Commercial Control Before Construction Starts

THE MARIS METHODOLOGY:

The commercial viability of a fit-out is secured during the design phases, not the construction phase. At Maris Interiors, our methodology is governed by early intervention through a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA).

Article I: Demand Total Commercial Transparency We champion the two-stage Design & Build procurement route. During stage one we operate under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement. This allows us to inject crucial buildability advice and supply chain expertise into your project long before the final contract sum is agreed.

Article II: Execute Value Engineering Proactively True value engineering does not mean stripping out quality to save money during the build phase. We dictate that value engineering must occur at the absolute outset. We actively design to a cost rather than costing a design. This strict discipline ensures your affordability targets are met without compromising the final aesthetic quality of the workspace.

Article III: Seize Control of Landlord Approvals We take complete ownership of the landlord approval process. Before any structural modifications or mechanical alterations begin, a Licence to Alter must be formally granted. We submit comprehensive structural calculations and method statements upfront. By satisfying the landlord’s surveyors immediately, we prevent vague applications that result in endless rounds of queries and costly programme delays.

The CFO’s Corner:

For the Chief Financial Officer, achieving budget predictability is the ultimate metric of success. The two-stage open-book process provides unprecedented financial protection. Overheads and profit rates are fixed at the very beginning of the partnership, shielding your capital from volatile market forces. During the second stage, we transparently procure subcontract packages on an open-book basis, frequently obtaining a minimum of three competitive quotes for each trade package to evidence absolute value for money.

You must also be able to read cost plans properly to ensure sufficient contingency budgets are established. We advise maintaining a contingency of between 10% and 15% to cover genuinely unforeseen site conditions. Furthermore, recent updates to the JCT Design and Build Contract 2024 have shifted specific ground risks. The discovery of asbestos, contaminated material or unexploded ordnance now formally qualifies as a Relevant Event and Relevant Matter, potentially entitling the contractor to extensions of time and loss and expense. Financial leaders must ensure these commercial risks are clearly allocated during contract negotiations.

MARIS TOOLS:

• The Two-Stage Commercial Appraiser: A financial modelling mechanism used during early contractor involvement to evaluate open-book subcontractor quotes and secure fixed overhead percentages.
• Licence to Alter (LTA) Protocol: A comprehensive checklist ensuring all architectural drawings, structural impacts and compliance data are submitted perfectly to the landlord’s surveyors to expedite legal consent.
• JCT 2024 Risk Matrix: A contractual tool utilised to map out new statutory risks, epidemics and ground conditions to ensure liabilities are commercially mitigated before execution.