Our approach to cost planning revolves around providing accurate, real-time costs through traditional methodologies and advanced measurement technologies.
As a design partner, Mitchell Brandtman will work alongside all stakeholders to provide cost certainty by setting a cost strategy that generates efficiencies, time and cost savings, and greater transparency and trust amongst all project partners.
Cost Planning
Developing certainty in cost, design and buildability reduces risk and creates better projects with sustainable profits.
Cost planning is the cornerstone of successful construction projects, ensuring delivery within set budgets while maintaining design integrity. At Mitchell Brandtman, we understand the critical importance of this stage and the value it brings to our clients.
Our team provides real-time collaboration, ensuring that all stakeholder goals are met, and facilitating a shared understanding of project costs from inception to completion.
Our team conducts thorough quantity take-offs and continuously revises cost plans throughout all phases of the project, ensuring accuracy and reliability. We prioritise value management to explore cost-saving opportunities without compromising project objectives.
Consulting with our clients we then suggest the implementation of value engineering techniques and maintain open communication with stakeholders – this allows us to reach a balance between scope and budget, ultimately delivering accurate cost plans that align with business objectives.
Our team follows traditional quantity surveying project pathways but our methodology and process have a non-traditional approach leveraging contemporary 5D quantity surveying techniques. This approach enables us to produce accurate and timely cost analyses at any stage of the phase of a project from concept design through to construction, and post-construction.
We provide services that directly benefit:
Our systematic approach
Our expertise in traditional cost planning and the rigorous methodologies we use allow us to determine the right approach and tools to use for each project, based on its unique needs and desired outcomes.
We then allocate a team to each individual project based on the structure needed, including a team leader who operates as the key point of contact for the project manager and principal consultant. This aids in efficient communication and successful delivery of the project, every time.
In addition to our deep sector knowledge, and understanding of the industries we serve, we create efficiencies through technology and our systemised methodologies, including utilising 5D Quantity Surveying to integrate and improve Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Cost Planning Services
- Feasibility & Due Diligence
- Estimated Development Costs (EDC)
- Preliminary and Concept Cost Plans
- Detailed Cost Planning during Design Development
- Value and Cost Management
- Pre-tender Estimates
- Bill of Quantities
- Tender Assessments
- Superintendent Services
- Contract Administration & Variation Assessments
- GMP Budget Tracking & Subcontract Trade Package Assessment
At project conception, solidify your vision. Our quantity surveyors provide expert feasibility and concept estimating services to get your project on the right foot. Leveraging industry data and our experience, we’ll develop a clear picture of potential costs – all at the initial stages of design.
This empowers you to take a calculated approach relating to project scope, budget allocation, and material selection. Our feasibility estimates identify potential risks and hidden costs, while concept estimates give you a realistic financial roadmap. With us by your side, you can confidently determine if your project is financially viable and move forward with a clear plan for success.
The arrival of the EDC (formerly CIV) streamlines development cost estimation, impacting fees and approvals across all project scales. The new Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 (EP&A Regulation) and Planning Circular PS 24-002 dictates your development pathway, fee structure, and application requirements. Our experienced Quantity Surveyors, all AIQS (CQS)-accredited, translate this new system into clear benefits for your project.
We delve deep to understand your project’s unique needs, delivering bespoke EDC reports that seamlessly align with your vision. With unmatched industry knowledge, we ensure your reports are accurate, compliant, and meet all regulatory requirements.
Our efficient approach minimizes delays, ensuring timely delivery of your EDC report. This allows you to focus on what matters most – bringing your project to life – with the peace of mind that comes with expert guidance.
Preliminary and concept cost plans provide clients with crucial foresight into potential project expenses. Preliminary cost plans, crafted with limited design details, offer a ballpark figure to assess project feasibility. Concept cost plans, based on more developed designs, refine the estimate with greater accuracy.
These plans empower clients to:
- Early cost insights allow clients to decide if a project aligns with their budget and make adjustments before significant design investment.
- With cost implications laid bare, clients can evaluate different design approaches and choose the most cost-effective path.
- A realistic cost plan strengthens funding applications by demonstrating financial preparedness to governing bodies, lenders or investors.
The design development phase of a construction project thrives on creativity, but financial viability remains a critical concern. We bridge this gap by employing a meticulous technical process for cost planning and estimating.
Our approach prioritizes accurate cost estimates during design development. We leverage traditional quantity take-off methods combined with cutting-edge measurement technologies. This ensures real-time cost data is available for collaborative decision-making.
