Services

Project Advisory

Asset owners across Australia and Southeast Asia appoint COVA Group before capital is committed: feasibility assessment, technical and financial due diligence and independent peer review that establish a project's cost, risk and value before you sign.

The advice is grounded in delivery. The same practice costs, manages and engineers real projects, so advisory findings arrive priced, scheduled and buildable - not theoretical.

The work spans pre-purchase and land-acquisition due diligence, developer briefs and specifications, expert witness and client strategy workshops. 14 projects featured on this site carry a real estate due-diligence scope.

What's included

Project Advisory services

Project Advisory

  • Pre-purchase technical due diligence
  • Technical due diligence & site analysis
  • Financial due diligence
  • Feasibility studies & reports
  • Peer reviews
  • Expert witness
  • Developer brief & specifications
  • Facilitation of client strategy workshops
  • Economic and financial modelling
  • Business structuring
  • Land acquisition due diligence

In detail

What each service covers

COVA is engaged as a single consultant for the complete due-diligence scope - coordinating surveys, investigations and specialist testing, and reporting the results as one staged deliverable: a draft due diligence report for your review, then a final report incorporating your feedback. One team, one report, every discipline covered.

Site due diligence

A structured investigation of the site itself: site information and conditions, the utilities and service providers available to it, and the regulatory authorities whose approvals will govern development - closing with clear recommendations and a path forward. It answers the first question on any acquisition: can this land support what you want to build?

Topographical and existing-condition survey

A survey of the land as it actually is: boundaries, topography, site features, utilities, roadways and significant vegetation, delivered as survey drawings your designers can start from. Design that starts from accurate ground truth avoids expensive rework later.

Geotechnical investigation

Boreholes, cone penetration tests and groundwater monitoring wells within the proposed building footprint, with laboratory testing of the soils - moisture content, shrink/swell behaviour, bearing capacity and soil aggressivity. The results let foundations be sized correctly the first time, and price the ground risk before you own it.

Environmental site assessment

A preliminary site (contamination) investigation with soil and groundwater sampling and accredited laboratory analysis, a salinity assessment, and a hazardous building materials survey of any existing structures. Contamination and hazardous materials are among the most expensive surprises in property - this scope finds them before contract, not after.

Traffic and site access assessment

A site access study and full traffic impact assessment: traffic surveys during peak periods, traffic engineering and trip-generation analysis, and modelling of the future road network's capacity, with proposed traffic and transport measures. It tells you whether the site works for the people who will use it - and what the road authorities are likely to ask for.

Aerial photography

Full site aerial photography - horizontal, vertical and sun-position - delivered as a report for use in design, planning and stakeholder presentations.

Water quality testing

Laboratory testing of the site's water: sulphates, chlorides, pH, dissolved solids, hardness and metals. The results inform services design and equipment selection before those decisions are locked in.

High-level cost plan

A rough-order-of-magnitude construction cost estimate based on test-fit plans, benchmarked against comparable completed projects - so the acquisition or feasibility decision is made against a realistic budget rather than hope.

Selected work

Project Advisory projects

Iloilo Temple

Philippines

Iloilo Temple

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Jakarta Temple

Indonesia

Jakarta Temple

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Laoag Temple

Philippines

Laoag Temple

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Naga Temple

Philippines

Naga Temple

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Osaka Temple

Japan

Osaka Temple

View project →
Phnom Penh Temple

Cambodia

Phnom Penh Temple

View project →

All projects

Contact

Talk to Kerr's team

Kerr Thomson

Kerr Thomson
Head of Advisory

Talk to Kerr All services

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What is technical due diligence in property?
A structured assessment of a building or site before purchase or investment: the condition and capacity of its structure and services, compliance and authority issues, and the capital cost of bringing it to the standard you need. COVA pairs it with financial due diligence and feasibility modelling, so the decision is made on cost and risk, not optimism.
When should we engage an advisor on a project?
Before capital is committed. At feasibility and concept stage, plant space, authority requirements, energy targets and budget can still shape the project at little cost; after contracts are signed, the same findings become variations. That early window is where COVA's advisory engagements start.
Can COVA peer review another consultant's design?
Yes. Independent peer review is a core advisory service: a structured review of design documentation for compliance, coordination, buildability and performance, with clear, actionable findings.
Does COVA act as an expert witness?
Yes. Expert witness work is part of COVA's advisory services, drawing on the firm's engineering, quantity surveying and project delivery practice.
What does a site due diligence report cover?
A COVA due diligence covers eight packages: site due diligence (conditions, utilities and regulatory authorities), a topographical and existing-condition survey, geotechnical investigation, environmental site assessment, a traffic impact assessment, aerial photography, water quality testing and a high-level cost plan - reported together with clear recommendations and a path forward.
Do we need separate consultants for surveys, geotechnical and environmental work?
No. COVA provides the complete due-diligence scope under one appointment, coordinating surveyors and geotechnical, environmental and traffic specialists, and reporting everything in a single due diligence report.
How long does site due diligence take?
COVA delivers a draft due diligence report within about six weeks of engagement and receipt of required inputs, with the final report following client feedback. Remote sites and specialist laboratory lead times can extend the programme - we confirm timing at engagement.
Does due diligence include a construction cost estimate?
Yes. COVA's due diligence includes a high-level cost plan - a rough-order-of-magnitude estimate based on test-fit plans and benchmarked against comparable projects - so the feasibility decision is made against a realistic construction budget.
What does an environmental site assessment include?
COVA's environmental site assessment covers a preliminary site (contamination) investigation with soil and groundwater sampling and accredited laboratory analysis, a salinity assessment where soil mapping indicates the risk, and a hazardous building materials survey of any existing structures.