11% Off a £4.3m Build, Without Cutting a Single Corner
The Supply Chain Discipline That Saved £458k on a 70-Bedroom Development
70-Bedroom Development, Commercial Residential Use
Oxford Surveying Services were instructed to support the site team on a large single development for commercial residential use: a 70-bedroom scheme with construction works valued at £4,301,783 within a total development value of £6,583,598. We prepared the Bill of Quantities in full elemental breakdown, presenting accurate quantities and rates for every specialist package required on site.
Our surveying duties covered the full course of the works: managing the supply chain to keep site management ahead of suppliers and trades, placing orders, meeting sub-contractors, and resolving issues as they arose. Monthly valuations and site queries were tracked throughout, through to the final account.
By completion, the final value of the building works was £3,843,068 against an original value of £4,301,783, a saving of £458,715 and an 11% reduction in build costs, achieved without compromising the specialist works required.
The OSS Role
- Prepared the Bill of Quantities for the full 70-bedroom development in elemental breakdown, establishing accurate quantities and rates across all specialist works.
- Managed the supply chain to keep site management ahead of suppliers and trades throughout construction.
- Placed orders and met regularly with sub-contractors, dealing with sub-contractor issues and contract works as they arose.
- Carried out monthly valuations and priced changes to the works throughout the programme.
- Managed site queries through to final account.
Why This Matters
On a development of this scale, the risk is rarely a single large overspend. It’s the accumulation of smaller inefficiencies across the supply chain: orders placed late, issues left unresolved, valuations that drift from what’s actually agreed on site.
Full-time surveying support closes that gap. Every order, valuation and change is tracked against the elemental cost plan as the works proceed, so the final account reflects genuine value. That discipline delivered an 11% reduction in build costs on this development, without compromising the specialist works required.
the numbers
| Original value of works: | £4,301,783 |
| Final value of building works: | £3,843,068 |
| Savings on budget: | £458,715 |
| Percentage of build costs saved: | 11% |
| Total OSS fees: | £47,300 |
For every £1 spent with Oxford Surveying Services, £9.70 came back as savings against the original budget, on top of full-time site support throughout the build.
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We support developers, contractors and sub-contractors across Oxfordshire and beyond, managing supply chains and cost control from site commencement through to final account.