What Does a Demolition Consultant Do?

A demolition consultant advises asset owners on the planning, scope development, cost estimation, procurement and delivery of demolition projects — independently of the contractor.

For complex industrial demolition and decommissioning projects, demolition should not begin with simply asking contractors for a price. The project first needs to be understood.

What exactly needs to be demolished? What needs to remain? Are services still live? Are hazardous materials present? What will happen to scrap and salvage? What is below ground? What condition does the client need the site left in?

These questions form part of effective demolition planning — and answering them before going to market is the core of what an independent demolition consultant does.

What is a demolition consultant?

A demolition consultant is a specialist who advises clients on the planning, development, procurement and management of demolition projects.

Unlike a demolition contractor engaged to physically undertake the works, an independent demolition consultant works directly for the asset owner or project team. The role is to help the client understand and define the project before major commercial and delivery decisions are made.

Demolition consultancy services can include:

• Demolition planning
• Decommissioning planning
• Demolition scope of works development
• Site inspections and existing information reviews
• Demolition methodology and constructability reviews
• Feasibility and options studies
• Demolition cost estimating
• Project budgeting and programme development
• Risk and opportunity reviews
• Hazardous materials and remediation coordination
• Tender documentation
• Demolition contractor procurement
• Tender evaluation and clarification
• Commercial and change management
• Client-side project delivery support
• Project close-out and handover

The level of support required will depend on the complexity, condition and future use of the site.

Why engage an independent demolition consultant?

One of the biggest challenges in industrial demolition projects is uncertainty.

Existing drawings may be incomplete or inaccurate. Services may still be live. Hazardous materials may not have been fully investigated. Underground structures may be poorly documented. There may also be operational facilities immediately adjacent to the demolition area.

If these issues are not investigated and clearly addressed before tender, demolition contractors have to make assumptions when preparing their prices. One contractor may assume foundations are being removed; another may assume they remain. One may include hazardous-material removal; another may exclude it. One may allow significant value for scrap recovery while another takes a more conservative approach.

The result can be several tender prices that appear comparable but actually represent different scopes, methodologies and risk allocations.

Independent demolition consultancy helps the client identify and resolve these issues before going to market.

Developing a demolition scope of works

A detailed demolition scope of works is one of the most important documents in a demolition tender package. It should define the required project outcome rather than simply identify structures for removal.

For example: "Demolish the existing processing building." That instruction sounds straightforward, but it leaves several questions unanswered.

Does demolition include the concrete slab? Are foundations being removed? What happens to underground services? Are pits and drainage structures included? Are there services passing through the demolition area that need to remain operational? Who is responsible for electrical and mechanical isolations? Who owns recovered scrap? What condition should the site be left in?

Each answer can affect the contractor's methodology, equipment, programme and price.

A well-developed demolition scope provides contractors with a consistent basis for tendering and gives the client a clearer contractual basis for managing the project.

Industrial demolition planning

Industrial demolition planning can be significantly more complex than conventional building demolition.

Refineries, chemical plants, mines, processing facilities, manufacturing sites, power infrastructure and other heavy industrial assets can contain interconnected structures, services, process equipment and hazardous materials.

Demolition planning may need to consider structural condition and stability, demolition sequencing, live plant and operational interfaces, electrical and mechanical services, process lines and equipment, hazardous materials, contaminated soil, underground infrastructure, temporary works, site access and logistics, heavy demolition equipment, waste management, scrap recovery, noise, dust and vibration, environmental controls, regulatory and permitting requirements, and interfaces with future construction or redevelopment.

Where specialist structural engineering, environmental, hazardous-material or other technical advice is required, these requirements should be identified early enough to influence the demolition strategy and tender documentation.

Demolition cost estimating and cost planning

Understanding the likely cost of demolition is important during feasibility studies, asset closure planning and project budgeting.

Demolition cost estimating involves considerably more than estimating how long an excavator will take to demolish a structure. Depending on the project, a demolition cost estimate may need to consider site establishment, mobilisation and demobilisation, labour, demolition plant and equipment, temporary works, service isolations, hazardous-material removal, waste processing, transport and disposal, recycling, environmental controls, remediation, project management, programme duration, scrap and salvage recovery, and project contingency and risk.

An independent demolition cost estimate should clearly identify the assumptions, exclusions and uncertainties behind the budget. This allows asset owners and project teams to understand what could materially change the cost before committing to the works.

Demolition tendering and contractor procurement

Once the demolition scope and delivery strategy have been sufficiently developed, contractors can be invited to tender.

A robust demolition tender process should assess more than the submitted price. Contractor proposals should be reviewed against scope compliance, proposed demolition methodology, programme, plant and equipment, project resources, relevant experience, assumptions, qualifications, exclusions, commercial conditions, risk allocation, and scrap and salvage assumptions.

A lower demolition tender price does not necessarily represent a lower final project cost. Important exclusions, qualifications or different interpretations of the scope can materially change the commercial position after contract award.

A price is not a project strategy. Understanding what sits behind the price is an important part of demolition contractor procurement.

Demolition project management

Independent demolition project management can continue after the demolition contractor has been appointed.

Client-side demolition project management may include reviewing contractor documentation, monitoring progress, managing project interfaces, assessing changes, coordinating stakeholders and supporting commercial decision-making.

Demolition projects can uncover conditions that could not reasonably have been identified before work commenced. Having clear scope boundaries, project controls and change-management processes helps the client assess these issues as they arise.

Demolition and decommissioning

Demolition and decommissioning are closely connected but are not necessarily the same activity. Decommissioning can begin well before physical demolition.

For industrial assets, decommissioning planning may involve identifying redundant equipment, establishing isolation requirements, understanding hazardous materials, separating retained infrastructure and determining the required final condition of the facility.

For major asset closures, demolition may therefore form one workstream within a broader closure and decommissioning strategy. Considering demolition requirements during the early stages of asset closure can provide better information for budgeting, scheduling, procurement and future land-use planning.

When should you engage a demolition consultant?

A demolition consultant can provide the greatest value while there is still an opportunity to influence the scope, delivery strategy and budget.

Consider engaging specialist demolition support when:

• An industrial facility is approaching closure
• A mine, processing plant or manufacturing facility requires decommissioning
• Redundant infrastructure needs to be removed
• A brownfield site is being prepared for redevelopment
• A demolition feasibility study is required
• A demolition cost estimate is needed
• A demolition scope of works needs to be developed
• Demolition contractors are about to be invited to tender
• Contractor tenders require independent evaluation
• An existing demolition methodology requires review
• A demolition project is experiencing scope, cost or programme issues

Early engagement does not necessarily mean appointing a consultant for the entire project. A client may initially require only a site review, feasibility assessment, demolition scope review or independent cost estimate. The level of support can then develop alongside the project.

If you are planning an industrial demolition, decommissioning, asset closure or brownfield redevelopment project, contact us to discuss how independent advisory can strengthen your project.