Cost overruns are rarely one large surprise. They are dozens of small unrecorded decisions.
The pattern is familiar. A project begins within budget, a few specification changes are agreed verbally on site, materials are bought in small uncoordinated batches, and by roofing stage nobody can explain where the money went.
Control starts with a fixed specification. Every change after that point should be priced and approved in writing before it is executed, however minor it seems. Variations are not the problem; unrecorded variations are.
Bulk procurement against a schedule, rather than trips to the market as materials run out, protects both price and programme. So does paying against verified milestones instead of against requests.
Above all, insist on a monthly cost report that compares committed spend to the original budget line by line. You cannot correct a drift you cannot see.
Planning a project and want this applied to your specific site and budget? Send us the details and we will come back to you.
