The Better Way to Procure: Rethinking Construction Delivery
Simplifying complexity in high-performance space deliveryIn a live research facility, construction doesn’t look like construction.
Choosing a procurement model shouldn't be complicated. Yet ask any client who's navigated the traditional route and you'll hear the same frustrations: fragmented teams, unclear responsibilities, unexpected costs. There's a better way.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Here's what traditional procurement actually looks like: separate consultants for design, external cost estimators, construction firms operating in sequence. The structure itself creates the problem, it places the majority of project risk directly on clients.
The pattern is predictable. Delays. Budget blowouts. Quality compromises. Issues surface during construction that require expensive redesigns. Value engineering becomes damage control rather than strategy. Teams that should be collaborating are instead protecting their own scopes. And when things go wrong, clients are left holding the bag.
A Fundamentally Different Approach
At Connected, we've structured our entire methodology around a straightforward insight: integration eliminates risk. By bringing strategy, design, and delivery under one roof, we remove the friction points that plague conventional projects. This isn't just convenient; it fundamentally changes who carries risk and when problems get solved.
The most expensive time to discover a problem is on site. The least expensive? During design. By engaging construction, design, and cost expertise from day one, we identify risks when they're easiest to resolve. Constructability issues, services coordination, authority approvals, long-lead procurement, all addressed before ground is broken. Our project managers aren't brought in after decisions are made. They're programming schedules and building budgets while design is still being refined. By the time construction begins, surprises have already been eliminated.
This early engagement creates something traditional models can't deliver cost certainty before commitment. The single biggest failure point in construction? Approving a design that can't be delivered within budget. Progressive budgeting prevents this. We provide line-by-line costing from the outset and evaluate budget implications of every design decision in real time. Our technology lets you visualise your space in 3D and understand cost impacts immediately. When designs are complete, we market-test pricing with additional subcontractors. Competitive. Transparent. Verified. You're welcome to engage your own quantity surveyor… we build verification into the process.
With Connected responsible for strategy, design, and delivery, there's no ambiguity about ownership. Risk doesn't slip between consultants or contractors. It sits with us. No disputes. No finger-pointing. No claims arising from disconnected scopes. Knowledge doesn't get lost in handovers because there are no handovers. Your project doesn't need re-explaining at each phase because the same team sees it through.
Once design, budget, and schedule are approved, we enter a fixed-price, fixed-duration contract. From that point forward, cost overruns, subcontractor coordination, programme delays, ours to manage, not yours. We shoulder risk at the appropriate points and protect your budgets and deadlines. Most variation claims stem from poor coordination and late engagement. Our integrated scopes and early subcontractor involvement eliminate these gaps. When issues do arise, we carry the contractual and insurance responsibility, shielding you from disputes. The price we quote is the price you pay, barring changes to your brief.
Complex environments expose the weaknesses of traditional procurement. Occupied renovations requiring business continuity. Life sciences facilities with non-negotiable technical requirements. Time-critical projects with locked budgets and firm deadlines. These scenarios demand the certainty only integration provides.
Whether you're delivering a single flagship space or coordinating a global portfolio, the methodology remains consistent: market-tested pricing, progressive budgeting, early contractor involvement, fixed-price contracts with genuine risk transfer, single point of accountability, on-time delivery. For organisations operating across multiple locations, we assign the same account manager globally. Consistent standards. Embedded knowledge. No re-educating new teams at each site.
Traditional procurement treats construction as a series of transactions. We see it differently. Each project is an opportunity to replace confusion with clarity, risk with certainty, fragmentation with partnership. The spaces we create sit at the cutting edge of innovation. The way we deliver them should too.
Ready to explore a better way? Connect with our team to discuss how our integrated approach can work for your next project.
Connected. Where innovation takes shape.