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Our Services
Development Management in Melbourne
One engagement that carries your development from the land purchase through design, approvals, tendering, construction and defects.
Sami Strategy Co. provides development management in Melbourne for property developers and for homeowners taking on a multi-unit or knock-down rebuild project. We run the development from the land purchase through design, approvals, estimating, builder tendering, construction and defects, and we act as your client-side project manager while the builder is on site. You deal with one team that is accountable for the whole program.
Development management suits anyone who owns or is buying a site and wants a construction professional to carry the project and coordinate the architects, engineers, planners and builders on their behalf. Our estimating background means cost is checked at every stage, so decisions about the design, the approvals and the builder are made with current numbers in front of you.
We are based in Melbourne, serve Victoria and consult Australia-wide remotely.
What We Do
What does development management in Melbourne cover?
Development management is the end-to-end running of a property development on the owner's behalf. It starts before the land is bought, with due diligence and a feasibility estimate, and it finishes when the final defects are signed off. In between, we coordinate the consultant team, manage the planning and permit process, prepare the estimates and tender documents, run the builder tender and then manage the construction contract from the client's side.
Each stage ends at a decision point. We bring the numbers, the risks and a recommendation to that point so you can decide whether to proceed, change the design or change the approach. The service is the same whether the site is a two-lot subdivision or a larger multi-unit development; the depth of each stage scales with the project.
- Site due diligence and feasibility estimating before you commit to the land
- Coordination of architects, engineers, surveyors and other consultants through design
- Town planning applications, permit coordination and authority approvals
- Bills of quantities, cost plans and tender documentation
- Builder procurement, tender assessment and contract negotiation
- Client-side project management during construction, including progress claims and variations
- Defect inspections, documentation and resolution tracking through to sign-off
Who This Is For
Who uses property development management?
Development management is for owners who want one accountable party across the whole project.
Developers
Developers use development management to put a single team in charge of a site from acquisition to defects. We coordinate the consultants, manage the approvals, run the tender and oversee the builder, and we report to you at each stage with current costs and risks. This lets you run more than one project without building an in-house team for each.
Learn moreHomeowners
Homeowners planning a knock-down rebuild or a multi-unit project on their own block are effectively running a small development. Development management gives you a construction professional to carry the design, approvals, builder selection and construction phases on your behalf. If you only need part of the service, our estimating and client-side project management are also available on their own.
Learn moreHow It Works
How does a development management engagement work?
The stages below follow the life of a development; we can join at the start or at the stage you have reached.
Land and feasibility
Before you commit to a site we review its constraints, zoning and likely yield, and prepare a feasibility estimate so the purchase decision is made with realistic construction costs. If you already own the land, this stage checks the brief against the budget.
Design and approvals
We assemble and coordinate the consultant team, manage the town planning application and permit process, and keep the design aligned with the budget as it develops. Estimates are updated as the drawings mature so cost problems are caught on paper.
Estimating and tender documents
We prepare the bill of quantities, the cost plan and the tender documentation. Before anything goes to market we review the contract documents for scope gaps and risk.
Builder procurement and tendering
We run the tender with suitable builders, assess the returns against the bill of quantities, clarify scope and negotiate the contract. You receive a recommendation and the reasoning behind it.
Construction
During construction we act as your client-side project manager. We attend site meetings, assess progress claims, manage variations and track risks so the builder delivers what was agreed in the contract.
Defects and handover
At practical completion we inspect, document and track defects through to resolution. We also organise the handover documentation so the project closes out cleanly.
What You Get
What do you receive?
Each stage closes with written outputs you can act on and keep.
Feasibility and cost plan
A feasibility estimate before you commit to the purchase, followed by a cost plan that is updated as the design develops. You know how the budget is tracking at every decision point.
Approvals and consultant record
A tracked record of planning applications, permits, consultant scopes and authority conditions. Nothing in the approvals chain is lost between parties.
Tender package and builder recommendation
A bill of quantities, tender documentation and a comparison of the tender returns. You also receive a written recommendation with the contract points we negotiated.
Construction reports and defects register
Progress claim assessments, a variation register, meeting records and a defects register tracked to sign-off. The construction phase is documented from the client's side.
Scope And Cost
What affects the cost of development management?
The fee depends on how much of the development we run and how complex each stage is. These are the main drivers.
- The stage you engage us at, from land purchase through to construction only
- The number of dwellings and the size of the site
- Planning complexity, including overlays, referrals, objections and permit conditions
- The number of consultants and the complexity of the design
- The procurement route and how many builders are tendered
- The length of the construction program and the reporting frequency you want
Why Sami Strategy
Why engage Sami Strategy as your development manager?
One point of accountability
We manage every stage of the development under one engagement, so there is no handover risk between a feasibility consultant, a planning consultant, an estimator and a project manager. You deal with one team that knows the project from the start.
Estimating is in-house
Sami Strategy is an estimating and tendering consultancy first. The bill of quantities, the cost plan and the tender assessment are prepared by the same team that manages the project, so the numbers behind each decision are current and checked.
Client-side at every meeting
Our project managers work for the owner. We review contracts, scrutinise progress claims and manage variations on your behalf, measuring the builder's work against what was agreed.
I had the pleasure of dealing with Sandra and the team at Sami Strategy Co on a large multi-unit apartment building in Blackburn, VIC. Being a structural engineer, it was a delight to speak to someone who actually understands building.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is development management?
Development management is the running of a property development on behalf of its owner, from the land purchase through design, approvals, estimating, builder tendering, construction and defects. The development manager coordinates the consultants, the authorities and the builder, and brings costs, risks and recommendations to the owner at each decision point. The builder's project manager looks after the construction works for the builder; the development manager looks after the whole project for the owner.
What does a development manager in Melbourne do during construction?
During construction the development manager acts as the owner's client-side project manager. That means attending site meetings, assessing progress claims before they are paid, managing variations, keeping a risk register and checking that the builder is delivering what the contract requires. At practical completion the role continues through defect inspections and resolution.
What do end to end development services include?
End to end development services cover every stage of the project under one engagement: site due diligence and feasibility, consultant coordination through design, town planning and permits, estimating and tender documentation, builder procurement, client-side project management during construction, and defects through to sign-off. Each stage produces written outputs that the owner keeps.
Can I engage you for part of the development only?
Yes. Developers and homeowners can engage Sami Strategy for estimating alone, for example a bill of quantities to price a design, or for client-side project management during construction only. Development management is the option when you want the whole program carried by one team.
How is development consulting different from development management?
Development consulting answers specific questions: whether a site is viable, what a design is likely to cost, or whether a tender return is reasonable. Development management is the ongoing role of running the project from stage to stage. We offer both, and a consulting review of a feasibility or a cost plan can be a first step before a full engagement.
Does development management suit a knock-down rebuild or a multi-unit project on my own block?
Yes. A knock-down rebuild or a small multi-unit project goes through the same stages as a larger development: design, planning approval, estimating, builder selection, construction and defects. Development management gives a homeowner a construction professional to carry those stages, and the depth of each stage is scaled to the size of the project.
Do you manage developments outside Melbourne?
Sami Strategy Co. is based in Melbourne and serves Victoria, and we consult Australia-wide remotely. Feasibility, estimating, tender assessment and document reviews can be done remotely; the stages that need someone on site are delivered in Victoria.
What is the difference between development management and project management?
Project management in our service is client-side management of the construction phase: contract review, progress claims, variations and builder oversight. Development management includes that role and extends it to the stages before construction, from the land purchase through design, approvals, estimating and builder procurement, and to the defects period afterwards.