Services
Cost Planning Consultant in Riyadh, Pre-Tender Estimates Across KSA
Independent cost plans, feasibility estimates and pre-tender estimates for Saudi developers. Backed by Riyadh market rate intelligence and live tender data.
What is Cost Planning & Estimation?
Cost Planning is the discipline of forecasting the cost of a project at every design stage, from order-of-magnitude estimates at concept, through schematic and detailed cost plans, to the final pre-tender estimate. A good cost plan tells the developer whether the design is buildable within budget before too much is spent on developing it. A bad cost plan over- or under-states cost by 20–40%, leading to either abandoned projects or catastrophic budget overruns when tenders return. In Saudi Arabia, cost planning is uniquely sensitive to local market data. Riyadh, NEOM, Eastern Province and Makkah/Madinah have materially different rate bases, and rates move rapidly with cement, steel and labour availability. A cost plan built on outdated or generic Gulf rates is worse than no cost plan at all.
What we deliver
- Order-of-magnitude (Class 5) estimates at concept stage
- Conceptual (Class 4) and schematic (Class 3) cost plans
- Detailed (Class 2) cost plan at scheme design
- Pre-tender estimate (Class 1) and tender adjudication support
- Whole-life and operating cost analysis
- Value engineering studies with quantified savings
- Riyadh and KSA market rate database (updated quarterly)
Why it matters in Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh real estate development under Vision 2030 demands fast feasibility, bad early-stage cost plans kill viable projects or commit to unviable ones.
- Saudi market rates have moved 10–25% over the last 24 months on cement, structural steel and façade, generic Gulf rates over- or under-state by similar amounts.
- PIF and giga-project Employers require AACE-aligned estimate classes (1–5) with explicit accuracy bands.
- Saudization wage inflation affects labour rates; specialist trades (high-rise façade, complex MEP) carry premium rates that generic estimates miss.
Case Study
SAR 63M of viable savings identified on a major scheme
Value engineering study on a Riyadh mixed-use development identified SAR 63M of cost savings without compromising design intent or programme.
Read the case studyFrequently Asked Questions
What estimate accuracy can I expect at each stage?
AACE-aligned: Class 5 (concept) ±50%; Class 4 ±30%; Class 3 (schematic) ±20%; Class 2 (detailed) ±15%; Class 1 (pre-tender) ±10%. We label every estimate with its class and accuracy band.
Do you use BIM-based quantities?
Yes, where the design is delivered in BIM. We extract quantities from Revit models, validate them against drawings, and apply current market rates.
How current is your Saudi rate database?
Updated quarterly from live tender returns, supplier quotations and material price feeds across Riyadh, Eastern Province and Western Region.
Can you do value engineering?
Yes. We run formal VE workshops with the design team and quantify each saving option, ranking by cost reduction, programme impact and design risk.