Better Data Better Decisions
Capital Budget Solutions is an advisory firm for the public infrastructure sector. We bring together construction experience, historical cost data through CostDB, and independent judgment — not simply to produce another number, but to give owners better information for the decisions behind it.
Quantify intuition with data.
Public infrastructure decisions are rarely as simple as whether a number is high or low. Owners have to make decisions about budgets, delivery methods, contingency, risk, procurement, and how to respond when a project doesn't go as planned.
We bring together construction experience, historical data, and benchmarking to help provide context around those decisions. Sometimes the data confirms the current approach. Sometimes it identifies something worth a closer look. Either way, the goal is to better understand what the information is telling us before deciding what comes next.
Data shouldn't replace professional judgement. It should help you focus your attention and give you more confidence in the decisions you make.
How We Help
Every project and organization is different. We bring construction experience, data, and an independent perspective to help you better understand the decisions in front of you.
Capital Planning & Strategy
Project feasibility, budget strategy, delivery methods, procurement, and other decisions throughout the capital planning process.
Cost Intelligence & Benchmarking
Historical cost analysis, proposal review, plan review, and benchmarking that put current project information into context and surface risk before it becomes a change order.
Estimating & Cost Planning
Conceptual and milestone estimates that give you a defensible starting point, not just a number, that is based on historical project data, current market conditions, and benchmarking.
Meet CostDB.
Our advisory work grew out of years of estimating, tracking historical project costs, benchmarking projects, and reviewing contractor proposals. Over time, we realized the information created by past projects could be just as valuable as the estimates themselves.
CostDB is what we built to put that to use by turning historical construction data into information we can actually apply to benchmark projects, analyze costs, develop conceptual budgets, and evaluate proposals.
CostDB is our edge — the data infrastructure behind every recommendation we make.
The right question changes the decision.
Data in practice.
Budget Validation
$1.4M Lower
Revised proposal
A 30% CMAR budget came in well above the project's earlier conceptual estimate. So, was the increase justified, or worth a closer look? Our review identified several costs outside historical tolerance and helped focus the team's attention on the areas that warranted further discussion. The contractor later submitted a revised proposal approximately $1.4 million lower.
Project Validation
Funding Reallocated
Based on comparable projects
A major roadway project was moving forward on an early construction budget. Did the design firm account for the full cost of delivery? We used comparable project data and conceptual cost analysis to build a more complete picture of the anticipated investment. The analysis identified a significant funding gap before the project gained momentum, giving the owner what they needed to reconsider and reallocate available funding.
OPC Review
Fair Value Established
Supported by both sides
An Engineer's Opinion of Probable Cost was being used to set an in-lieu payment for a private development. Did it reflect fair value? We independently reviewed the OPC and benchmarked it against current market conditions and historical data, identifying costs and scope gaps that warranted a closer look. The analysis helped establish a value that both sides could support.