Cost advice is worth most before the design has momentum. Once the brief is set, the design is progressing and the programme is locked, a cost plan can tell you where you stand, but there's little left for it to change. The decisions that determine whether a project is viable have already been made.

bryr. comes in earlier, while the brief is still evolving and the cost position is still being shaped. We give owners, developers and government clients an honest view of what their project is likely to cost, what's driving that cost, and what needs to change to make it viable.

Our cost advice comes from people who have delivered projects as well as priced them. That experience spans defence, government, resources, [health], education, sport, [rail] and major construction. It means the cost position we give you reflects how projects actually get built. It's also senior from start to finish. The people you brief are the people doing the work.

Sweat every dollar, and make sure it's invested where it delivers value.

How we work

We start by understanding what you're trying to achieve: the development intent, the programme, the constraints, and the commercial parameters the project has to meet. From there we build an early cost position that reflects the real market, the real risk and the real complexity of what you're proposing.

An optimistic cost plan builds confidence that disappears the moment tenders come back, after the money has been spent on design and approvals and the programme is committed. So if the numbers don't stack up, we say so, clearly and early, while there's still time to act. Then we stay in the room and work with you on a pathway to viability, adjusting scope, staging, procurement approach or brief until the project can proceed with confidence.

Every cost position we give you shows the assumptions behind it, what's driving the number, and how confident we are. Where we use Monte Carlo analysis, you'll see the range of likely outcomes as well as the most likely figure, so you can decide how much risk you're prepared to carry.

We stay involved as the project develops. The design is managed to the budget, and significant decisions are tested against the project's commercial parameters before they're locked in, right through to the appointment of a builder. Where we're also leading delivery, the same people carry the cost position through construction, so nothing gets lost between the numbers and the work.

When to call us

• Your project doesn't stack up and you need to know why.

• You have a cost plan you're not sure you can rely on.

• You're setting budgets across a program of works and need a consistent basis.

• The design is moving faster than the cost advice.

What we do

Before you commit

Pre-investment advice and early cost assessment. An indicative cost position based on the brief, programme and site constraints, giving you a realistic picture before significant commitments are made.

Feasibility testing. We test the cost position against your development parameters, such as return requirements, funding constraints and market conditions. That shows the gap between where the project sits and where it needs to be.

Risk assessment and profiling. We identify early where the project is exposed, so risk is priced and managed from the outset instead of being discovered at tender.

Cost driver analysis. We find which elements of the brief, design or programme contribute most to cost, and which offer the biggest savings without compromising the development intent.

Pathway to viability. A practical route to a viable project, adjusting scope, staging, procurement model or brief to bring cost into line with the project's commercial requirements.

Through design

Baseline cost plan. Once the project is viable, we set the baseline the design has to work within. It becomes the reference point for every decision that follows.

Design optioneering. We cost options as they're developed, so you and your design team can choose between them on value, with the numbers in front of you.

Design to budget. We manage cost through design development, so the budget shapes the design from the outset. Cost implications are understood before decisions are made, and the project stays within its commercial parameters as the design evolves.

Value management and value engineering. Value management confirms the project will deliver what you need. Value engineering finds ways to deliver it for less, without losing function or quality.

Quantitative risk analysis. Monte Carlo analysis gives a probability-based view of cost outcomes, so your contingency reflects the real exposure instead of a percentage chosen out of habit.

Before contract

Pre-contract scope change management. We track and control scope changes before contract, so the budget doesn't erode one small decision at a time.

Procurement cost strategy and builder procurement support. We advise on contract model, risk allocation and market approach to get competitive, reliable pricing. Then we support you through tender evaluation and the builder's appointment.

At any stage

Independent cost review and validation. If you have a cost plan prepared by others, we test the assumptions, identify the gaps, and tell you whether the numbers are reliable before you commit further.

Who you'll work with

Alasdair Macmillan, Principal Cost Advisor
Quantity Surveyor, University of Otago | MAIQS | CQS

Alasdair has more than 45 years in the building industry, 25 of them as a professional quantity surveyor. His cost advice has covered defence, transport, water, energy, resources, health, education, residential and retail projects across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and beyond, from design concept through to construction. His work spans cost planning, risk analysis, value engineering, tendering and commercial management.

Selected experience: SEA 5000 Future Submarines Programme, AIR5428 Pilot Training, Cross River Rail, Townsville Ring Road, Gold Coast University Hospital Secure Mental Health Facility, Ichthys and Gorgon LNG, Darling Downs Power Station.