It depends on the project - but the honest answer is that separating the two functions on a complex project almost always costs more in the long run than it saves. A project manager without commercial oversight loses control of cost. A cost consultant without project context produces numbers that don't reflect reality. The two disciplines are most powerful when they are coordinated around the same objectives from the start. On larger or higher-risk projects, we would always recommend appointing both. On smaller, more straightforward scopes, a combined appointment with a single point of accountability can work well - and that is something we can structure around your specific situation.

Earlier than most clients think. The decisions that have the greatest impact on cost, programme and quality are made before a design is drawn or a contractor is appointed. Brief definition, building selection, procurement strategy, consultant appointments - these are the moments where good advice saves the most money and prevents the most problems. By the time a project reaches site, the trajectory is largely set. We are most valuable when we are involved in setting it.

Yes - and on many projects we do. A fully integrated appointment gives the client a single point of accountability, eliminates the friction that can develop between separately appointed consultants, and ensures commercial and programme decisions are always made with full visibility of both. We are transparent about how we structure this and ensure there is no conflict between the two functions. Where a client prefers to appoint a separate cost consultant, we are equally comfortable working alongside an independent QS practice.

Our work ranges from focused single-floor refurbishments through to large-scale, multi-site programmes across several countries. The common thread is not size - it is complexity. We are typically appointed where the stakes are high, the stakeholders are multiple, or the commercial and contractual environment requires senior expertise rather than process management. The experience of our team is unique and includes transactions from £1m to £29m in the UK and $1m to $150m in North America, across sectors including financial services, private equity, technology, life sciences, luxury retail and professional services.

Both roles involve administering a building contract on behalf of the client - but they operate under different contractual frameworks. A Contract Administrator acts under a traditional contract such as JCT Standard or Intermediate, where the design is largely complete before the contractor is appointed. The CA certifies payments, manages variations, and administers the contract impartially between the parties. An Employer's Agent operates under a design and build contract, where the contractor takes responsibility for both design and construction. The EA acts solely in the client's interest - managing the contract, assessing the contractor's proposals, and protecting the client's position throughout delivery. The right choice depends on your procurement route, and that is a decision we help clients make at the outset.

We work on a fixed fee basis wherever possible, agreed at appointment and tied to a clearly defined scope. We believe clients should know what they are paying and why - and that fee uncertainty creates exactly the kind of commercial ambiguity we exist to prevent. On projects where scope evolves significantly, we agree a clear change process in advance so that any fee adjustment is transparent, justified and agreed before it is incurred. We do not charge by the hour as a default - that model incentivises time rather than outcomes, and outcomes are what we are here to deliver.

There is no universal answer - and anyone who tells you otherwise is simplifying a decision that deserves proper thought. The right procurement route depends on the level of design completion you want to achieve before going to market, your appetite for cost certainty versus design flexibility, the programme constraints you are working within, and the risk allocation that best protects your interests. Traditional, design and build, construction management, and two-stage tender all have legitimate applications in the commercial office sector. We advise on procurement route as one of the earliest and most important decisions on any project - and we do so without any preference for a particular route or contractor relationship that might colour that advice.

We don't have any - and that is by design. goo collective has no commercial relationships with contractors, no referral arrangements with suppliers or agents, and no financial interest in which firms you appoint or which route you take. Our advice is shaped entirely by your interests and the specific requirements of your project. In a market where the lines between advisor, agent and contractor are increasingly blurred, that independence is something we protect deliberately and absolutely.

The person you meet at the start of the project is the person who stays with it. We do not operate a model where senior principals win work and junior teams deliver it. Our principals are present throughout - in the meetings, on the calls, and on site when it matters. This is not simply a point of principle. It is the reason our clients trust us with their most complex and high-value projects, and it is the standard we hold ourselves to on every appointment regardless of scale.

Yes. Our work spans the UK, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Australasia. Our team have delivered projects across sixteen countries and more than twenty cities, and our founder has held executive responsibility for businesses operating across EMEA and North America. We understand what international clients need when entering the UK market, and what UK-based organisations need when delivering projects abroad. Geography is not a barrier - but we are selective about international appointments to ensure we can always bring genuine local knowledge alongside our own senior expertise.

Comfortably - and this is one of the most common scenarios we work within. Our role is not to duplicate or undermine the architect's function but to provide the project leadership, commercial oversight and contractual management that sits alongside it. We manage the professional team, coordinate across disciplines, and ensure the architect's design intent survives contact with procurement, programme and contractor reality. Many of our strongest projects have been delivered in close partnership with excellent architects. The relationship works best when it is established early and the respective responsibilities are clearly defined from the outset.