We are seasoned surveyors, your ultimate construction cost advisory partner.
We are committed to commercial success in construction project delivery. Our business goal is to make a valuable difference by helping our clients to develop robust delivery programmes, cost plans and estimates and clear commercial strategies for major infrastructure projects during the planning stage. We focus on alternative procurement strategies, efficient design solutions and innovative construction methods to integrate quality, time and cost.
When things do not go as planned resulting in disputes, Brew’s Practice are here to help you demystify and disentangle complex delays and costs incurred on your project.
The foundations of our expertise are acquired from years of working within owner and contractor firms on large infrastructure projects such as railway, road, bridge, tunnel, dam and chemical plant facilities.
Complex engineering and construction projects can take years to develop their feasibility studies, obtain viable design solutions, plan and procure. However, opportunities to get things right may be missed due to variety of reasons resulting in avoidable costly delays and construction disputes. At Brew’s Practice, we are inspired to play our part and help our owners and contractors to get it right by bringing essential clarity and detail understanding of scope requirements, construction costs and time which are realistic and practical.
We use a triad of values in how we work to build accurate understanding of our clients’ needs and finally to deliver high-quality service on time and within fee budget.
One important purpose of the work we do is to mould and maintain lasting trust with our client by consistently delivering high-quality service. We devote special attention during and after delivering our service to ensure it is credible and fully addresses the client’s needs.
We leverage our first-hand on-site experience, exemplar solutions to real life issues and acquired knowledge to provide competent work. We always go an extra mile and aim to provide impartial advice presented in a properly structured report using simple and clear language.
We maintain a high level of professionalism. We are flexible, easy to work with and always build cordial relationship with our clients and opposing parties even in difficult disputes matters to achieve amicable solutions.
During this stage, the project sponsor, owner and other stakeholders need to decide the best procurement means for achieving project requirements, develop and obtain approval of business case supported by realistic budget, programme and risk assessment.
Early project discussion and budget allocation is crucially dependent on reliable cost advise. We use our strategic approach to help our client to develop and implement effective cost plans and prepare cost estimate using effective estimating methods to ensure every aspect of the major project delivery is covered.
Appointing a contractor, developing preliminary and detailed designs, programme and constructability reviews take place during this stage.
We help our client by providing detailed cost estimate so that robust baseline budget and realistic timescale for completing the project can be set. We prepare detail and accurate bill of quantity and activity schedule to support contract pricing and bid evaluation. We assess cost and time impact of changes and claims to help our client to negotiate and reach agreements with their parties.
We make independent assessment of claims and project delays to help our client to resolve during dispute resolution.
The client plans and undertakes routine inspection and maintenance work to ensure life of the infrastructure is maximized. We provide client-tailored services by developing framework plans for financing, procuring and delivering maintenance programme. We also prepare cost estimates and carry out risk reviews of maintenance contracts.
Well prepared and well suited to provide your construction cost and dispute resolution needs.
The services we provide to our clients are realistic and practical.
All our advisory services and expert reports are underpinned by realistic cost and construction work outputs. Instead of using or over-relying on historical costs and outputs which are not relevant or applicable to the project at hand, we use our expert insight on real life market prices and our ‘hands on’ industry experience to test work outputs are achievable.
We combine both technical analysis and common-sense approach to provide our services, allowing us to be cost efficient, practical and result driven. We support the success of our client’s dispute resolution needs by remaining impartial and objective in our advisory and delay witness service.
BSc | MSc | LL.M | MCInstCES | MRICS
Principal Consultant
Frank is a chartered quantity surveyor and delay expert witness.
With 18 years in construction, Frank brings together owner and contractor management expertise from both UK and Canadian jurisdictions. Frank has been exposed to construction projects from roads and bridges, tunnelling, dams, railways to infrastructure works for power and process plants. Frank has first-hand experience in using different forms of contract such as NEC, FIDIC and Bespoke contracts to manage head contracts and variety of specialist work packages.
Academic Qualifications:
LL.M Construction Law and Dispute Resolution Practice
MSc Quantity Surveying and Construction
BSc Building Technology
Professional Qualifications:
MRICS
MCInstCES
Expert Witness Evidence Training
Forensic Delay Analysis in Construction
Trained ODACC Adjudicator
Kindly get in touch by calling us or using our enquiry form. We will arrange a short meeting with you to discuss and make sure we have understood your needs and deliverables. We will check and clear any conflicts of interest before sending our proposal.
Our fee proposal is based on competitive market rates. It depends on the scope, project complexity and estimated time required to provide the service. We offer fixed fee or hourly rates for client-tailored cost estimating and dispute resolution and expert services. Please contact us for more details.
The terms for engaging and appointing us is relatively simple and straightforward. Find a copy here for your reference. Alternatively, Brew’s Practice are happy to use client’s bespoke terms. We will request a copy for our review, discussion and eliminate any anomalies which are outside our PI insurance policy cover.
The level and degree of accurate information required depends on where you are in the procurement and planning stage. Generally, we request for documents setting out the following information:
- client scope and design requirements
- outline or reference design drawings
- specification
- feasibility studies including ground investigation, design
- optioneering and assumptions, etc
We use request for information and clarification process to request further information where appropriate.
Generally, we request for documents setting out the following information:
- background information to project change and claim including notices, correspondences, etc
- contract agreement, mostly interested in relevant parts such as scope, pricing and programme documents
- progress reports, programme updates, meeting minutes, daily activity records, cost information, etc
We use request for information and clarification process to request further information where appropriate.
Yes. We are flexible in our approach, proactive and considerate to help our client achieve their urgent needs. We use reasonable endeavours to make progress on the instructed work while identify any parts subject to further information from client.
Yes. We check and clear any conflicts before commencing any client-instructed work. We request and adhere to non-disclosure agreement to ensure privacy and confidentiality is always maintained.
It depends on availability and maturity of the client information supplied to us. Generally, we target completing cost estimate for major infrastructure projects between 8 and 12 weeks assuming required information is promptly made available and fixed. We always discuss and agree with our client the specific delivery times for our services.
It depends on complexity of the case, availability and useability of client information, response time to further information and clarification requests. Generally, we target completing our technical analysis and independent expert reports within 4 weeks assuming required information is promptly made available. We always discuss and agree with our client the specific delivery times for our services.