Construction consulting for owners who aren't builders.
A construction consultant works for you, not the builder. We review budgets, bids, contracts, schedules, and field performance so an owner without construction experience can make decisions with the same information the contractor has.
A construction consultant is an independent advisor hired by the owner to evaluate cost, schedule, contracts, and construction quality. Unlike a general contractor, the consultant carries no construction scope and no markup on the work — so the advice has no financial stake in the outcome.
What a construction consultant actually does
Most owners hire a consultant at one of three moments: before signing a contract, when a project has stopped behaving, or when the numbers stop making sense. In each case the work is the same in structure — establish what was promised, establish what is actually happening, and close the gap in writing.
- Review and reconcile contractor bids line by line, including allowances, exclusions, and unit prices
- Interrogate the schedule for missing durations, unrealistic overlaps, and long-lead items nobody ordered
- Read the contract for the clauses that decide who pays when something goes wrong
- Verify pay applications against work actually in place, not against a percentage someone typed in
- Evaluate change orders for entitlement and pricing before they become part of the contract sum
- Walk the site against the drawings and specifications and document what does not match
When owners bring us in
| Situation | What we do first |
|---|---|
| Bids came back and they don't match | Normalize scope across bidders so you compare the same project |
| Contractor is behind schedule | Recover the baseline, document the delay, identify who owns it |
| Costs are climbing every month | Rebuild the budget with a real contingency and a change-order log |
| A build is stalled or abandoned | Assess work in place, remaining scope, and the cost to complete |
| First-time owner, no team yet | Set the delivery method, contract type, and team before commitments |
What you get
- A written assessment you can act on and hand to a lender, board, or partner
- A reconciled budget with contingency sized to the actual risk of the project
- A decision log so choices stop getting relitigated in month seven
- A monthly owner report in plain language — cost, schedule, risk, decisions due
Fees and engagement
Engagements are structured to the stage. A one-time bid or contract review is a fixed fee. Ongoing oversight is a monthly retainer sized to the project's activity. Advisory work — the phone call before you sign something — is hourly.
The consultation that decides which of those fits is free, and includes a candid answer if the project doesn't need a consultant at all.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a construction consultant and a general contractor?
- A general contractor builds the work and carries the risk and markup of doing it. A construction consultant carries no construction scope — they are hired by the owner to evaluate cost, schedule, quality, and contract performance independently of the party being evaluated.
- How much does a construction consultant cost?
- It depends on the engagement. Fixed-fee reviews of a bid or contract are the smallest engagement. Ongoing owner-side oversight is typically a monthly retainer scaled to project size and activity, and advisory work is hourly. A written fee proposal follows the first conversation, at no charge.
- Can a consultant help after construction has already started?
- Yes, and it is one of the most common entry points. Mid-project work starts with establishing what is actually in place, what remains, and what the contract says about the differences before any recovery plan is proposed.
Get an independent read on your project.
Tell us where the project stands. We'll respond within one business day — with next steps, or a candid reason it isn't the right fit.
Request a consultation