Stop working for free in Pre-Construction

Too many builders give away their most valuable work before a contract is ever signed.

That’s not a business model. That’s a subsidy.

If you want to scale and protect your margins, it starts here: stop doing unpaid work that clients should be paying for.

Pre-Construction is a Service, Not a Freebie

When you manage architects, engineers, zoning requirements, and budget revisions, you’re not doing favors. You’re delivering high-value intellectual property.

Charging for it:

• Signals that you run a professional process (not a hobby shop)

• Filters out “tire kickers” who were never serious to begin with

• Builds trust and clarity with better clients

Yes, some commercial projects (like schools or municipal RFPs) require unpaid tenders. That’s the exception and not the rule. For private clients and developers, pre-con fees should be standard.

Set Up a Paid Pre-Con System

Here’s how:

Start using a Pre-Construction Agreement, a standalone document that clearly outlines deliverables such as:

• Budget development and revisions

• Design coordination with architects and engineers

• City/zoning submissions

• Vendor and trade pricing

Position this as its own service package, not a tacked-on fee.

Use language like:

“We treat pre-construction as a separate phase with clear deliverables. It ensures your project moves forward faster and you’ll own a full set of coordinated plans and budgets at the end.”

Use Dates & Gates to Keep Projects Moving

When you charge for pre-con, you can’t afford endless design loops or stalled approvals.

That’s where Dates & Gates come in, clear milestones tied to decisions.

Examples:

• Design finalized by September 15

• Permits submitted by October 1

• Budget lock-in by October 10

This creates urgency for your team, your consultants, and your client and protects your pipeline from stalling.

Time kills deals. Dates & Gates keep momentum alive.

Proof It Works: $300K+ in Pre-Con Fees

📍 Case Study: [Living Stone Design Build — 2023 NAHB Builder of the Year]

They systemized pre-construction and charged for it every time. Last year alone, they earned over $300,000 in pre-construction fees.

No risk. No waiting on project closeout. Just clean revenue that dropped straight to the bottom line.

Compare that to builders who spend months coordinating plans for free, only to have the client take their work and shop it to competitors.

Want to Use Pre-Con Agreements in Your Business?

We’ve built pre-construction agreement templates that our top-performing clients use every day.

👉 Book a call and we’ll walk you through exactly how they use them and share a copy so you can implement the system yourself.

Forward always,

Paul Atherton

CEO and Co-Founder of Highspire

P.S. Book a call above and we’ll send over our actual Pre-Construction Agreement templates used by builders doing $5M–$25M+ a year.