OUR SERVICES

What Ecolink Projects Provide

Our Project Manager works closely alongside clients, stakeholders, consultants, contractors and authorities to deliver successful projects, services would include:

  • Client representation
  • Guiding clients through the design & planning to consent and then through to construction, compliance and handover
  • Consultants & consents management
  • Contractor selection and tendering including Contractor & compliance management
  • Construction Cost management
  • Feasibility and Financial reporting
  • Programming
  • Coordinating local authority approvals
  • Project reporting and Stakeholder liaison
  • Monitoring quality & design compliance
  • Overseeing Health & Safety requirements

We tailor our services to suit the requirements of each individual project.

 

CONSTRUCTION COST MANAGEMENT

Cost Management in Project Management

Cost management is the process of estimating, allocating, and controlling project costs.  The cost management process allows a business to predict future expenses to reduce the chances of budget overrun. Projected costs are calculated during the planning phase of a project and must be approved before work begins. 

As the project plan is executed, expenses are documented and tracked, so things stay within the cost management plan. Once the project is completed, predicted costs and actual costs are compared, providing benchmarks for future cost management plans and project budgets.

Whether new builds or renovations, our experts are ready to assist you with costs and risks associated with the proposed development. We can provide feasibility reports, including viability and likely timescales. This is becoming increasingly important in a very fluid and dynamic marketplace.  

costmanagement1

Our service extends from providing elemental estimates, initial budgets, preparing schedule of quantities to assist with tender process and even helping to procure competent contractor to meet the demand of the development.  Our involvement in managing the process helps our clients to avoid costly errors and omissions. We can also assist with monthly valuations and drawdown reports for your funder, valuations of works to date – ensuring sufficient funds remain to complete the project and ensure that contractor/s are timely paid on the correct amount that corelates to the completed scope. Our service extends to final account negotiations and dispute resolution.

Meet our Construction Cost Consultant – Sarath Pannila

Sarath Pannila is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Construction Cost Consultant with over 40 years’ experience in Construction industry in managing large scale building projects in three continents, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. He gained vast industry knowledge working with leading construction companies and international consultants in Sri Lanka, Middle East and Southern Africa.

Sarath joined the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and qualified as a professional member of the institution (MRICS) in 2000. He is also a member of Chartered Institute of Building, UK (MCIOB).

Attached to a leading British Construction company based in Southern Africa, he worked as the Area Quantity Surveyor and was responsible for total project Cost management on number of Civil Engineering and Building projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.  During this period Sarath has engaged in number of medium to large projects in the region, especially projects funded by major funding organizations, EU, World Bank, British overseas office and JAICA.

He has worked as a Senior Quantity Surveyor and a Commercial Director for a leading Construction Company in Auckland for over 22 years and gained vast experience in Project Cost management, estimating, tendering, tender negotiations, Cost/ Financial reporting and Subcontract/ Supplier management. The experience spreads from inception to close-out of projects, main strengths being tendering and post contract servicing. The project size varies from medium to large. The projects included industrial, residential, educational, health and defence sectors. The type of contracts included fixed price, design and build, GMP and negotiated.

Sarath is instrumental is helping us provide the following services,

  • Preparation of Schedule of Quantities
  • Preparation of Budget Estimates
  • Project Budget Development and Management
  • Project Estimation and Tendering
  • Project/ tender negotiations
  • Project value Engineering to meet client’s budgets.
  • Control project commercial and contractual position including risk management
  • Contract Variation Management
  • Project Cost control and financial reporting
  • Procurement of Subcontractors/ Suppliers
  • Subcontractors / Suppliers payment process
  • Main contract/ Subcontract Final account procedure and closure
  • Dispute resolution

 

Why is cost management important in project management?

Cost project management is vital to an organization’s project planning process. Without a detailed budget, you cannot effectively map out the resources needed for your project.

The key benefits to proper cost management are it prevents overruns, helps to better manage, and avoid risk, and aids future planning as cost reports can help with resource optimization.

Advantages Of Using A Project Manager

Engaging a specialist construction Project Manager has many advantages, including the following:

  • Reducing project risk
  • Increasing certainty
  • Providing guidance and advice to the Client
  • Reducing the workload and stress for the Client
  • Leading the project forward and making it happen
  • Providing project planning and strategy to prevent wasted effort and associated wasted money
  • Being able to source suitable consultants and contractors for the project, in many cases having already established relationships with consultants and contractors
  • Having the skills and experience in managing applications for Resource Consent, Building
  • Consents, Construction Contracts and any other legal obligations involved in the construction process, reducing the technical, contractual and financial risks to you

 

Independent Project Manager

There are many benefits of appointing an independent Project Manager (or Client Representative). Client-side Project Managers are independent of other contractors and consultants, enabling you to get the full focus and expertise of a Project Manager, acting in your best interest at all times.

With an independent project manager there is no conflict of interest, therefore the Project Manager is always working to achieve the best value for you as the client.

 

Why Ecolink Projects

Led by our Principal Consultant with more than 20 years industry experience & knowledge.

With qualifications in construction, projects, risk, and business management and with experience working on different sides of the industry (developers, main contractors and consultancy outfits), his approach to project management comes with a practical and well-rounded understanding of construction management offered with a deep appreciation for the social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives that a development may be aligned with. A statement backed by experience in successfully delivering projects within a diverse international portfolio and programme management roles.

Being small is an advantage, we can scale up quickly to hand-pick and manage project teams

As a boutique firm, we can scale up or down quickly to meet your needs without the burden of having to maintain a high cost to support a large overhead. While we capable of handling your property problems on our own, we are well supported by expert consultants where required to deliver results. We can identify the most suitable professionals to get you the best and most cost-efficient result.

We can integrate with your existing or preferred team of property professionals

We are more than comfortable playing the leader in your project team, or simply as a bit-part contributor amongst your preferred team. We genuinely enjoy the collaborative process and remain focused on getting you the best result.

We are a lean machine, so our fees stay reasonable

We operate as a small core staff base. If it’s an involved project that we’re working on together, we might even ‘hot-desk’ at your place while we work with you. This lean and cost-effective structure allows us to provide tailor made services for the best-value fees.

Our fees are also flexible and transparent 

We devise fee structures that work for both of us. Some clients prefer fixed fees, others prefer hourly rates or flat fees.  If you like dealing with us, we’ll work hard to find a solution that we’re both happy with.

Why Project Management

Every construction project is unique. Most buildings are one-off designs that have never been built before and will never be built again. Each project has its own unique set of parameters, such as stakeholder groups, location, ground conditions, project team, timeframe, budget and goals or requirements.

Project Management of a construction project requires a distinct set of skills and strategies that is quite different from the everyday, repetitive operation of an organisation.  There is inherently more risk in the complex activities of a construction project than with the everyday operation of an organisation.

The Project Manager is engaged to ensure that the key issues of a construction project, cost, time, quality and above all client satisfaction are realised. The Project Manager’s role is to bring together, plan and co-ordinate all the resources needed to ensure the goals of a project are successfully achieved as quickly and efficiently as possible

The key purpose is to foresee or predict as many risks and potential problems as possible; and to plan, organise and control activities so that the project is completed as successfully as possible in spite of all the risks.

preloader image