Cost consultant meaning

In this issue Building safety Adjudication Litigation Arbitration Consultants on construction projects Planning in construction Tax for construction lawyers Energy in construction Infrastructure projects Construction industry news Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Construction trackers Building safety The Scottish Government has confirmed that the Scottish Parliament has passed the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill, bringing in a levy on selected new residential developments to support cladding remediation. The levy will cover defined categories of new residential projects and, after its original start date was deferred, is now anticipated to come into force from April 2028. See: LNB News 18/03/2026 32. The Welsh Government has announced that the Senedd has approved the Building Safety (Wales) Bill. The legislation sets up a new building safety regime for residents of multi-occupied buildings across Wales, irrespective of height or tenure...

In this issue: Collateral Warranties Standard form construction contracts General election Consultant Appointments Building Safety Scots law Procurement in construction Daily and weekly news alerts New Q&As Construction trackers Collateral Warranties Supreme Court holds that a collateral warranty is not a ‘construction contract’ for the purposes of HGCRA 1996 (Abbey Healthcare v Augusta 2008 (formerly Simply Construct)) In Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Ltd v Augusta 2008 LLP (formerly Simply Construct (UK) LLP) [2024] UKSC 23, the Supreme Court unanimously concluded that a collateral warranty is not a ‘construction contract’ for the purposes of HGCRA 1996, s 104, and therefore does not confer a statutory right to adjudication. The court reasoned that a collateral warranty would only qualify as a ‘construction contract’ where, by agreement, the contractor assumes towards the beneficiary an obligation to carry out construction operations that is separate or distinct from the duties owed under the building contract. As a result,...

Eiger Funding (PCC) Ltd v Ridge and Partners LLP [2026] EWHC 609 (TCC) (16 March 2026) What are the practical implications of the case? This ruling is a seminal, defining judgment that reshapes the scope and limits of monitoring surveyor exposure along three closely connected strands. First, the character of the IMS obligation. The most significant takeaway is that a monitoring surveyor must exercise independent professional judgement, not act as a passive conduit. Ridge was held in breach for repeating the developer client’s cost numbers in a report to Eager as “agreed and robust” without verifying them. The baseline is now fixed: objective benchmarking against an industry yardstick, such as BCIS, is compulsory. If a developer’s figures sit in the bottom quartile of market pricing, the surveyor must give a clear warning to the lender about the material risk of cost overrun. An IMS that simply transmits developer statements falls short of the reasonably competent professional standard. Second, conflicts of interest. This is the...

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Quantity surveyor (QS) Individual or practice appointed by the employer, otherwise a cost consultant...

While operating an occupational pension scheme, trustees might decide to bring in an investment consultant and/or a fiduciary manager. In contrast to ‘fund managers’, investment consultants and fiduciary managers are not regarded as ‘professional advisers’ for the purposes of pensions legislation. For more detail on the rules about appointing professional advisers, refer to Practice Note: Appointing pension professional advisers and other service providers. Development of regulatory framework After a reference from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated investment consultancy services (IC services) and fiduciary management services (FM services) supplied to pension schemes, and issued its final report on 12 December 2018. It concluded that trustee engagement was weak, that clear and comparable information in order to assess value for money was missing, and that clients were nudged by investment consultants towards their own, higher-cost FM offerings, conferring an incumbency advantage. Accordingly, on 10 June 2019, the CMA made the Investment Consultancy and Fiduciary Management Market Investigation Order 2019 (the CMA Order), imposing...

Reviewing technical reports If a buyer has secured a technical environmental report during due diligence (or the seller has placed one in the data room), it must be analysed and converted into clear, practical guidance for the client on potential liabilities, along with proposals to mitigate the risks. Key matters for lawyers to assess include: whether the report presents clear evidence of environment health and safety (EHS) non-compliance, capex needs, or possible liabilities; whether an independent environmental consultant should be engaged to review and challenge the report’s conclusions; whether a conference call or meeting between the two environmental consultants (with clients and lawyers) would help resolve areas of concern; whether further investigations or enquiries are necessary and, if so, the associated timing and cost implications; which options are most practical to address the issues—specific warranties, an environmental indemnity, a rectification deed, a price adjustment, an escrow account, or environmental insurance. See Practice Note: Environmental consultants—instructing consultants to peer review...

The Architect shall: General responsibilities (Stages 0–7) Lead Consultant: advise on scopes, guide specialists, integrate and co‑ordinate design, chair design meetings with minutes, manage Client–Design Team communication, collate stage reports. Act as or liaise with the Principal Designer under CDM 2015 and Building Regulations 2010; manage Client instructions; agree deliverables; design to budget; brief on duties; liaise with the BIM Manager. Stage 0: advise on risks, finance and feedback; visit site; assist with Design Team appointments; Stage 0 report. Stage 1: feasibility; arrange/collate surveys; develop the strategic brief into the Project Brief (sustainability, quality, spatial needs); set procurement, programme and PEP; align budget; Stage 1 report. Stage 2: concept and outline proposals aligned to cost plan and strategies; cost advice; compliance route and pre‑application planning; Stage 2 report. Stage 3: spatial co‑ordination; planning applications/consents, revisions and conditions; select materials/methods; value engineering; tender support; Stage 3 report. Stage 4: technical design, specifications and packages; building regulations submissions; ERs, Construction Phase Plan; Stage...

Schedule of services—M&E Engineer (Design and build procurement) The Consultant shall: General responsibilities (Stages 0–7) Lead and co‑ordinate the Design Team, integrate discipline designs, chair design meetings, manage stage reports, and facilitate Client–team communications. Act as Principal Designer under CDM 2015 and the Building Regulations 2010, or liaise with the appointed Principal Designer to secure safe design practice. Receive Client/Contractor instructions around novation, align deliverables with cost, prepare/review drawings and specifications, and maintain a deliverables schedule. Ensure full design co‑ordination, resolve carry‑over items each stage, advise on Client CDM duties, and collaborate with the BIM Manager. Pre‑novation (Stages 0–4) Undertake site appraisals, risk and viability advice, desk studies, and surveys; develop the brief and responsibility matrix; support cost planning and BIM decisions. Formulate options, outline proposals and utilities strategies; define consultant/specialist or contractor‑designed packages; progress spatial co‑ordination, compliance and energy strategies; provide scheme, technical design and stage reports; support Employer’s Requirements and Building Contract preparation....

The Project Manager shall: General responsibilities act as the Client’s agent, issuing information and directives to the Project Team on the Client’s behalf; receive the Client’s instructions and Project-related information; report to the Client as necessary; keep the Client informed at all stages of the Project and ensure the Client’s interests are properly represented in all activities and decisions (to which it is a party) associated with the Project; provide written reports to the Client at not less than [ insert, eg monthly ] intervals in accordance with the Client’s requirements and in a format approved by the Client; take all reasonable measures to anticipate issues, mitigate risk, and resolve problems to the Client’s best advantage; ensure the Project Team give due regard to time and cost constraints when making decisions and issuing instructions; manage the design, procurement and delivery of the works, ensuring they meet the Client’s requirements and are completed within Project timescales; establish, manage and operate...