Consulting
Consulting Department team renders consulting services in various segments of residential and commercial real estate of any scale ranging from infill construction in the city center to developing of large territories outside settlements.
Understanding the diversity of business targets of our clients, Sawyer Group’s Consulting Department provides additional consulting services on asset management and optimization, business planning for realization of goods and services, complex support of projects on relocation of offices, retail points and production facilities.
Sawyer Group consultants apply a complex approach, original ideas and know-hows as well as international experience and relations with GVA Worldwide association
Basic (Traditional) Consulting Services in Real Estate:
- Macroeconomic research
- Marketing research
- Express analysis (professional opinion)
- Highest and best use analysis
- Conceptual planning
- Market strategy development for investors and owners
- Throughout project monitoring from concept development to the handover of the complex to tenants
- Project audit
- International practice analysis
- Architectural competitions and tenders
Accompanying Consulting Services in Real Estate:
- Capital attraction
- Engagement of managing and maintenance companies
- PR-support of the project, branding
- Organization of lectures, seminars, educational business tours in Russia and abroad
- Legal support
Additional Business Consulting:
- Elaboration of feasibility study for relocation/ consolidation of industrial enterprises
- Expediency assessment of relocation, consolidation or reduction of facilities as well as opening of new branches
- Elaboration of recommendations on raising effectiveness of asset management
- Elaboration of strategy for development of goods and services under new economic conditions
Macroeconomic Researches of the Russian Economy, Russian Regions and Cities of Russia
The consulting department performs constant monitoring and gathering of data base on the basis of which Sawyer Group experts can carry out highly specialized inquiries regarding the analysis and forecast of real estate market characteristics on the basis of macro- and microeconomic indicators.
Sawyer Group researches are based on:
- regularly carried out investigations (primary sources)
- information from open sources and reports of other companies (secondary sources)
- statistical information received from Administrative Authorities of various levels (official data)
- logical and mathematical models and methodological concepts developed by Sawyer Group
Fee for these services is contractual and basically depends on the depth the research.
Marketing Research
On the basis of own methodological workings out, constantly renewed factual databases and transactions data, Marketing Department of Sawyer Group Consulting Division issues analytical reports covering the following sectors of real estate market:
- office sector
- hotel sector
- retail & entertainment sector
- industrial & warehouse sector
- country and residential property sector
Researches differ in periodicity release:
- weekly key events
- quarterly reports
- annual reports
- reports upon request
Drawing up Professional Opinion Reports
Should you need to quickly analyse the situation or a commercial offer regarding investment in real estate, Sawyer Group experts will be able to produce a “professional opinion” report within 8 hours up to 3 working days. Findings of the document will rest upon the data available to the Consulting Department on the Project, the development area, as well as personal experience in work with similar facilities. The report enables you to draw conclusions on expediency of further implementation of the project.
Integrated Scope of Work includes:
- Study of the initial materials submitted by the Client (general information on the property, prospective strategy of entry and exit from the transaction, the legal documents, available research findings)
- Short marketing analysis of demand, supply and commercial terms on similar projects in the considered area, conclusions
- Express analysis of expedient use of the property (type and construction format, class, general characteristics)
- Generalized analysis of efficiency (indicative expenses/incomes). The Consultant’s conclusion concerning justice of the prospective transaction upon entry of the Client in the project, his possible share and expected profitability.
Concept Development
Highest and best use analysis basically precedes concept development and design. The data collected in the result of marketing research directly influences ideology of development area which is carried out involving leading Russian and foreign architectural bureaus. The analysis of expenses for engineering equipment of the chosen concept and calculation regarding technical conditions , preliminary city share cost, project budget and schedules of works — all this affects efficiency estimation of the offered concept and its accomplishment if necessary. Taking into consideration all possible Clients’ financial constrains and risks related to execution of any investment project construction, Sawyer Group experts work out possibilities of phasing and outsourcing of alternative resources, conversion of facilities in case it is necessary and other ways to cushion risks.
Concept development can be performed by Sawyer Group experts within 35 – 55 working days. Fee for services depends on the size of the property under development, required terms, payment scheme and qualification of the invited architects.
Integrated Scope of Work includes:
- Drawing up Technical Brief for the design stage “concept design”;
- Architectural elaboration;
- Technical and engineering elaboration;
- Project sensitivity analysis and valuation of risks. Strategy of “exiting” the project;
- Financial feasibility of prospective construction.
The following aspects can also be elaborated:
- Detailed facade elaboration, selection of the most appropriate project PR-concept to its functional concept, 3D property visualization in both day and night scenes
- Leasing plan: floor breakdown into separate retail sections fitting the project concept and profile of potential tenants, area of each section and rent rates indicated;
- Security and operation: general recommendations upon the proper selection of the companies, schemes of cooperation and valuation of performed by them functions.
Throughout Project Monitoring
Over the period of project execution Consulting Department experts are ready to perform throughout project monitoring beginning from concept development and finishing with the handover of the complex to tenants.
Such services presuppose that for the whole period of project execution the experienced specialist is appointed as your constant team member. We recommend to choose such a person at the first project stage that is concept development stage. The Project manager interested in successful concept implementation makes practical recommendations regarding optimization of terms, quality, budget, internal and external project communication and supervises the executing process at all stages.
