built.
Why it matters.
Early decisions set the cost
Most of a project’s cost is fixed by choices made before drawings are complete. That is when a builder’s input is worth the most.
Markets move fast
Material prices, labor availability and lead times shift month to month. A budget is only as good as the market data behind it.
Surprises are expensive
Unknown soil, hidden utilities and late design changes cost far more to fix in the field than on paper.
How we work.
- 01
Conceptual estimating
Parametric budgets built from our own cost history and current bids, refined at every design milestone.
- 02
Target value design
We set a target cost with the design team and track every decision against it, so the design lands on budget.
- 03
Constructability reviews
Field superintendents walk the drawings before they are issued and fix sequencing, access and detailing problems early.
- 04
Market and trade outreach
We test pricing with trade partners and suppliers early, secure long-lead items and confirm labor is available.
- 05
Risk and decision planning
A live risk register that prices each unknown, names the owner decision that retires it and the date that decision is needed by, so contingency is tied to real exposures.
What you receive.
Every engagement is scoped to the project. These are the core outputs owners can expect.
Detailed estimates at each design stage, reconciled line by line with the previous one.
A logic-driven schedule that shows permitting, procurement, construction and handover.
Priced alternatives with the cost, schedule and lifecycle effect of each choice.
Cranes, laydown, access and phasing drawn out before mobilization.
Release dates for equipment and materials tied to the schedule.
Open-book pricing at every design stage.
On a progressive design-build treatment plant, the builder joins at concept. The utility sees a priced estimate and an updated critical path at each design milestone, ozone and membrane equipment is released early to protect the schedule, and the guaranteed price is set only once the design and its risks are clear.
- Every
- Design milestone priced
- Early
- Release of long-lead equipment
- 1
- Risk register, owned and dated
Questions owners ask us.
When should we bring a builder into preconstruction?
As early as concept design. The earlier we start, the more options remain open, and the more our cost and schedule input can shape the design.
Do you charge for preconstruction services?
It depends on the delivery model and the scope. We agree a clear fee or allowance before we start so there are no surprises.
Can you estimate a project designed by another team?
Yes. We regularly provide independent estimates, constructability reviews and schedule checks for owners and design teams.
Talk to the people who will build it.
Send us your scope, target date and biggest concern. A senior Jacob Wiseman lead will read it personally.