







Mitchell Brandtman has got you covered…
Now is the time to start thinking about your projects and in particular your obligations prior to Christmas 2023 and your plans for the New Year.
one of the most critical obligations to plan for leading into Christmas are Progress Claims/ Payments. So we have put in place a target date of Wednesday 13th December 2023 being the last day for all site inspections and all progress claim information. This will ensure all reports are completed and issued prior to Christmas shutdown which is the 21st of December 2023 to the 8th of January 2024.
Remember to also discuss payment timing dates with the rest of your project team and specifically, your Financier to ensure obligations can be met through this period.
Looking at commencing construction early in the New Year? To ensure we can cater for your project’s pre-funding requirements, we have set a target date of Friday 1st of December 2023 to receive all required information for Pre-Funding Initial Reports. This will ensure that any new Initial Reports are issued prior to the Christmas shutdown and will help you hit the ground running in 2024.
We understand that with the “silly” season approaching it is not always possible to predict when a report or assessment will need to be done. So if you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to give us a call, right up until COB Wednesday 20th of December 2023 and we will be happy to talk through how we can help.
Please contact our team at MB to book your Pre-Christmas inspections / reports.
Our office will be closed from 11am Thursday 21st of December 2023 and will re-open on Monday 8th of January 2024.
We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday.





This Mitchell Brandtman Quarterly Construction Cost Update has been put together to help keep you informed on the movements of the market to better position yourself for your current and future projects.
All markets across Queensland remain hot with the total value of building approvals hitting new peak levels. While the dynamic of project types is shifting, the sheer volume of new work to deliver continues to compound an already frustrated industry. As anticipated, domestic construction has eased slightly with signs of trade level competition emerging, however the public sector commitment has dominated the latest quarter of data and will continue to drive a divide between small and large scale construction activity and pricing.
The record public sector spend will dominate the conversation and attention of our upper tier Contractors, leaving delivery in the private sector challenged from a capacity, capability and feasibility point of view. Activity levels will continue to influence building costs differently across the various sectors and regions as these packages roll out across their local markets.
Opportunities will continue to emerge in the smaller scale, quick to market type product which suits the current risk averse trade sector. Larger and more complex developments will need to approach the market with an open mind for the foreseeable future.





Mitchell Brandtman’s team of experts is ready to help you with your grant applications for the Go For Gold Fund.
The Queensland Government has recently announced Round two of the Go for Gold Fund for schools across Queensland. The Fund is open to schools across Queensland for both new and upgraded sports infrastructure on projects such as athletics pitches, multi-purpose courts, ovals, and more. This means it’s the perfect time for schools to consider upgrading or installing new facilities for their students.
Mitchell Brandtman is ready and able to assist with cost advice and estimates for potential projects as part of the grant application. Our team of Quantity Surveyors has extensive experience working on sporting, recreation and education projects, positioning us perfectly to provide an accurate grant estimate for you and your clients.
For further details on how we can help, please contact Partner, Caitlin Shields PH – 07 3327 5034 or E – cshields@mitbrand.com
More information on the Go For Gold Fund is available at https://www.qld.gov.au/about/b…
We’ve created a number of education workshops for Financiers who would like to gain a more thorough understanding of what a Quantity Surveyor does and how we assist Financiers and their clients on a project.
After successfully launching our Financiers’ Education Program in 2018, we are excited to be offering this program again in 2023. Our workshops will be hosted in our Melbourne CBD office on Collins Street and will cover off on topics such as:
– Costs Verification
– Authority Approvals
– Site and Environmental
– Building Contracts
– Builders Check
– Insurances
– Construction Program and Cash Flow
– Construction Progress and Payment
Please click on your preferred date below to register.
For further information, contact: Kristie Parsons kparsons@mitbrand.com or call 03 9944 3030
We look forward to sharing our knowledge with you.
The Mitchell Brandtman Team.
Julian’s extensive background in the property industry spans more than 32 years, giving the Mitchell Brandtman team access to a wealth of invaluable experience.
As an Associate Director at NAB for the past 21 years, Julian was responsible for construction risk management for Victoria and Tasmania across NAB’s entire construction portfolio, (Business Banking to Corporate and Institutional) making him a fantastic asset to the Mitchell Brandtman team.
Julian joins Alan Tan as Director of our Victorian business member of our National Board.
Congratulations Julian. We know both our clients and our team will benefit from your experience and expertise.


Head contractor confidence, capacity and appetite for risk continue to wreak havoc across larger scale private developments, with attention being largely turned to the less speculative public spending commitments mounting on the horizon.
This is distinguishable from the small scale residential and industrial sectors which both appear to have rebuilt enough competitive tension across trades to keep the fair value for money position somewhat in check. This will create a pricing divide and we expect to be dealing with a ‘two-speed’ economy in terms of construction pricing until healthy competition returns to the mid and upper tier tender market – at both a sub-contract and head-contract level.
Public spending commitments across all parts of Queensland are at stimulus measure levels, with a clear sight of work until post Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics. This will absorb more than the capacity we currently have to deliver our current volume of work. Regional areas are already struggling to make anything not just ‘stack up’ but actually meet the fundamental fair value equation.
Opposing forces usually lead to sparks, which we have already seen across the institutional and private sectors. However expect that to remain the case across the typical tender market for some time yet – and for it to likely get worse before it begins to improve.
Projects that are successfully traversing the feasibility and procurement minefield are leveraging strong relationships or simply have the ability to be dynamic based on their own unique set of challenges.




