The Development
Playbook

Tool T–04 / Available

Cost pressure is never evenly distributed.

Stress the packages that are actually moving and see how escalation, specification, and value engineering affect the whole development case.

Cost plan assumptions

Stress individual packages rather than applying one blunt escalation factor.

Package stress

Where is the pressure coming from?

PackageCost shareChangeBaselineAdjustedVariance
SubstructureKES 50.4mKES 50.4mKES 0
Frame & upper floorsKES 126.0mKES 126.0mKES 0
EnvelopeKES 60.5mKES 60.5mKES 0
MEP servicesKES 90.7mKES 90.7mKES 0
Finishes & fittingsKES 100.8mKES 100.8mKES 0
PreliminariesKES 50.4mKES 50.4mKES 0
External worksKES 25.2mKES 25.2mKES 0
Baseline cost composition100% total

Sensitivity matrix

Selling price × construction cost.

Each cell shows margin on cost after applying an additional project-wide construction movement and selling-price change.

Cost / Price-10%-5%0%+5%+10%
-10%30.5%37.7%45.0%52.2%59.5%
0%21.0%27.8%34.5%41.2%47.9%
+10%12.9%19.2%25.5%31.7%38.0%
+20%5.8%11.7%17.5%23.4%29.3%
+30%-0.5%5.0%10.6%16.1%21.6%

Method note

The base construction rate is allocated across seven packages. Each package can then be increased or reduced independently. Professional fees and contingency are calculated against adjusted construction cost.

The model excludes detailed cash flow, tax, escalation timing, procurement lead times, currency exposure, contractor risk, and package interdependencies. Use it to expose concentration and repricing risk before updating a full cost plan.

Questions / Method

A cost increase is a design and investment decision.

What is construction cost sensitivity analysis?

It tests how changes in individual cost packages or the overall construction budget affect total development cost, profit, margin, contingency, and required selling price.

Why analyse packages separately?

Structure, envelope, services, finishes, preliminaries, and external works respond differently to inflation, design development, procurement, foreign exchange, and specification decisions. One blended escalation rate can conceal the source of risk.

Is value engineering the same as reducing cost?

No. Good value engineering protects the project objective while changing design, specification, procurement, or construction logic. Unstructured cost cutting can damage revenue, durability, operations, or approvals.

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