Throughout this crucial phase, our team thoroughly revises the cost plan, reflecting design changes and maintaining its accuracy. We champion value management, exploring cost-saving alternatives without sacrificing project goals. Through open communication with clients, we suggest value engineering techniques that optimize the balance between project scope and budget.
This focus on cost planning during design development ensures the final cost plan aligns with your business objectives.
By the conclusion of design development, we deliver a robust cost estimate based on a transparent and replicable technical process. This estimate serves as a critical benchmark for data-driven direction before the project goes to the tender market and construction commences.
Mitchell Brandtman can enhance project delivery through value engineering and value management services. These methodologies go beyond simple cost reduction. We conduct a comprehensive analysis, identifying functions within the design and proposing alternative materials or construction methodologies that optimise value.
This might involve specifying readily available, high-performance materials in place of more expensive options. Value management takes a holistic approach, extending beyond initial construction costs. We consider life-cycle analysis, ensuring ongoing maintenance remains economical. By partnering with Mitchell Brandtman, you gain a project that delivers optimal value throughout its lifespan.
Pre-tender Estimates as a service represent an important tool for achieving financial certainty in your construction project. We meticulously analyse tender documentation and reports to quantify all work elements. This comprehensive cost breakdown considers material quantities, labour requirements, and subcontractor costs.
The pre-tender estimate serves as a cornerstone for tender evaluation. By establishing a robust cost model, we empower you to compare contractor bids against a substantiated benchmark, readily identifying any significant deviations or unrealistic pricing. Furthermore, this process facilitates proactive risk mitigation by pinpointing potential cost overruns and value engineering opportunities within the design stage. This ensures optimal project budgeting from the very beginning.
A Bill of Quantities (BOQ) serves as a pre-tender document, meticulously detailing the measured quantities of all materials, labour, and equipment required to complete a project. The BOQ is derived from a thorough analysis of all project drawings, reports and specifications. This standardised document ensures clarity and consistency during the tendering process.
Contractors competing for the project base their tenders on the identical scope of work outlined in the BOQ, fostering a level playing field for competition. Beyond its role in tendering, the BOQ becomes a cornerstone for effective cost control throughout construction. It allows for precise comparisons between budgeted and actual costs, enabling the identification and mitigation of potential cost variations early in the project. By providing a transparent and comprehensive breakdown of project costs, the BOQ empowers informed decision-making for all stakeholders involved.
The tender assessment service involves evaluation of tenders submitted for construction projects. We dissect each tender, analysing the proposed costs, timelines, and resources against project specifications, pre-tender estimates and current market conditions. This exercise helps clients identify inconsistencies, unrealistic pricing, and potential risks included within a tender.
The tender assessment service allows clients to gain valuable insights to:
- Select the most cost-effective tender: The analysis ensures value for money by identifying inflated quotes or areas for negotiation.
- Mitigate project risks: The assessment pinpoints potential problems with unrealistic timelines or resource allocation within a tender.
- Make informed decisions: The service equips clients with a clear understanding of each tender’s strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to choose the best fit for the project.
A critical impartial role within most Australian Standard contracts is the Superintendent service. Engaged within the contract the Superintendent role acts as the Contracts Administrator of contract directions and assists the various roles within the development and construction team in their engagements. Importantly, the Superintendent issues the appropriate certification and documentation in accordance with the appropriate Acts.
The Superintendent will:
- Monthly attendance at the project site to complete monthly progress claim assessments and attend PCG meetings with the contractor.
- Issue of variation contract sum adjustments based on completed assessments.
- Agree and issue progress certificates.
- Coordination of the RFIs (request for information).
- Review, comment and make recommendations in regards to the Contact conditions.
- Issue extension of time assessments.
- Issue Practical Completion and Final Certificates.
Where there is an existing Superintendent engaged on the project, we act as the support administration role to provide the following:
- Monthly attendance at the project site to complete monthly progress claim assessments and provide to the Superintendent.
- Preparation of approximate estimates of variations that may or may not be subsequently authorised (see below).
- Measurement, valuation and negotiation of variations introduced to the contract.
- Checking and negotiating cost claims associated with extensions of time.
A variation assessment acts as a guardian against cost surprises. It meticulously examines any proposed changes (variations) to the original building contract. This includes dissecting the builder’s claims for additional works, ensuring they align with the documented changes, contract terms, market rates, and project specifications.
