Consulting & estimating in Armenia and Quindío
Before building, you need to know what is going to be built, how much it costs and how long it takes. We prepare budgets based on APU (unit price analysis), construction schedules, design coordination, interventoría (independent contract oversight) and technical supervision for owners, companies and public bodies in Armenia, Quindío and the Coffee Region.
It is the same technical work we do for our own construction projects. It is useful for anyone about to build who wants a reliable budget, for anyone who needs to compare bids, and for anyone who wants someone independent to keep an eye on another firm's works.
What it includes
- Construction budget. Quantities taken off the drawings or measured on site, unit price analysis for each activity and specifications for each line item.
- Construction scheduling. A schedule by activity, with its sequence, its verifiable milestones and the payment flow linked to each one.
- Design. We coordinate the architectural and structural design so that what is budgeted is the same as what is permitted and built. See building permit.
- Interventoría. Independent monitoring of a construction contract: that what was contracted is carried out, to the specified quality, within the agreed timescale and with payments that match what has actually been built. It is standard practice in public contracting.
- Technical supervision. Checking that the structure is built in accordance with the drawings and specifications of the design. The NSR-10 (Colombia's earthquake-resistant building code) regulates it in Title I; see what the NSR-10 requires.
How an APU budget is built, and why it protects you
A unit price analysis breaks each activity of the works — a cubic metre of concrete for columns, a square metre of render, a linear metre of pipe — down into what it is actually made of:
- Materials, with the quantity each unit consumes and its wastage.
- Labour, according to the crew's actual output.
- Equipment and tools: formwork, concrete mixer, vibrator, scaffolding.
- Transport, which on a rural plot or one with difficult access weighs more than it seems.
That unit price is multiplied by the quantity of work, and the total is then loaded with the indirect costs known in Colombia as AIU (administration, contingencies and profit). The result is a budget that can be reviewed line by line, and that is useful to you in three ways:
- You can genuinely compare bids. With the same list of activities and quantities you can see which line the difference lies in. A low lump-sum figure often hides trimmed quantities or lower specifications.
- Changes have a known price. If the works change, the adjustment is calculated with the agreed unit prices, not with a figure negotiated halfway through the job.
- You pay for what is built. Payments are made against records of quantities carried out and verified, not against estimated percentages.
To find out what drives the cost of building in the region, see the construction cost guide.
Interventoría seen from the site
We have carried out public and private contracts under interventoría, so we know the role from the contractor's side: which records, tests, reports and supporting documents are required to approve a payment. That experience is what we apply when reviewing someone else's works. Technical direction is led by Ing. Diego Luis Arango Jaramillo.
Frequently asked questions
Can you review a budget another builder gave me?
Yes. We check it against the drawings: quantities, unit prices and specifications. For
that we need the drawings and the detailed budget; with a single lump-sum figure there
is nothing to review.
What is the difference between interventoría and technical supervision?
Interventoría oversees compliance with the contract as a whole: scope, quality,
timescale and payments. Technical supervision focuses on the structure being built as
the engineer designed it. The two can coexist on the same project.
Can you provide the interventoría for a project you are building?
No. Interventoría only makes sense if it is independent of whoever is building. If we
are the builder, oversight is carried out by you or by a third party you appoint.
What is the point of a schedule if I already have the budget?
The budget tells you how much; the schedule tells you when. With both, you know how much
money you need at each stage, you can see in time if the works fall behind, and you can
place the earthworks and the roof outside the rainy seasons.
Send us whatever drawings you have, or a description of the project and its location, and we will tell you what scope of consultancy you need.