FAQs.
Direct answers.

Simple. Email us your plans, mention the deadline, and tell us anything else we should know about the project. We’ll respond with a free quote for the estimate within 2 hours during AEST business hours.

If the quote works for you, we’ll confirm a realistic delivery window before any work starts. Same-day scope review, scope-matched delivery, no surprises. Once we begin, you receive your full estimate at the agreed time. Our method page walks through the full three-stage process.

It depends on the complexity of the project. As a guide:

• Small estimates — single water main lead-in, residential subdivision section, small variation: 1–3 business days
• Medium estimates — full subdivision package, mixed water-and-sewer scope, single pump station: 3–7 business days
• Complex multi-discipline estimates — deep sewer with pump station, multiple variations, OSD tank with full drainage network: 1–2 weeks

These are realistic ranges. We always agree the actual delivery date in writing before any work starts. We never quote turnaround we can’t honestly meet.

It depends on the complexity. Every job is different — a small water main lead-in prices differently from a full subdivision or a deep pump station compound.

Email us your plans and we’ll send back a free fixed quote for the estimate work. No surprises — the quote is the price.

Subscription and retainer arrangements are available on enquiry for contractors with ongoing tender pipelines.

We say so honestly — and as early as possible. We don’t take on work we can’t deliver to the standard the project deserves.

If we have capacity, we confirm at the same time as we send the quote. If we’re booked out, we say so within the same 2-hour acknowledgment window so you can plan accordingly. We never quietly delay.

A complete estimate package delivered as:

• PDF document — the formal estimate with summary, scope, assumptions, exclusions, and methodology
• Excel workbook — detailed rate breakdown with line items for materials, labour, plant, sub-contract costs

We can also work in your existing template if you have one — just send it through with the plans.

Every estimate includes:

• Line-by-line cost breakdown — materials, labour, plant, sub-contract, separated cleanly
• Quantity takeoffs — calculated from the drawings at the component level
• Authority compliance allowances — testing, commissioning, sign-off documentation
• Methodology notes — how we’ve assumed the work gets built (open-cut vs trenchless, depth assumptions, etc.)
• Assumptions register — every assumption made explicit
• Exclusions register — what’s been deliberately qualified out so the head contractor knows what’s still on their side
• Programme implications — where the estimate has time-related cost components (concrete cure days, authority sign-off lead times, etc.)

The estimate is built from first principles — every rate constructed from current supplier prices, current plant hire rates, current labour rates, and our own real-world productivity assumptions developed over years of pricing this work specifically.

We use PlanSwift for quantity takeoff, Adobe for plan markup, and Excel for the rate build and final deliverable. The accuracy comes from reading the drawings properly, applying the correct authority specifications, and not skipping the assumptions register that makes the price defensible.

The estimate is as accurate as the information we’re given. If drawings are incomplete or assumptions need confirming, we qualify those items in the exclusions register rather than guessing.

Yes — these are real line items in every estimate. We include:

• Compaction testing per backfill layer
• Concrete testing (cylinders and slump tests per load)
• Hydrostatic / pressure testing for water mains and rising mains
• CCTV inspection for sewer and stormwater lines
• Disinfection and clearance testing for water mains
• Authority inspections and witness points
• Geotech supervision where required by depth or authority spec
• As-built documentation and handover certification
• Authority commissioning fees where applicable

What gets included depends on the specific project and authority — we work to the actual spec on the drawings, not a generic template.

Yes — subdivisions are core scope. We estimate the full water, sewer, and stormwater package for residential and commercial subdivisions of any size. This includes reticulation networks, lead-in mains, property connections, manholes, pits, OSD tanks, and authority handover documentation.

Send the subdivision plans and we’ll price the full package as one consolidated submission.

To be clear about scope:

• We don’t construct on site — we estimate only, we don’t build
• We don’t estimate structural engineering (buildings, bridges)
• We don’t estimate mechanical / electrical fit-out (cables, switchboards, equipment commissioning)
• We don’t estimate building trades (carpentry, plumbing fit-out, painting)
• We don’t estimate industrial process work

What we DO estimate:

• Water infrastructure
• Sewer infrastructure
• Stormwater drainage networks and OSD
• Pump stations
• Form-reo-pour concrete structures (OSD tanks, large pits, headwalls)
• Variations and design changes
• Civil works supporting infrastructure (access tracks, reinstatement)
• Utility installations
• Electrical and communications conduit installation — the civil scope (trenching, conduit supply and placement, backfill, reinstatement), not the electrical fit-out itself

Almost certainly. Across our experience we’ve priced:

• Tens of kilometres of water and sewer mains
• Dozens of manholes — DTC 2200 (DN1200), DTC 2203 (DN1050), trunk sewer manholes
• Multiple pump stations — both permanent precast and IOP installations
• Stormwater networks ranging from residential subdivisions to deep trunk drains up to DN1500
• Form-reo-pour OSD tanks and bespoke concrete structures
• Variations across material substitutions, method changes, and latent conditions

If your project has an unusual element, send the drawings — chances are we’ve estimated something similar before, and we’ll tell you honestly if we haven’t.

No — Sydney is where we’re headquartered, but our work covers New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and increasingly other Australian states.

We estimate work for:

• Sydney Water (NSW) — DTC catalogue and full Sydney Water Specifications
• Hunter Water (Lower Hunter NSW) — Newcastle, Maitland, Lake Macquarie
• Coliban Water and GWM Water (regional Victoria) — Bendigo, Castlemaine, country VIC
• Melbourne metro retail water businesses — Yarra Valley Water, South East Water, Greater Western Water (MRWA-aligned)
• Regional Queensland councils — for council-managed water networks

Yes. We estimate water and sewer infrastructure work in Melbourne metro and regional Victoria, working to MRWA-aligned specifications and the specific retail water business or regional authority requirements on the project.

Distance hasn’t been a constraint on quality — drawings arrive electronically, site context comes through geotech reports, video walk-throughs, and authority correspondence.

Yes — every Australian water authority has its own current specification, its own drawings catalogue, its own acceptance criteria. We work to the actual specification on the project, not a generic template. If we haven’t worked extensively with a specific authority before, we say so honestly and review the specs before quoting.