Our Services

Cost and Commercial Management

In a world where material and resource costs fluctuate so rapidly, it is imperative that procurement costs and contracts are as accurate as possible. Our shared local knowledge, and market intelligence, mixed with a broader perspective of the construction industry; keeps our services sharp, accurate and reliable.

From concept to post-completion, Rawlinsons provide cost planning and commercial management advice that ensures:

• Projects are completed within budget and represent excellent value for money;
• Investor and end-user investment risk is mitigated by providing comprehensive and reliable estimates based on our broad experience of projects and construction markets throughout NZ.

Contract Administration and Construction Services

Real-time project costing and reporting allows ongoing control of every project. Rawlinsons treat contract administration services equally as importantly as the earlier estimation and cost planning work.

Every client has slightly different reporting needs and Rawlinsons will adapt each reporting system to specifically reflect those needs whilst maintaining focus on the most important deliverable – forecasting a reliable out-turn cost.

Rawlinsons reporting system provides:

• Real-time project costing and generation of reports;
• Reports that clearly show the client the estimated cost at completion;
• Transparency of all known adjustments to project tendered costs, anticipated changes and a contingency allowance appropriate to the project;
• Progress payment valuations and cost to complete statements;
• A framework to negotiate and agree contract cost variations and determine final account values with the other consultants and the contractor, and a recommended final account.

Strategic Procurement & Contract Strategy

The New Zealand construction market is busier than ever, and construction prices have become more unpredictable, making the procurement process infinitely more challenging. Securing the right resources at the right time for the best price is key to delivering projects on time and within budget.

Contract procurement plays such an important part of every project, covering issues of availability, timing, cost, performance and quality. Market upheaval and timing pressures highlight the risks that various procurement options bring.

Rawlinsons are fully conversant with the relative strengths and weaknesses of the different procurement strategies, and regularly advise clients on alternatives and which strategy will be most suitable for a project or programme of work.

Rawlinsons senior staff, and in particular Andy Tiplin and Julian Donald, are Contract Procurement and Negotiation specialists with detailed knowledge of both NZ and international forms of contract and international forms of contract including:

• NZS3910, NZS3915 and NZS3916 (Design and Construct);
• NEC (Engineering and Construction Contract);
• NZIA.

Various alternative payment and incentivisation options e.g.

• Early Contractor Involvement (ECI);
• Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP);
• Partnering;
• Frameworks.

Bank Funding Reporting

Rawlinsons bank reporting/funding experience is wide-ranging.

• In the last five years, Rawlinsons have provided reporting on projects ranging from $0.5m to $85m
• Significant South Island Irrigation Projects, Commercial Offices, Carparks, Retail, Hotels, Motels, Warehouses, High School facilities, Retirement Village developments and Aged Residential Care.

The key people representing Rawlinsons in this sector are Mark Burrows, Director – Dunedin Office and Nick Thompson, Senior Quantity Surveyor – Christchurch Office. Registered Quantity Surveyor Mark, and Nick, are supported by our core delivery team who are all long-standing experienced Senior Quantity Surveyors and follow the Rawlinsons “no surprises” approach to financial and project reviewing.

In our opinion successful bank reporting services rely not just on ‘ticking boxes’ but on casting a critical eye over the project in question, this is where we firmly believe that experienced members of staff are involved; as their experience to sniff out potential issues at the earliest stage gives banks an early ‘heads up’ and opportunity to mitigate any potential problems.

Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Building information modelling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places.

Building information models (BIMs) are files which can be extracted, exchanged or networked to support decision-making regarding a building or other built asset such as water, refuse, electricity, gas, communication utilities, roads, bridges, ports, tunnels, etc.

Rawlinsons have invested heavily in model-based estimating and Rawlinsons staff are trained in its use. This is the sort of specialised knowledge that Rawlinsons, using the latest BIM tools, can use to produce accurate cost estimates. Construction wisdom, not simply “counting,” is one of the real values that Rawlinsons bring to the cost estimating process.

By automating the task of quantifying, BIM allows Rawlinsons to focus on higher value project-specific factors:

• Identifying construction methodology;
• Reviewing the design and identifying both what is included and what is inferred;
• Collecting and correctly allocating market rates;
• Factoring risks;
• Producing high-quality estimates.

By using a building information model intelligently Rawlinsons can validate and expand on the drawings, take-offs, counts, and measurements. The information directly generated from the underlying model is therefore consistent with the design and when a change is made in the design – a smaller window size, for example – the change automatically ripples out to all related construction documentation and schedules, as well as the cost estimate.

Value Management and Engineering

Value Engineering focuses on the expected outcome of a project and shouldn’t be confused with reducing scope to meet the budget. Once the outcome is clearly established, understood, agreed and defined, the process addresses the question of how the project will be delivered.

Rawlinsons believe that Value Management should be done for all projects, it is an inherent part of what we do, and provides an exceptionally powerful tool to explore a project’s objectives and aspirations from the client’s perspective.

Rawlinsons add value by ensuring that all project and stakeholder objectives are achieved during each stage of the process:

• Identification – awareness of the risk; this can be cost or viability or construction risk.
• Assessment – Estimate the likelihood and impact; what is the likely outcome.
• Evaluation – Judge the action required; what steps need to be taken to negate or reduce the risk.
• Management – Implement the solution to reduce, control or ameliorate the risk.
• Review and Update – Ensure the risk is kept live and is managed and reviewed regularly.

Rawlinsons offer Value Management services, a structured process through which the various elements and functions of a project or process are critically analysed to ensure maximum value for money. It ensures proper emphasis is placed on the facilitation process to unite creative problem solving with systematic cost management, the primary benefits of a value management exercise are:

• A clear definition of what the owners and end users mean by value, thus providing a precise basis for making decisions throughout the project;
• Optimising the balance between differing stakeholder needs and expectations;
• Creating a clear project brief that reflects the project sponsor’s priorities and expectations, expressed based on value and function;
• Improved communication between all the stakeholders so that each can understand and respect the other’s constraints, expectations and requirements;
• Ensuring the project is the most effective way of delivering business benefits and satisfying business needs;
• Providing a functional basis for design development and management, through improved communications, mutual learning and enhanced collaborative working, leading to better technical solutions with enhanced performance and quality, often through innovative solutions;
• Measuring value, considering monetary and non-monetary benefits and thus demonstrating value for money;