Fee for services depends on the required volume of performed services and can be both fixed and hourly paid.
Project Audit
Sawyer Group offers a service on organizing and conducting of operational analysis of unaccomplished or unimplemented development projects. The service of Project Audit is adapted to the Russian market.
This type of consulting services is primarily oriented towards the owners of suspended real estate properties, the buyers of such properties and also investors, making an operative decision on further financing of the suspended projects.
The work is carried out on the basis of data and conditions, provided by the Client, as well as information obtained by Sawyer Group’s specialists.
A project team, consisting of development, marketing specialists and investment-financial analysts, is formed for conducting the Project Audit.
The work includes the following stages:
- Analysis of the property’s current condition and forming of an interim expert conclusion on the property’s resource quality, its legal and technical status.
- Analysis of the property’s market environment and forming of an interim expert conclusion, including assumptions on possible options of the property’s use.
- Investment analysis of the property’s use options, preparation of the economic assessment of choosing one of the options and forming of an investment memorandum if required.
As a result of the conducted work the final Conclusion is prepared with the account of its usage for making an internal managerial solution as well as for submitting it to financial and credit organizations with the view of obtaining an approval for preparation of a full-scale application for financing.
If required, the final Conclusion can be prepared in compliance with the standards of foreign financial and credit organizations and translated to the respective foreign language.
The term of work performance including elaboration of the final Conclusion is from 8 to 25 working days and can be changed upon parties’ agreement.
Additionally, upon the Client’s request, a Report on assessment of the whole property or parts of the property can be prepared in compliance with the international standards and with the involvement of GVA Grimley’s specialists. The report can be prepared in Russian as well as in a foreign language, stipulated in the technical brief. The report is adapted for the existing requirements of the Russian legislation.
International Practice Analysis
Sawyer Group specialists search for the world analogues of the projects under consideration, analyze efficiency of the executed project solutions taking into account the current functional use of facilities, organize property visits, meetings with management companies and architects of the projects through GVA Worldwide offices.
We organize video and audio conferences with GVA Worldwide offices specializing in the problem in question, visit of GVA Worldwide representatives to Moscow or other city for to participate in brain storming.
Fee for services highly depends on the technical brief outlined by the client and is calculated according to the hourly rate of the involved specialists.
Architecture
Carrying out Architectural Competitions and Tenders
Company Sawyer Group possesses considerable experience and necessary resources for carrying out international architectural Competitions and Tenders.
Architectural Competition is the invitation of several architectural bureaus with the brief to elaborate an urban -planning and/or architectural concept of the developing territory, as a rule, on equal terms for the purpose of choosing the best solution. Competition types are: Urban-planning competitions, Architectural competitions, Competitions for the projects of territory development.
Advantages of Competition:
- Multi-variant approach (possibility to choose from a number of variants the one which most corresponds to the Client’s requirements)
- Maximum results within minimum terms
- Decreasing number of social conflicts due to publicity of Competitions (public opinion is considered while choosing a territory development concept and this, as a rule, lessens potentially negative attitude to the project).
Consultant’s Functions while Carrying Out Architectural Competition include:
- Competition schedule and regulating rules
- Qualification short listing of competition participants
- Preparing a full package of the Competitive documentation
- Preparing a full package of the Initial documentation
- Organization and carrying out an awareness-raising seminar and additional meetings for Competition participants
- Estimation and correction of intermediate results presented by Competition participants
- Acceptance of the proposed variants, work assessment, recommendation for choosing the best project
- Summarizing Competition results
- Coordination between the Client and Competition participants
Competitions can be organized involving Urban-planning Committees (Committee of Urban-planning and architecture in St.-Petersburg). In this case the Committee acts as the official organizer, and Competition is carried out on the basis of the official Committee Resolution. Sawyer Group thus performs the function of the organizational Consultant. The competitions organized according to this scheme, are the most legitimate and attractive for Architectural bureaus as the participants.
The Architectural Tender is a qualifying short listing of architectural bureaus for an urban-planning and architectural territory development concept, fitting the tasks and objectives of Tender, as well as the Client’s commercial offer.
Advantages of the Tender:
- Close cooperation with Architectural bureaus, opportunity to create a product fitting the Client’s requirements;
- It saves financial and time resources of the Client.
Consultant’s Functions while Carrying Out the Architectural Tender imply:
- Qualification short listing of Tender participants
- Preparing a full package of the Initial documentation
- Preparation of a draught contract to be signed with the tender winner
- Presentations of architectural bureaus
- Final decision on the Tender winner, contract conclusion with the Tender winner
- Control over work of the architectural bureau(the Tender winner)
Examples of the Executed Projects
- Apraksin Dvor
- Orange
- Yuntolovo І
- Golden Fish
Cooperation with Architects at all Project Stages
Professional advice at the stage “Pre-project”: the pre-design elaborations developed by architects are transferred to the Consultant for control and correction purpose of the results. Both written and oral consultations can be provided at this stage. Then the results are transferred to the architectural group to develop “Design documentation”. Professional advice at the stage “Project”: design decisions are checked/corrected by the Consultant, then the corrected design documentation is transferred to the following design stage «the Working documentation».
A detailed Portfolio with explicit project descriptions and comments upon stages of organization and carrying out architectural Competitions and Tenders are provided upon request.
