Project Management
Managing Risk on Large-Scale Construction Projects
Managing risk on a large construction project comes down to one discipline: name every threat to programme, cost and safety before it happens, put a n
Spring & Co Insights
Guidance for the built environment
Practical perspective on project management, cost, compliance and property from the Spring & Co team in Stockport. A reference library for developers, contractors and funders.
Project Management
Cost
Contingency in a construction budget: how much is enough
Carry 5% to 10% of the construction cost on a new build with a settled design, and 10% to 15% on a refurbishment or a conversion. Below 5% you are not
Planning
CDM Compliance for Renovation and Refurbishment Projects
Yes, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply to your refurbishment exactly as they apply to a new build. Strip out a shopfloor
Hiring
How to Choose a Construction Consultancy in the North West
Choose a construction consultancy on three things, in this order: whether the person actually walking your site is chartered, whether the firm carrie
monitoring
Drawdowns explained: how development finance is released
Development finance is not handed over in one lump on completion day. It is released in stages called drawdowns, paid in arrears against an independen
Contracting
Project supervision: keeping quality and programme on track
Good project supervision keeps quality and programme on track by inspecting the right work at the right moment and holding the programme to dated evid
Property
Feasibility to Completion: The Stages of a Property Development
A property development runs through eight stages, from the first feasibility appraisal to practical completion and handover. On a mid-sized commercial
Sustainability
Retrofit and Energy Efficiency for Existing UK Buildings
The rule that matters most for existing buildings in 2026 is blunt: if the energy rating is too low, you may not be allowed to let it. Commercial prem
CDM Safety
Health and Safety Files: What to Keep and Why
The health and safety file is the record you hand the client at handover so anyone who works on the building in future can do it safely. Under Regulat
Cost
Why Early Cost Advice Changes the Whole Project
Early cost advice changes a project because the decisions that fix most of the budget are taken in the first few weeks, before a spade touches the gr
Property
Repurposing Commercial Buildings: A Consultancy View
Repurposing a commercial building means changing what it is used for, most often an old office or a tired shop becoming flats. In England you can ofte
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance on Site: What a QA Regime Actually Involves
A quality assurance regime on a construction site is the system that proves the work is right before it gets covered up. In practice that means an ins
Planning
Building regulations vs planning permission: the difference explained
Planning permission decides whether you are allowed to build something. Building regulations decide whether the thing you build is safe and legal to u
CDM Safety
Common site safety failures, and how to design them out
Most serious site safety failures trace back to a decision made months before anyone broke ground, by someone who never had to build the thing. A haza
Contracting
Construction Management Explained for First-Time Developers
Construction management is a procurement route where you, the developer, hold the trade contracts directly and pay a construction manager a fee to ru
Cost
Understanding Preliminaries in a Construction Cost Plan
Preliminaries are the cost of running the site rather than building the works. Site setup, welfare, scaffolding, site management, temporary services,
monitoring
Independent Project Auditing: Why Objectivity Matters
An independent project audit works because the person checking the build has no stake in the answer. Your contractor wants the next payment released.
Property
Tenant Management: Protecting Your Commercial Property Investment
Tenant management protects a commercial property investment in three practical ways: it keeps the building legally lettable, keeps a paying tenant in
Project Management
How a Construction Manager Coordinates Trades on a Live Site
A construction manager coordinates trades on a live site by controlling one thing above everything else: sequence. Who works where, in what order, and
Cost
Final accounts: how to avoid disputes at the end of a build
The final account is where a build gets quietly signed off or turns into a fight, and which one you get is decided months earlier. Agree the cost of e
Cost
Value engineering without cutting corners
Value engineering is supposed to take money out of a construction project while your scope and quality stay exactly where they were. Run properly, and
Monitoring
What Lenders Look For in a Project Monitoring Report
A lender opens a project monitoring report looking for one figure above all others: the cost to complete, and whether the money still sitting in the f
Sustainability
Building to Net Zero: What UK Developers Need to Know in 2026
The short version for 2026: you are still building new homes to the Part L 2021 uplift, roughly 31% less carbon than the 2013 standard, while the Futu
cost
How to Keep a Construction Project on Budget From Day One
A construction project goes over budget for reasons that are settled long before anyone breaks ground. The three that matter most are the cost plan, t
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