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Cost management

Know what your project will cost, and know it early

We produce estimates and detailed cost estimates structured by CFC code, then we keep to that budget throughout construction, up to the final account.

  • Concrete raft foundation and walls of the contemporary villa under construction in Anières

For which projects

When to entrust us with your budget

An estimate or a detailed cost estimate can be commissioned from us on its own, as can the analysis of bids received.

  • A project still in the design phase

    Know the order of magnitude of your budget early, before you commit.

  • Drawings ready to be priced

    A detailed cost estimate, item by item, based on a full quantity take-off from the drawings.

  • Bids received

    Compared like for like, they reveal any scope omissions.

  • Works under way

    The budget stays on track through to the final account, change orders and time-and-materials work included.

For which types of project? Residential, Energy renovation, Retail & luxury, Industrial & commercial.

They have trusted us

Architects, developers, property managers, public institutions and private owners entrust us with the management of their projects in French-speaking Switzerland.

What you gain

A clear budget, with no nasty surprises during construction

What worries youWhat we do

  1. I will only know the real price once I am committed.

    An estimate is possible from the feasibility phase; the detailed cost estimate is then refined using real quantities.

    Based on area or volume ratios

  2. The bids cannot be compared: each one is calculated in its own way.

    We compare them like for like and spot any scope omissions.

    Every difference explained

  3. I do not know what the quoted figure covers.

    Every costing comes with its own assumptions log: what is included and what is set aside.

  4. I never see the change orders coming.

    Every progress claim and every change order goes through our checks. Any variance is known early and priced before any decision is taken.

    Time-and-materials work included

  5. To save money, they will cut corners on quality.

    We look for savings without lowering quality, through technical alternatives or renegotiation.

    You decide, with the figures in hand

Our role

Our cost management services

Cost management covers cost estimating, then cost control, which tracks your budget through to the final account.

  1. In the feasibility phase

    A preliminary estimate, using area or volume ratios under the SIA 416 standard, gives the order of magnitude of the project.

    Before you commit

  2. During design

    The detailed cost estimate, structured by CFC code, is based on a full quantity take-off from the drawings. Its assumptions log sets out the choices made and the items excluded.

    Through to tendering

  3. Before you sign

    We compare the contractors’ bids and spot scope omissions. A technical alternative or a renegotiation can also bring the cost down without lowering quality.

    Before the works

  4. During construction

    We check progress claims and change orders, along with time-and-materials work, then draw up the final account and close out the project’s finances.

    Through to the final account

A budget to draw up?

The first conversation is without obligation: tell us about your project.

How we work

Costings based on prices actually charged

Cost management does not mean squeezing prices, but knowing exactly where the money goes: what a bid includes, and what it does not.

Site table with a binder, material samples and two hard hats
  • Our estimates draw on the prices actually awarded on the sites we manage.
  • The price of sheet-metal work in Geneva is not a Swiss average.
  • Margins of uncertainty are stated at every stage of the costing.
  • You receive the information as it is, even when it is bad news.

Two stages of costing

Preliminary estimate or detailed cost estimate?

An order of magnitude is possible early on. Reliability comes later, as the project develops, when the drawings allow quantities to be counted.

  • When to get it

    Preliminary estimateFrom the feasibility phase, before you commit.

    Detailed cost estimateOnce the drawings are ready, during the design phase.

  • On what basis

    Preliminary estimateAn area or volume ratio, under the SIA 416 standard.

    Detailed cost estimateA full quantity take-off from the drawings, structured by CFC code.

  • What you get from it

    Preliminary estimateAn order of magnitude, to see whether the project stacks up.

    Detailed cost estimateAn item-by-item budget, tracked through to the final account.

Before you sign

Bids in hand? Before you sign, we compare them.

Knowing what a bid includes, and what it does not, avoids nasty surprises during construction.

Contemporary villa under scaffolding, seen through the trees, in Anières
  • We compare the bids like for like, with every difference explained.
  • We spot the scope omissions in each one.
  • You sign knowing what each bid includes.
  • This analysis can be commissioned on its own, with no other service.

Your questions about cost management

What is a detailed cost estimate by CFC code?

The CFC, or construction cost code, is the Swiss classification that organises the cost of a building by type of work, from the land through every trade to the fees. A detailed cost estimate by CFC makes it possible to compare projects with one another and track the budget item by item. It also gives everyone involved a common language.

When can you get a reliable estimate?

An order of magnitude is possible from the feasibility phase, through an estimate based on area or volume ratios under the SIA 416 standard. Reliability comes later, as the project develops: the detailed cost estimate by CFC code, prepared using a full quantity take-off from the drawings, rests on real quantities. At each stage, the assumptions log shows the margin of uncertainty that remains.

How do you keep to the budget?

Before the works, the assumptions log states what the budget includes and what it sets aside, and the bids are compared to detect scope omissions. During construction, every progress claim and every change order goes through our checks, as does time-and-materials work. A variance cannot always be avoided, but it is known early and priced before any decision is taken.

Do you produce costings without a construction management role?

Yes. An estimate or a detailed cost estimate by CFC code can be commissioned from us on its own, as can the analysis of bids received: to check a budget before you commit, for example.

Let us talk about your project

Describe your project in a few lines. We will get back to you within 48 working hours to arrange a first conversation, without obligation.

The building and the planned works, then where the project stands: design, permit, construction.

Do you have drawings or project documents? Attach them below.

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    Our other services

    • Owner’s representation

      Making day-to-day decisions when dealing with building professionals: we take on that role for you.

      General view of the construction site of the multi-purpose building in Begnins

    • Planning

      Schedules that are realistic and binding on the contractors, and used to manage the site.

      Facade drawings and schedules displayed on the wall of a site office

    • Tendering and contract award

      A well-prepared contract award means works that start with no grey areas.

      Site table with a binder, material samples and two hard hats

    • Construction management

      The discipline AKB Project was founded on: we take operational responsibility for construction.

      Two AKB Project team members checking a technical cabinet on a roof in Chêne-Bourg