What a builder needs from a development approval before pricing
What should a developer have ready before asking a builder for a price?
A builder can give a developer a meaningful price only against a defined scope, and on an apartment project that scope is set by the development approval and the documents behind it. Before asking Calibre or any builder to price, a developer should have the development consent with its conditions, the approved architectural drawings, the geotechnical report, the survey, the structural and services concept if it exists, the acoustic and BASIX or NatHERS requirements, and a clear statement of what the developer wants included: the fit-out standard, the common area specification, the landscaping, and whether any of the design is still to be resolved. The conditions of consent matter as much as the drawings, because they carry the obligations the builder will have to satisfy for the occupation certificate. A price given without them is an estimate, not a price, and the gap between the two is where projects go wrong.
The documents that set the scope
The development consent and every condition attached to it. The approved plans stamped by the consent authority. The geotechnical report, because the basement is where the cost risk sits. The survey. Any concept engineering.
The requirements that change the price
Acoustic treatment, particularly under flight paths and on arterial roads. BASIX or NatHERS commitments, which set the glazing and insulation. Fire engineering where the design relies on it. Council's engineering conditions for stormwater and roads.
What the developer decides
The fit-out standard, the appliances and finishes, the common area specification, lift quality, and what the developer wants to leave for a purchaser or tenant to fit out. These are decisions, not assumptions, and they should be written down before pricing.
What a builder does with it
Reviews the consent for buildability and cost risk, prices the documented scope, lists the assumptions and exclusions, and sets a programme. A design and construct builder will also identify what still has to be designed and price that work.
Reviewed September 2026. Regulatory settings in New South Wales change; confirm the current requirements with your certifier and solicitor.
Related questions
Can a builder price from a concept before the development application?
An estimate, yes, and it can be useful for feasibility. A contract price needs the consent and the approved drawings.
What if the geotechnical report is missing?
The basement price will carry a large allowance or an exclusion. A geotechnical report costs a fraction of the risk it removes.
Should the developer share the feasibility budget?
It helps. A builder who knows the target can say early whether the documented scope fits it, before both parties spend weeks on a price.
Discuss a site.
Send the address and the stage the project has reached. A director reads every enquiry and replies within one business day.