By utilising this service, clients can:
Verify variation costs: The assessment safeguards against inflated claims, ensuring fair pricing for any necessary changes.
Maintain project budget: Identifying and potentially negotiate down excessive variation costs helps keep the project financially on track.
Manage project scope: A clear picture of variation costs allows clients to make informed decisions about approving or modifying proposed changes.
In order to track and monitor the transparency of a GMP project, we review every trade subcontractor package that the contractor proposes under the contract and provide a recommendation.
This role enables us to be entrenched in the actual costs of the works and manage on your behalf the share of savings that you are entitled to (if applicable). It is critical that this approach is clearly expressed in the building contract and understood by all contracting parties.
For more than 50 years we have worked on over 42,000 projects within the building and construction industry in Australia, and globally.
Here are just some of the projects we have completed and are currently working on.
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be providing Financiers QS services...
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Officeworks cairns
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be providing Financiers QS services on Officeworks Cairns and is looking forward to working with CAWP Cairns Pty Ltd on Officeworks Toowoomba also.
Mitchell Brandtman are providing Superintendent services on Paradise Gardens Shopping Centre...
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Paradise gardens shopping centre, thornlands
Mitchell Brandtman are providing Superintendent services on Paradise Gardens Shopping Centre for Development Directive.
Development Directive have been engaged to oversee completion and delivery of project feasibility analysis, design, town planning approvals, resumption negotiations, tendering and construction of a development over a 6.25 hectare site which will deliver:
• Neighbourhood Shopping Centre with 8,000sqm GFA;
• 1.4 hectares of green space parkland;
• Internal roads and signalised intersection;
• Two future development lots (1ha & 0.3 ha lots).
The new site provides customers with more than just a...
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Storelocal, hendra
The new site provides customers with more than just a wide range of unit sizes and storage options, but with a new industry benchmark. Located just down the road from Brisbane Airport, the facility contains multi-use spaces for co-working and trade stores. In addition to its innovative features, Hendra also offers 24-hour access to its four levels of keyless secure self storage.
Mitchell Brandtman provided full Quantity Surveying services on this state of the art storage facility.
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financiers QS on Hof,...
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Hof noosavile by stockwell
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financiers QS on Hof, Noosaville by Stockwell.
A collection of 90 apartments nestled in a private and leafy pocket of Noosaville, carefully designed to capture the light, breeze and natural beauty of the surrounding hinterland.
Mitchell Brandtman was proud to have provided both QS and...
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Habitat early learning
Mitchell Brandtman was proud to have provided both QS and Superintendent services on this state of the art Early Learning Centre in Pergian Springs, QLD.
This $60m development will see the transformation of Townsville West...
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Weststate private hospital, townsville
This $60m development will see the transformation of Townsville West State School into a private hospital delivering a hub of health services to the local community. The development plans to restore and repurpose the heritage listed building into specialist medical suites, with a five-storey private hospital proposed to be built on the neighbouring 1600sqm vacant site located on Sturt Street and Ingham Road – less than 1km from the CBD.
The hospital will provide 22 hospital beds, 4 operating theatres and deliver a range of much-needed specialist services including orthopaedics, cardiology, urology and maxillo-facial to the Townsville community as well as supporting services including radiology, pathology, physiotherapy and pharmaceutical services.
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Riverway plaza, townsville
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financier's QS on...
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Lasail by traders in purple
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financier's QS on Lasail in Newport.
Designed by award-winning Architects Rothelowman, Lasail sits perfectly between land and ocean, in one of the most sought-after locations in the Moreton Bay region.
Built with quality, space and amenity in mind, Lasail is a highly sought-after development of absolute waterfront two and three-bedroom apartments, finished with the style and refinement you’d expect in this luxurious location. Embrace a carefree coastal lifestyle, with beautiful water views from every apartment and the unique opportunity to secure a marina berth right outside your home.
Celebrating the enviable Queensland climate, a year round outdoor lifestyle is embraced within this tropical resort. With a designer swimming pool, poolside lawns and landscaping, garden lounges and courtyards, BBQ facilities and abundant tropical landscaping and vertical greenery, the facilities at Lasail are akin to a luxury hotel.
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be providing Financier's QS services...
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Palmwoods over 50s lifestyle resort
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be providing Financier's QS services on Palmwoods for GemLife.
Palmwoods over 50s lifestyle resort by GemLife has exceptional, premium recreational facilities and beautifully designed, low-maintenance homes. GemLife’s secure, friendly communities are created exclusively for the over-50s.
