3 ways to cut pre-project costs with location intelligence

As prices of materials and labour keep increasing, the skills gap widens, how can your architecture, engineering and construction business remain profitable?

There’s a cost-cutting ‘electric vehicle’ that could save you time and money before work even begins. The good news is you’ve probably already got one, you just don’t know it. It’s time to take your hands off the wheel and put them onto your mouse!

Here are three ways you can drive pre-project savings with a few clicks to location intelligence:

1. Scope profitable projects using virtual site inspection

Using your mouse to access accurate aerial imagery and 3D content, your team can conduct thorough feasibility assessments from your desk. Reduced site visits can not only save travel time, but also help cut related costs. 

You could potentially save $34,100, 480 hours, and 5,280 kg of carbon each year by having just one of your workers do two of their site visits — that require a travel time of 1 hour — remotely each day.*

Conducting virtual site visits in detail, and comparing current and historical aerial imagery, can help you identify uneven topography, removed and existing structures, maintenance patterns, and environmental factors — all without leaving your desk.

And aerial imagery combined with AI-powered automated property insights can help identify tree overhang, solar panels, surface types, roof condition, and more. Each of these elements may impact productivity or create issues on-site once work is begun.

With an informed and accurate understanding of the challenges and opportunities that can impact project cost, time investment, and success, you can ensure you’re pursuing profitable projects. 

Should your business not want to pursue the project, the upfront investment would have been minimal — making this a robust tender cost reduction strategy.

2. Take the guesswork out of estimates

Make accurate estimates for the materials, equipment, and labour required to profitably complete the job with up-to-date aerial imagery.

Current and hi-resolution aerial imagery and 3D content enables accurate initial measurements to be made via remote site inspection, and on-site measurements to be validated — reducing the need to make multiple site visits and the risk of human error.

Up-to-date, clear imagery can also help you make accurate estimates for safety and logistical requirements. Remote site visits allow you to measure building height, dimensions of entry points, width of road access, diameter of crane clearance, and suitable, safe locations for heavy machinery placement.

3. Enhance bids with compelling proposals

With geospatial power and striking aerial imagery just clicks away, you can create presentations that are more engaging, easier to understand, realistic and won’t put your audience to sleep! 

A detailed view of the project site and its surrounds — nearby construction sites, green spaces, transport networks, shopping centres and more — means you can tailor your bid to the specific needs of the local community.

Demonstrating deep-knowledge and consideration the area could potentially increase your chance of winning contracts, especially as clients and the community are demanding more environmentally sustainable outcomes.

Nearmap offers location intelligence — including vertical, 3D and AI content — that covers up to 95% of the Australian population, updated up to 6 times per year in urban areas, and that includes a catalogue of 10+ years’ historical imagery.