Our client representation services cover the following areas:
· Initial stage: Be involved with setting project objectives, and drafting the skeletal brief and programme priorities. Assist with recommendations for any professional team appointments.

· Feasibility stage: Be involved with the development of the client’s brief. Vet the initial sketch plans to verify that it conforms to the brief, and ensure that allowance is made in the project budgets for all tenant requirements. Advise on, or negotiate and agree, client/consultant agreements and fee scales together with the professional indemnity levels required. Attend all design meetings.

· Pre-construction stage: Examine pre-contract estimates and provisional sum allowances for adequacy. Confirm material selection for both cost and future maintenance efficiency. Advise on contract type and list of contractors for tender purposes. Agree a master cost plan with the quantity surveyor against which the costs of all subsequent design activities and procurement of various contracts will be monitored.

· Construction stage: Scrutinise the contractor’s proposal in terms of resourcing and sub-contractors. Attend site meetings to establish adherence to programme, variation orders issued, and claims for delays. Scrutinise the quantity surveyor’s monthly cost reports. Ensure that all costs not of the clients making are allocated to the consultant/contractor concerned. Monitor monthly payment certificates against the anticipated cash flow schedule.

· Completion: Scrutinise the final accounts to ensure correct allocation of variation costs.

We have successfully executed commissions that involved the relocation of clients’ operations to new premises. Projects undertaken range from corporate offices to hotels and hospitals. Our role is essentially facilitation and co-ordination. We work with our clients’ staff, communicating through someone appointed by the client. We have specifically excluded IT investigation and relocation as we understand the need to handle this in-house. A client-appointed IT representative forms part of the project team.

We handle the procurement of fittings, furbishings and equipment. This includes everything from furniture to kitchen equipment, telephones, signage and plants.

Services offered include:
• Preparing and examining staff growth projections

• Motivating appropriate office planning for the building and setting the ratio of open plan or landscaped to cellular offices

• Appointing facilities specialists such as space planners

• Determining storage systems including fire-proof, confidential and computer media storage

• Preparing a brief for office layout

• Facilitating an information flow/paper flow study by specialist space planners

• Determining appropriate workstation standards: space, type and quality

• Obtaining management and executive approval of office layouts

• Co-ordinate the memorandum of agreement and conditions of contract for direct contractors and suppliers

In short, Mbatha Walters and Simpson will plan, co-ordinate and oversee the relocation of your office to your new premises according your specific needs.

Mbatha Walters and Simpson has conducted project appraisals for financial institutions such as the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and the African Development Bank. We have also acted as a lender’s consultant for several projects.

An appraisal provides a comprehensive review of a project and aims to identify areas of risk. This can include:
• Evaluating project documentation including loan agreements, project brief and design parameters, professional appointments, contracts, technical documents, drawings and tenders.
• A site visit to identify the conditions under which the work will be executed.
• Reviewing implementation to assess the risk of delays and their possible impact on cost.
• Evaluating the technical and management expertise of the project team.
• Identifying the cost of exclusions from the project scope such as furniture, furbishings and equipment, operational supplies and equipment, and pre-opening expenses.

The lender’s consultant keeps the lender aware of all significant matters, beneficial or detrimental, to the successful completion of the project. Our services include:
• Monitoring all costs related to the project.

• Monitoring progress of the design and specifications.

• Monitoring compliance with life safety and other guidelines required by the lender.

• Assessing, through to project completion, the performance of the staff employed by the sponsor as set down in the relevant agreements.

• Preparing reports showing cost to date and cost to completion of the entire project.

• Reviewing any variations requiring the lender’s approval and, if required, advising the lender on whether approval should be given.

• Verifying payments and notifying the lenders when a disbursement should be made.

The company carries out cost consultancy and quantity surveying service for both building and civil engineering projects. These cover the whole range of financial control, including:
• Initial cost advice.

• Preparing feasibility studies.

• Cost planning and setting cost targets, budgets and cash flow projections.

• Reviewing alternative construction methods.

• Advice on contract and procurement procedures.

• Preparing tender enquiry documents and bills of quantities.

• Full cost monitoring, reporting and control throughout construction.

• Valuations of work in progress.

• Settling final accounts with contractors and sub-contractors.

• Preparing replacement valuations.

• The General Conditions of Contract for Works for Civil Engineering Construction (Sixth Edition 1990).

• The FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineering Associations) Conditions of Contract for Works of Civil Engineering Construction (Fourth Edition 1987).

• The FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction for building and engineering works designed by the Employer (First Edition 1999).

• The FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Electrical and Mechanical Works (Third Edition 1987).

• The New Engineering Form of Contract.

• The application and use of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) 1200 Standardised Specifications and the SABS 0120 Code of Practice.

• Principal Building Agreement as prepared by Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC).

Our client list includes landlords, property unit trusts, body corporates, banks, insurers, brokers and loss adjusters.

We also regularly act for insurers and loss adjusters in the settlement of claims.