Plan

Construction projects typically progress through the following design stages:

• Bulk and location: A quick, low-cost test to see whether a development of a certain size and orientation can fit on a given site.
• Concept: Adds more details – typically a site plan, floor plan, and elevation. Here we are testing whether the desired outcome is achievable within the overall bulk.
• Preliminary: Adds structural and engineering considerations, tests room sizes and resource consent compliance items (setbacks, shading, emergency egress), and is generally sufficient to support a resource consent application.
• Developed: Takes the design to a stage where the client has a full understanding of what they are getting including building services, landscaping, and material specifications.
• Detailed/building consent design: Sets out in much greater detail how the building will be constructed and how it complies with the New Zealand Building Code.

Our team understands the NZ Building Code and the Resource Management Act, and we work with skilled planners who know which aspects of a proposed development are likely to be straightforward and which may need further attention.

By obtaining the right advice early and designing for compliance throughout, we reduce the likelihood of a consent being rejected or delayed. Where a project doesn’t sit within permitted standards, we help navigate the consenting process with solid documentation and a clear, well-presented case.

In early stages, our registered quantity surveyors use industry square-metre rates and benchmark data from our in-house cost library to build up initial estimates. As the design develops and more information becomes available, these estimates are refined and broken down into elemental analysis.

Where needed, we consult with contractors and suppliers to validate current market rates. We also have subscription access to New Zealand’s most advanced cost database and estimating tool, and stay current with national trends through our professional memberships with the NZ Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS) and Building Industry Aotearoa.

Our team is trained and approved for government-level procurement, which we carry out across a wide range of project scales. Our process includes:

• Creating a tailored procurement strategy and plan
• Collating the tender package
• Managing the process across all major platforms, including GETS and Tenderlink
• Coordinating all requests for information and responses
• Assembling, participating in, and chairing tender evaluation panels
• Undertaking due diligence on submissions, including capability, capacity, and a thorough review of any gaps in scope or pricing

We recommend and work under Standards NZ construction contracts, including:

• NZS3910:2013 — Conditions of Contract for Building and Civil Engineering Construction
• NZS3916:2013 — Conditions for design-and-build projects
• NZS3910:2023 and NZS3916:2025 — the most recent updates
• NZS3915:2013 — for projects not requiring an Engineer to the Contract

We also work under other recognised industry contracts, including Master Builders, Certified Builders, and SA 2017 where relevant.

Using a well-known, tested contract form matters as costly disputes happen more often when parties operate outside standard arrangements.. These contracts have established case law behind them, the industry knows how they work, and they set clear and fair expectations for all parties. Our Engineers to the Contract, Contract Administrators, and Independent Certifiers all know these contracts inside out.