Cost Plan Template

COST PLAN

Project: [Project Name]
RIBA Stage: [1/2/3/4]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Prepared by: [QS Name]
GIFA: [X,XXX] m2
Base Date: [Quarter/Year]
Location Factor: [X.XX]

ELEMENTAL COST SUMMARY
| Element | Description | Cost | Cost/m2 |
|---------|------------|------|---------|
| 0 | Facilitating Works | | |
| 1 | Substructure | | |
| 2 | Superstructure | | |
| 2.1 | - Frame | | |
| 2.2 | - Upper Floors | | |
| 2.3 | - Roof | | |
| 2.4 | - Stairs and Ramps | | |
| 2.5 | - External Walls | | |
| 2.6 | - Windows and External Doors | | |
| 2.7 | - Internal Walls and Partitions | | |
| 2.8 | - Internal Doors | | |
| 3 | Internal Finishes | | |
| 4 | Fittings, Furnishings and Equipment | | |
| 5 | Services | | |
| 5.1 | - Sanitary Installations | | |
| 5.2 | - Disposal Installations | | |
| 5.3 | - Water Installations | | |
| 5.4 | - Heat Source | | |
| 5.5 | - Space Heating and Air Conditioning | | |
| 5.6 | - Ventilation | | |
| 5.7 | - Electrical Installations | | |
| 5.8 | - Fire and Lightning Protection | | |
| 5.9 | - Communication and Security | | |
| 5.10 | - Lifts | | |
| 5.11 | - Builder's Work in Connection | | |
| | BUILDING WORKS TOTAL | | |
| 6 | Prefabricated Buildings and Modules | | |
| 7 | Work to Existing Buildings | | |
| 8 | External Works | | |
| | TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST | | |
| | Preliminaries ([X]%) | | |
| | Overheads and Profit ([X]%) | | |
| | WORKS COST TOTAL | | |
| | Design Development Risk ([X]%) | | |
| | Construction Risk ([X]%) | | |
| | BASE COST ESTIMATE | | |
| | Tender Inflation to [Date] | | |
| | COST LIMIT (excl. VAT) | | |
| | Professional Fees ([X]%) | | |
| | Other Costs | | |
| | VAT (if applicable) | | |
| | TOTAL PROJECT COST | | |

NOTES AND ASSUMPTIONS
1. [Key assumption 1]
2. [Key assumption 2]
3. [Exclusions]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

WORKED EXAMPLE: STAGE 2 COST PLAN, 1,850 m2 GP SURGERY

A two-storey primary care centre on a cleared brownfield plot in Swindon. Steel frame, brick and render envelope, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, one 8-person lift. Stage 2 concept design, so the figures are benchmark-driven, not measured.

Project: Wroughton Primary Care Centre
RIBA Stage: 2 (Formal Cost Plan 1)
Date: 14/07/2026
Prepared by: O. Hagger MRICS
GIFA: 1,850 m2
Base Date: 2Q 2026
Location Factor: 0.98 (Swindon)

| Element | Description | Cost | Cost/m2 |
|---------|------------|------|---------|
| 0 | Facilitating Works (site clearance, remediation of known hotspot) | £142,000 | £77 |
| 1 | Substructure (CFA piles to made ground, pile caps, ground slab) | £351,000 | £190 |
| 2.1 | Frame (steel, 2 storey) | £259,000 | £140 |
| 2.2 | Upper Floors (metal deck composite) | £96,000 | £52 |
| 2.3 | Roof (single ply on metal deck, PV-ready) | £148,000 | £80 |
| 2.4 | Stairs and Ramps | £46,000 | £25 |
| 2.5 | External Walls (brick outer leaf, render panels, SFS) | £333,000 | £180 |
| 2.6 | Windows and External Doors (alu, triple glazed) | £185,000 | £100 |
| 2.7 | Internal Walls and Partitions (consulting room acoustic spec) | £176,000 | £95 |
| 2.8 | Internal Doors | £83,000 | £45 |
| 3 | Internal Finishes (welded vinyl, suspended ceilings) | £222,000 | £120 |
| 4 | Fittings, Furnishings and Equipment (clinical joinery, reception) | £139,000 | £75 |
| 5 | Services (MVHR, ASHP, electrical, med gas, nurse call, lift) | £832,000 | £450 |
| 8 | External Works (car park 42 spaces, S278 footway, landscaping) | £268,000 | £145 |
| | TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST | £3,280,000 | £1,773 |
| | Preliminaries (14%) | £459,000 | £248 |
| | Overheads and Profit (5%) | £187,000 | £101 |
| | WORKS COST TOTAL | £3,926,000 | £2,122 |
| | Design Development Risk (7%) | £275,000 | £149 |
| | Construction Risk (4%) | £157,000 | £85 |
| | BASE COST ESTIMATE | £4,358,000 | £2,356 |
| | Tender Inflation to 1Q 2027 (3.5%) | £153,000 | £83 |
| | COST LIMIT (excl. VAT) | £4,511,000 | £2,438 |
| | Professional Fees (11%) | £496,000 | £268 |
| | Other Costs (planning, BC, S278 fees, surveys) | £94,000 | £51 |
| | VAT (20%, not recoverable) | £1,020,000 | £551 |
| | TOTAL PROJECT COST | £6,121,000 | £3,309 |

NOTES AND ASSUMPTIONS
1. Rates benchmarked against two comparable primary care schemes (2025 and 2026), adjusted to 2Q 2026 base and Swindon location factor 0.98.
2. Services at £450/m2 reflects clinical spec: MVHR throughout, ASHP, medical gas to two treatment rooms, nurse call, and enhanced small power. A commercial office of this size would sit nearer £280/m2. This single line is 25 percent of construction cost and is the biggest risk in the plan at Stage 2.
3. Substructure assumes CFA piling based on the Stage 1 desk study identifying made ground to 3.5m. No intrusive GI yet. If the GI comes back deeper, this line moves.
4. Design development risk at 7 percent reflects Stage 2. Expect this to fall to around 4 percent at Stage 3 and 2 percent at Stage 4 as the design firms up.
5. Tender inflation taken to an assumed 1Q 2027 tender return. If the programme slips two quarters, add roughly 1.8 percent.

EXCLUSIONS
1. Loose furniture and clinical equipment (client direct).
2. IT and telephony beyond containment and backbone.
3. Land acquisition, legal costs, and finance costs.
4. Decant or temporary accommodation.
5. Abnormal statutory diversions. The 11kV cable shown crossing the north of the site on the utility search is not allowed for pending a DNO response. Flagged to the client as an open risk on 14/07/2026.

That last exclusion is the one that matters. A cost plan that quietly ignores the cable reads better today and costs you the argument in six months.