This student accommodation is a five storey building with a...
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Student accomadation for bornfree property pty. Ltd.
This student accommodation is a five storey building with a basement located near to Monash University. The building is well designed by ODO and consists of 130 studio and one or two bed rooms units, food and drink premises and amenities.
Mitchell Brandtman is providing full Cost Planning and Quantity Surveying services for Bornfree Property Pty. Ltd.
Mitchell Brandtman is providing Financier's QS services on Silk One...
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Silk one by sarazin property
Mitchell Brandtman is providing Financier's QS services on Silk One by Sarazin Property.
In the heart of this Wooloongabba, adjacent to the world-renowned sporting ground ‘The Gabba’, Silk One is set to redefine expectations of what’s possible for inner-city living.
A collection of 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments in the heart of the Woolloongabba transformation with views overlooking the Gabba and beyond to the CBD.
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The beach apartments broadbeach
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100 Harris Street
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Cronulla rsl
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Taren point business centre
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Regis aged care lutwyche
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The avenue canberra
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Flour mill summer hill
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Town square redbank plains
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financier's QS on Riverway...
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Riverway plaza, townsville
Mitchell Brandtman is proud to be the Financier's QS on Riverway Plaza which is approximately 17 km south-west of the Townsville CBD. The current centre is anchored by Woolworths (2,800 sqm) and accompanied by 500 sqm of speciality retail.
Geon Property is excited to share plans for the expansion and redevelopment of Riverway Plaza. The new Riverway Plaza is set to transform the precinct into a contemporary, family-friendly centre.
The redevelopment is expected to generate up to 250 jobs during construction, with local builder Phoenix Constructions targeting 100% local trades.To ensure minimal disruption to the community and retailers, construction will take place over two stages.
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One five six oxlade drive by azure
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Gambaro hotel
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Kingsford terrace seniors living
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Bower st manly
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Kurv newstead
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Cabramatta bowling club
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The marketplace gungahlin
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Gerrale street kitchen
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St brigid’s green maroubra
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Sikorsky helicopter facilities
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Southpoint
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The gables, box hill
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1888 hotel pyrmont
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Victoria Park – Master Plan and Implementation Plan for the rejuvenation of Victoria Park
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Croft and Cremorne by Stockwell
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Mirada by Horan Group
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Panorama
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South Village Community Park, Kirrawee
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Katoomba RSL
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Central Coast Arts Centre
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St Patrick’s Green, Kogarah
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Kinross Townhomes, Thornlands. By Ausbuild
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Lexington Townhomes, Albany Creek. By Ausbuild
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Gregory Hills Town Centre, Gregory Hills
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Golden Century Restaurant, Haymarket
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PACIFIC, Palm Beach
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Stanhill Apartments, Chevron Island
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Manhattan Apartments, Chevron Island
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Lord Street Apartments, Kirra.
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Melbourne East Police Station
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Pinnacle Apartments Cronulla
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Family Violence Centre of Learning, Victoria
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Elara and Newpark, Marsden Park
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Panorama, Bowen Hills
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Macquarie Park
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Quest Hotel, Robina
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Eickhoff Braemar Industrial Project
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The Ridgeway Barden Ridge
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Gregory Hills Corporate Park NSW
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Woodend Primary School
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School of Total Education
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Penrith Christian School
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Villanova College
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The Lennox Parramatta
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OZ Education Tuggerah
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OZ Education Lidcombe
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OZ Education Homebush
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Bundeena Community & Services Club
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The Jefferson
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Lume
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Cairns Aquarium
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The Flour Mill, Summer Hill
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Sunshine Coast University Hospital
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Presbyterian Aged Care
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Regis Aged Care Facility, Chelmer
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Illawarra Leagues Club
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Quest Hotel and Apartments
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The Glen Hotel
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Mantra Richmont
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Oak Tree Group
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Shimano
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SQ1 Southquay ACT
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Breeze Apartments Cronulla
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Oakmont Apartments Kellyville
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Evergrand Rouse Hill
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Ink Apartments WestEnd
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Bohemia Apartments Westend
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The Jameson
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The Gables Box Hill
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Toowoomba Grammar School Gymnasium
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Red Bull Headquarters
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Grant Thornton
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Collegians Rugby League Football Club
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Griffith Ex-Serviceman’s Club
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University of Wollongong Interim Facility
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Town Square Redbank Plains
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Coles Fletcher
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Queens wharf public domain
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Quintessential Equity ACT
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