Service Scope Notice

Effective Date: July 2026
True Cost Construction Consultants (operating via the domain True Cost Consultants) provides technical construction cost management and independent owner-side cost advisory services across Melbourne and regional Victoria.

This Service Scope Notice outlines the strict professional boundaries of our advisory operations, auditing frameworks, and client-side advocacy. By accessing our website, submitting project data through our intake forms, or engaging our consulting services, you explicitly acknowledge and agree to the operational limits detailed below.

1. Technical Construction Scope & Budget Auditing Only

Our core competencies are strictly restricted to the technical review, assessment, quantification, and independent analysis of construction project documentation. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Reviewing builder estimates, tender submissions, and trade cost breakdowns.

  • Identifying missing project scope items, unlisted exclusions, and unrealistic provisional sum or prime cost allowances.

  • Assessing proposed contract variation claims and construction cost adjustments during active delivery.

  • Providing preliminary technical budget benchmarking during concept design and planning phases.

All advice, reports, spreadsheets, and consultation sessions provided by us represent technical construction market assessments based solely on standard industry pricing models and the project documentation provided directly by the client.

2. Explicit Exclusion of Licensed Financial Advice

True Cost Construction Consultants does not hold an Australian Financial Services (AFS) Licence and does not provide financial product advice under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

Our services must never be interpreted, relied upon, or substituted for professional financial advisory services. We do not provide:

  • Property investment feasibility studies evaluating equity returns, internal rates of return (IRR), or macroeconomic property asset performance.

  • Advice on capital raising, loan structuring, commercial lending criteria, or project financing suitability.

  • General or personal financial product recommendations.

Any reference to protecting your "budget," "bottom line," or "costs" relates exclusively to minimizing technical risk, verifying contract scope line items, and maintaining builder commercial accountability.

3. Explicit Exclusion of Taxation & Accounting Services

We are not registered tax agents or certified public accountants. Construction contract adjustments and project variation decisions heavily impact commercial assets. However, our technical reviews do not include:

  • Taxation planning, advice, or liability forecasting.

  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) planning or margin scheme assessments.

  • Preparation of property depreciation schedules for taxation purposes.

Clients are strongly urged to consult a qualified, registered accountant or tax agent regarding the taxation and structural financial implications of their building contracts and project

4. Independent Advocacy & Client Reliance

True Cost Construction Consultants operates with total client-side independence. We maintain zero financial affiliations, commission structures, or volume bonus arrangements with builders, head contractors, or building suppliers.

While our technical audits are executed with rigorous care, our findings are dependent on the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information supplied by the client and the respective builder. We do not guarantee that our reviews will identify every single project cost overrun or contractor discrepancy, and our reports should be treated as professional risk-management recommendations rather than absolute financial guarantees.