What is the difference between construction cost consulting and construction cost?

　　1. Different concepts

　　Engineering consulting is an intellectual service that, guided by the principles of science, fairness, and independence, leverages comprehensive knowledge and experience from various fields—including existing scientific and technological advancements, engineering technology, economic management, and legal and regulatory frameworks—to provide advisory support for decision-making and management in construction projects. The primary clients served include government agencies, project owners, and other diverse types of clients. The scope of services typically encompasses consulting during the construction phase, the investigation and design phase, the pre-approval stage, as well as post-commissioning or post-delivery evaluation.

　　Construction cost consulting refers to the provision of services—on a commissioned basis—to the public, involving dynamic cost management throughout the entire lifecycle of construction projects. It primarily encompasses project economic evaluation, feasibility studies, project estimates, investment appraisals, budgets, tender reference prices, project final accounts, completion settlement, preparation and review of bid quotations, as well as monitoring of construction costs and the provision of relevant cost information and data.

　　2. Different business scopes

　　The scope of engineering consulting services is extremely broad, primarily encompassing four key areas: planning consulting, project consulting, evaluation consulting, and full-process engineering consulting. These services include, but are not limited to, the preparation of master plans and specialized plans; research on project investment opportunities and investment/financing strategies; preparation of project feasibility study reports; consulting services for government-social capital partnership (PPP) projects; development of project proposals, PPP implementation plans, and planning documents; as well as mid-term project evaluations. Full-process engineering consulting involves combining various service approaches to provide continuous, partial or comprehensive solutions and management services throughout a project’s entire lifecycle—from decision-making and implementation to operation.

　　The scope of engineering cost consulting services includes: preparation and review of project economic evaluation reports; preparation and review of project preliminary budgets and estimates; determination of contract prices for construction projects; signing and adjustment of contract prices, as well as payment of project funds; preparation and review of project final accounts and completion settlement reports, and so forth.

　　The two fields have some overlap in terms of business, though construction cost consulting places greater emphasis on engineering investment—such as preliminary estimates, budgeting, final settlement, and auditing—as well as the planning and final verification and auditing of project payments. Although construction cost consulting is now gradually expanding into areas like full-process management and project management, its primary focus remains, for the time being, on the aforementioned services.