What a review before issue is worth

A 2025 systematic review of 70 peer-reviewed studies of value engineering in construction restates the typical result as 5 to 10% cost savings, and finds reported savings of 5 to 15% on building projects, with cost reduction the most frequently reported benefit (Chen et al., 2025).

The Construction Industry Institute reports that an effective constructability programme reduces overall project cost by 4.3% and schedule by 7.5% on average, a 10 to 1 return on the owner's investment in the effort (CII).

Why structure first

In the BCIS study of average group element prices for UK offices, the superstructure was 47% of building cost and services 32% (BCIS, reported in Facilities, 2001). A percentage point found in the frame is worth more than one found almost anywhere else, and it is found most cheaply before the set is issued.

The cost that is not on the BOQ

Excess reinforcement is also a buildability problem. The ASCC Constructability Committee puts the productivity loss from congested reinforcement at 10 to 20% overall and up to 50% in heavily congested areas, with honeycombing, redesign, delay and requests for information following (ASCC, Concrete International, 2022). Fewer tonnes can mean cleaner pours.

None of this is a promise about a given set of drawings. It is the reason a two-minute scan that ranks the elements with headroom is worth doing before the value-engineering meeting, and why the full report puts m³, tonnes and cost impact on each one.