Commercial real estate project management services

We can be engaged independently of a client’s existing project team, providing a valuable third party perspective.

The sector experience of our contract consultants enables us to act on all building contract matters. With delegated authority, we issue instructions, certificates, statements; opinions, accounts, decisions, and notices on behalf of our clients. It’s a service which frees up internal resources, and provides a high level of consistency throughout the project lifecycle.

We keep the building contract running to schedule. Working closely with the building contractor is fundamental to this, and we always act within the spirit of the contract, negotiating skilfully – and fairly – with all stakeholders. That collaborative approach applies regardless of whether we’re working in housing, retail, offices, arts and culture, education or healthcare.

Our dedicated project programme managers help clients to make that determination, by dissecting the construction programmes provided by contractors. That process can reduce risk, and cut unnecessary expenditure.

The advice we provide is often interlinked with broader project management objectives, establishing the principal programme tools use to drive a project – namely the Master, Design, Procurement, Construction, and Completion and Occupation programmes.

All of our programme managers have construction methodology and logistics experience. It means that they can be – and often are - called on to support design development, assist in planning consultations, develop procurement strategies and demonstrate sensible construction sequences. 

Our clients are also confident that they’re getting advice that’s market-specific. We help to deliver projects across the following sectors:

• Housing
• Office
• Hotel and leisure
• Retail
• Education
• Student accommodation
• Arts and culture
• Industrial and distribution units
• Healthcare

Failure to spot, and deal with, a slippage of standards can have major repercussions at a later date.

Our compliance monitoring experts work directly with clients, or in a complementary capacity to our contract administration service, to ensure that all building standards are met - at all times. It’s a service supported by an intimate understanding of project management, and our experience of working in every major commercial property sector.

So when we assemble a compliance team on a client’s project, they’re assured that the professionals we engage have relevant sector expertise, as well as the right skills.

Those abilities include reviewing and inspecting samples, benchmarks, works in progress, and completed works – and rejecting or accepting them. We also review the contractor’s designs and technical submittals, making sure that they conform to building contract design standards.

The development process may throw up any number of unexpected challenges. Our compliance monitoring service can draw experts from our building consultancy, planning and neighbourly matters teams to work with external specialists – such as architectural clerks of works, and compliance structural and building services validation engineers – to deal with specific issues.

We act as an interface for the client, smoothing the flow of communication and maintaining a positive and fruitful relationship between the two parties prior to occupation.

When combined with our programme management and compliance monitoring advice, it offers a uniquely integrated, and complete, service. We work for both landlords and tenants, often in cases when we’ve been engaged on a project from the outset. Our birds-eye view means that we fully understand the client’s needs, and are intimately familiar with the building. And it ensures consistency across the entire project lifecycle.

Our seven step plan provides a clear framework for streamlining the occupation process. We manage and coordinate the tenant’s fitting out, and provide robust support for their legal or leasing teams. Our experts also provide complete training and staff management strategies, making sure that the move in or opening goes to plan.

Adaptability is a hallmark of our service. With specialists in offices, office fit out for occupiers, hotels and leisure, and retail, we can shape our coordination strategy around your specific market objectives. It’s a potent admix of sector and service expertise.

It will determine whether budget is able to match ambition, as well as identifying what constitutes value for money. That truism applies regardless of a project’s scale, complexity or whether it’s a new build or refurbishment. 

Our quantity surveyors help clients to monitor costs, ensure value for money, and exploit opportunities to strip away excess expenditure at every stage of the project:

Procurement advice and contract financial control
Our detailed understanding of the construction process and its attendant challenges is one of our key strengths. We have a long and successful history of working with principal and sub-contractors, advising on procurement, cost planning and the tendering process, and carrying out final account services.

Pre-contract
A thoroughly researched cost estimate of a proposed building project is intrinsic to any feasibility study. At a fundamental level it can determine whether a project is viable or not. And it’s essential in drawing up a realistic budget.

Our quantity surveyors harness data from similar schemes we’ve worked on, establishing a clear benchmark for the project - that’s then used to measure progress and effectively monitor the development of the design. As the design develops, the order of cost estimate can be updated to establish Formal Cost Plans.

We can also advise on the types of contract available to the client, and help them to find the right tenderers for their project. Our consultants assist clients throughout the tendering process, from drawing up the documentation to ultimately recommending which bids to accept.

Sometimes tenders may exceed budgets. When that occurs, our quantity surveyors can value engineer the budget without significantly impacting the client’s position. If that’s not possible, we can help the client to obtain additional funding.

Post-contract
After the award of the contract, our quantity surveyors provide a full post contract service. It covers every aspect of cost consultancy, right up to the issue of the final certificate.

That service includes carrying out interim valuations with the contractor, issuing payment certificates, and implementing a cost challenging process for the valuation of variations. We also provide regular financial statements to the client, tailored to their requirements.

We’re used to working with all the current standard forms of construction contracts. Our expertise encompasses building, civil engineering, specialist sub‑contracting and works package contracting – we prepare and issue contract documentation, and liaise with our client’s lawyers on amendments, design warranties, bonds and parent company guarantees.

At the end of the process, we’ll agree the final amount with the contractors and certify any release of retention.

We offer our clients a range of options, tailored to their particular requirements and the support that we provide ranges from project director to project management office (PMO) level.

We bring fresh insights and a wealth of project management experience. Our deep understanding of construction projects helps us to anticipate issues, provide clarity and help our clients to make the right decisions at the right time.

Many successful organisations inhabit poor workspaces, and creativity can flourish in uninspiring environments. Moreover, no two organisations are identical. Superficial similarities can mask radically different processes, methodologies, technology and culture. What then, are the workspace triggers for each organisation?

Our workspace consultants get under the skin of our clients’ organisations, seeking to understand what makes the business unique, the opportunities available and the challenges that it faces. From that starting point, we prepare practical workspace strategies to help optimise space - and maximise performance.

Our move management specialists support our clients through workplace changes, making the process as painless as possible.

We have considerable expertise in managing every type of change, from major relocations and office restacks, through to internal re-shuffles. Our experts provide advice and management, covering every element of relocations, from strategic space planning, filing audits, procurement of removal services through to on-site management.

Working alongside our client’s project teams gives us a deeper understanding of our clients’ needs, as well as the culture informing the change. It also gives us the opportunity to capture crucial data. Our advice and proposed strategies are informed by that knowledge and moulded to fit with our clients’ aspirations.

Our clear aim on every move is to avoid any down-time and thrill our clients’ staff with their new space and the “moving experience”.