The boundary with servicing
A technical distinction with contractual consequences. Connection and servicing do not fall to the same parties.
Servicing brings the networks up to the plot or the boundary, and belongs to acquisition, as the article on serviced and unserviced land explains.
Connection takes the networks from the boundary to the building, and belongs to the construction project.
This boundary is often implicit in quotations, creating a grey area where each party assumes the other has allowed for the work.
The rule: have the end point of each scope stated, in the servicing quotation as in the contractor's.
| Family | Content | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Network connections | Water, electricity, drainage, telecoms | Irreducible |
| Access and parking | Private drive, entrance | Necessary, adjustable in size |
| Earthworks and retaining | Adapting to the ground | Varies with the slope |
| Amenity works | Terraces, planting, fencing | Adjustable |
What external works cover
Four families, and only the first is genuinely irreducible. They range from the networks to amenity works.
Access and parking, necessary to the use of the building.
Adjoining surfaces, terrace and immediate surroundings.
Boundaries, fences, walls and gates, some of which may be imposed by municipal rules.
Planting and landscaping, the most elastic part.
Some of these works are not optional. Municipal rules may impose requirements on boundaries, permeable surfaces or water management, which belong to municipal planning.
Why they overrun
Three mechanisms, all foreseeable.
They are excluded from turnkey offers, without that exclusion always being highlighted, as the article on shell and turnkey recalls.
Their scope has no natural limit. Unlike the building, whose brief is finite, external works can always extend.
They come at the end of the project, when the contingency is spent and budget fatigue is at its highest.
Deferral is then the solution adopted, which takes them out of the budget without removing the need.
What varies their cost
Four factors, all related to the site.
Distance to the networks, for the connection part.
Topography. A slope requires retaining or levelling works that may exceed the cost of the external works themselves.
The area to be treated, a large plot representing a heavier item.
Municipal obligations, notably on rainwater management and permeability, which may require specific provisions.
How to frame them from the outset
Four measures, all to be taken at an early stage. They prevent late discoveries on this item.
Cost them at the same time as the building, not afterwards.
Separate the irreducible from the elastic. Access, water management and regulatory obligations on one side; landscaping on the other.
Provide explicitly for what will be deferred, with a figure, rather than leaving it implicit.
Check municipal obligations before costing, some requirements not being optional.
A deferred but costed item stays under control. A deferred and uncosted item becomes a future overrun.
What this means for a professional
Four rules.
Have the boundary between servicing and connection stated in all relevant quotations.
Cost external works at the same time as the building, with phasing if necessary.
Check municipal obligations on landscaping and water management before costing.
Separate the irreducible from the elastic explicitly in any budget document issued.
This article reflects the state of the data at the date of checking and serves professional orientation. It does not replace a quotation or consultation of the municipality.