A cost plan isn’t one document, it’s two, operating at the same time.

The "art" is your sell side: how you guide the client through ambiguity, frame uncertainty, and present choices in a way that builds confidence rather than debate.

The "science" is your cost side: accuracy, transparency, and defensibility. If this isn’t right, margin gets exposed and decisions get made on shaky ground.

Most early stage cost plans fail for one of two reasons

They’re artistically weak, so the story is unclear and the client hears a number, not a plan, making it harder to build confidence, guide expectations, and bring them along on the decisions that sit behind the price.

They’re scientifically weak, so the project hasn’t been priced properly and the team doesn’t truly know its cost base, hasn’t fully allowed for risk, and is exposed to budget overruns.

A strong cost plan system needs both the science to accurately price the project, lock down the true cost base and risk position, and prevent budget overruns, and the art to clearly frame uncertainty, tell the story behind the number, and guide the client through the decisions and trade-offs that shape the outcome.

What makes your cost plan ACCURATE and COMMERCIALLY SAFE

Science

Clear understanding of the scope

What’s in, What’s out, and how much

Ensure full budget coverage against the scope

Costs assigned against each line item

Reduce risk and surprises by engaging the market

Costs validated by secondary sources

What has moved, why has it moved, and by how much

Change control

What makes your cost plan LAND WITH THE CLIENT

Art

Clear ranges and caveats without sounding unsure

Confident uncertainty

Options, not ultimatums

Give choices instead of one fixed number

Cost vs time vs quality vs risk, in plain language

Visible trade-offs

Keep it about choices, not line-item debates

Decision-led conversations

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If you’ve ever felt margin being squeezed late, or watched a client fixate on one number, this is why the “two-sided” approach matters.

You present a clear, confident pathway through uncertainty, so clients buy the plan and the team behind it, not just the lowest number.

Higher win-rate, without discounting

A accurate cost base and explicit risk position reduces “silent omissions” and late-stage commercial concessions that erode profit.

Margin protection from day one

Better scope coverage, validation, and change control means less rework, fewer shocks when quotes land, and tighter cost certainty as design develops.

Fewer surprises and budget overruns

Options and trade-offs keep meetings focused on choices, which reduces circular debates and helps projects move through early stages faster.

Faster decisions and smoother client alignment

A structured, accurate cost base paired with a clear client narrative cuts time lost rebuilding estimates, re-explaining assumptions, and circling back on decisions, so the team can move faster without losing control.

Reduced Pre-construction effort and less rework

Stronger internal governance and handover to delivery

A structured scope, assumptions, validation sources, and change trail creates a clean transition to procurement and delivery, reducing leakage between pre-construction and delivery.

Most systems manage the cost. CostrixIQ manages the cost plan.

The science and the art, side by side.

Science Features

Credibility, Control, Accuracy

Build the cost plan from a structured scope breakdown so nothing is vague. Each scope line has its own quantities, rates, assumptions, and notes, making it easy to defend and easy to review.

Line by line scope database

See margin in real time as the plan evolves, by sector, multi-sector, section, or option. Understand where margin is being won or lost early, not after procurement.

Margin tracking

Capture “behind-the-scenes” allowances, small omissions, prelim nuances, and risk items that you need in the cost base, without cluttering the client-facing view. This helps ensure full budget coverage and protects margin, while keeping the external narrative clean and easy to follow.

Hidden lines

Model upside scenarios and commercial levers early, such as alternative procurement approaches, programme shifts, or design decisions. Keeps opportunity visible rather than hoping it appears later.

Stretch opportunity planning

Instant visibility across the plan, including trade summaries, cost drivers, risk allowances, margin position, and movement between revisions. Designed for fast internal reviews and leadership reporting.

Financial dashboards

Track what changed, when, why it changed, and the value impact. This creates a clean audit trail and stops the “why is this number different?” cycle.

Changes log

A structured way to confirm every scope item is costed and to highlight gaps, exclusions, and allowances. Helps reduce omissions and prevents budget overruns caused by missing scope.

Budget coverage and risk management

Compare trades, packages, and pricing positions with a consistent approach, including allowances, risk, and confidence levels. Improves procurement strategy and strengthens internal sign-off.

Internal trade evaluations

Alignment, Narrative, Client Confidence

Art Features

Apply markup strategically by line, trade, or package rather than one blunt percentage. Helps manage client expectations, protect margin, and respond intelligently to value engineering.

Individual line by line markup capability

Build and compare options cleanly, combining multiple lines into groups and tracking margin. Makes trade-offs explicit and helps clients make decisions faster.

Options module

Slice the project into logical portions so you can present the plan in a way that matches how the client thinks about the project. It strengthens the story, supports staged decisions, and makes options and trade-offs easier to communicate.

Sector & Multi-Sector pricing

Restructure and group the plan to match the client’s lens, making it easier to explain, easier to compare options, and easier to drive decisions.

Client-aligned cost plan structure

Anchor early pricing to real benchmarks so you can advocate for the budget from day one, align expectations early, and reduce debate as the design evolves.

Benchmarking module

Generate client-ready outputs that tell the story, not just the number, including summaries, options, assumptions, and key drivers. Consistent formatting supports trust and repeatability.

Customisable client reports

Publish a simplified, client-friendly view of what moved and why, without exposing internal complexity. Keeps discussions focused on decisions, not debate.

Client-facing changes log

Layer in market intelligence, such as escalation pressure, lead times, trade constraints, and regional pricing factors. Helps frame uncertainty credibly and supports commercial positioning.

External market evaluations