How Much Does Civil Engineering Design Cost in NSW?
It's usually the first question we get asked and the honest answer is that it depends on the site. A straightforward stormwater design on a gently sloping block draining to the street, is a very different job to a steep site draining away from the street with road reserve works and an on-site stormwater disposal system. More useful than a ballpark figure is an understanding of the value that is being delivered for you, because that's where projects are won or lost.
What drives the cost of civil engineering design in NSW?
A few things move the price more than anything else:
Site complexity - slope, soil conditions, existing services and infrastructure, and how water moves across the block
Scope - stormwater and drainage on its own, or driveway design, kerb and gutter extension, sediment control and WSUD as well
Council requirements - some councils want considerably more documentation than others
Approval requirements - works in the road reserve, for example, need a Section 138 Roads Act approval on top of your DA
Two blocks in the same suburb can sit a long way apart on price for exactly these reasons.
Why is the cheapest quote rarely the cheapest option?
Cheap documentation stops being cheap the moment council gets hold of it. Drawings lacking in detail or prepared by an engineer unfamiliar with the complexities associated with a site and council’s requirements will come back with requests for information and every round of RFIs is more assessment time you don't get back. On a development carrying finance, holding costs quietly outrun whatever you saved on the design fee.
The same thing happens on site. Drawings that don't quite work get resolved by the builder on the day, with variations almost always costing more than getting it right on paper the first time.
What does good documentation actually save you?
A recent duplex project is a fair example. Elevate handled the structural, civil and stormwater design for a three split-level duplex on a sloping site, including works within the road reserve for the Section 138 Roads Act approval. Council came back with very little feedback and asked for minimal changes through the assessment.
Joe McPherson of McPherson Constructions described the road reserve approval process as "the smoothest we’ve experienced on any project". That isn't luck. It's what happens when the documentation is clear enough that the assessor doesn't need to ask.
Getting a realistic price for your project
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. If you require civil designs for a project on the Central Coast, in Sydney or the Hunter, it's worth getting a quote that reflects an experienced assessment of your site requirements rather than accepting the lowest number in the inbox. Give the team at Elevate Engineering Consultants a call, we'll talk you through it.