O'Brien Quantity Surveying Services

Tax Depreciation Schedules

A Quantity Surveyor Report (for depreciation purposes) is used by investors to claim maximum tax deductions for the depreciation of their investment property. If you are a property investor and have not had a professionally prepared tax depreciation schedule you may be missing out on tax deductions. The staff at OBQS have many years of experience in compiling ATO compliant tax depreciation schedules for property investors. Contact us today to discuss your investment property.

Budget Estimates and Feasibility Estimates

Professionally compiled cost estimates can be prepared at any or all phases of the design process to ensure the design is within your budget or to give you an understanding of the costs involved for your project.

To know whether your proposed development is feasible you need sound construction cost advice at the earliest stages. Embarking on a detailed design process only to discover that the financial return of the project will not stack up can be a very costly exercise. The staff at OBQS have worked on a wide variety of projects and can draw upon this experience to assist in setting budgets for your proposed development.

Cost Planning and Value Management Services

OBQS can be engaged from project inception to provide ongoing monitoring and reporting on project costs as the design develops through to tender stage and beyond. This ensures that the design stays within budgets. Should costs need to be reduced alternative materials and methods can be assessed to determine whether their inclusion can reduce project costs.

Builders Bills of Quantities

Engaging OBQS to compile quantities for builders or subcontractors to tender off can save both time and money. OBQS has provided quantities for many projects ranging from the very small to the very large. If you are looking to save time on your next tender submission please contact OBQS to discuss this service.

Trade Package Estimates

Whether you are a builder or an owner builder embarking on a project it is important to have a good understanding of expected trade costs. OBQS are experienced in compiling Trade Budgets which can be used to assess overall project budgets, assist assessment of trade quotations received or to fill in any gaps on tender submissions should full market trade pricing not be possible.

Section 94a Detailed Cost Report / Cost Summary Report to accompany DA submissions

Many councils across NSW require an Elemental Estimate prepared by a qualified Quantity Surveyor to be included in your Development Application. The staff at OBQS have provided hundreds of such estimates for a wide range of projects.

Owner Builder advice

It can be daunting being an owner builder and the staff at OBQS have first hand experience in this role. A key way to reduce the stress of an owner build project is to enter the project with a solid budget for each trade you are looking to engage. OBQS can provide budgets for each trade. This will help you keep track of project costs and add confidence to your negotiations with subcontractors. Should you require any advice or if you would like full cost monitoring, contact OBQS to see what we can do for you.

Capital Investment Value (CIV) reports

Depending on the value of your development or whether it is deemed to be of State Significance the approval process may be removed from the local council. In these instances a qualified Quantity Surveyor may be required to prepare a Capital Investment Value (CIV) report to accompany your submission.

Tender Assessments

Sometimes the pricing you receive in a tender situation does not tell the full story. OBQS is experienced in analysing tender submission to determine whether noted exclusions, inclusions and provisional sums will have a material effect on the submitted pricing. This analysis enables a more educated opinion to be formed on what submission best suits your needs.

Variation Assessments

Variations in construction projects inevitably pop up along the way. If agreement on the legitimacy or value of a variation cannot be reached it may be worthwhile engaging an independent quantity surveyor to assess. The staff at OBQS have many years experience in providing independent variation assessments for a wide range of projects.

Sinking Fund Forecasts

If your property is part of a strata titled development in NSW you need to have a sinking fund plan. A sinking fund plan outlines contributions that should be paid by owners to cover future capital expenses to common property items, eg: exterior painting, replacing common area carpets etc. OBQS can help to prepare these plans.

Insurance Replacement Valuations

Having your property insured at current construction market rates is crucial to ensure you have adequate insurance coverage in the event of major damage to the property. OBQS is experienced in providing such valuations for residential, commercial, industrial, hotel and retail premises.

Expert Witness Reports

Over the last decade Justin O’Brien has provided Expert Witness reports for numerous clients. The clients have included home owners, developers, builders and subcontractors. If you become engaged in a dispute that you have been unable to settle, OBQS can provide independent advice and reporting for use in any subsequent legal proceeding.

Progress Claim Assessments

The primary focus in any development should be “how much more will this cost to complete”. The worst case scenario for any developer or home owner is to be part way through a project only to have the builder cease trading. The staff at OBQS have many years of experience in assessing the builder’s progress against contractual works to ensure that they are only paid for the works completed. This helps to ensure that, should the builder cease trading, funds remain within the development’s funding facility to complete the works.

Bank/Financier Reporting

Prior to commencing OBQS Justin O’Brien undertook financier reporting for all the major banks as well as smaller lenders and non-bank finance groups. In order to reduce the risk associated with a development an independent quantity surveyor is often required to be engaged to act on the financier’s behalf. This role typically requires an initial report to be compiled which will assess the projects feasibility/risk and subsequent reports are compiled during the construction process to certify payments whilst also monitoring progress, insurances and approvals. For any enquiries please contact OBQS.

Registered Tax Practioners Board - Tax agent 25988169 Member of IQS - Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyotrs