CFO/CFA Pre-Study: The Work That Saves 30% on Site

A CFO/CFA pre-study is the technical analysis — power balance, execution drawings, bill of quantities — done before any electrical or network work starts on a building. Without it, the rework, undersized panels and unplanned delays that follow typically run 20 to 30 percent above the original budget.

Why the overrun almost always arrives the same way

The pattern is remarkably consistent. An electrician is hired for power. A separate contractor handles network. CCTV gets added mid-construction once someone remembers it exists. No global power balance was ever done. No CFO/CFA drawings were ever overlaid on the architect's plans before the slabs were poured.

The result is predictable: conduits in the wrong place, cable runs opened up after tiles are laid, an electrical panel replaced six months after commissioning because it can't handle the actual load.

What a serious pre-study contains

• A load-by-load power balance — HVAC, IT, lighting, specific equipment — to know the real electrical demand, not an approximation.
• CFO/CFA execution drawings overlaid on the architect's plans, validated before work starts.
• A precise bill of quantities — cable runs, outlet counts, panel sizing, cable tray routing — that becomes the basis for a quote with no grey areas.

Where the 20 to 30 percent concretely comes from

• Cutting a chase in a finished wall costs 3 to 4 times the price of one planned before construction (labour plus reinstatement of finishes).
• An undersized panel discovered after commissioning requires full replacement — panel, breakers, sometimes the civil structure around it.
• Each unplanned rework adds 2 to 4 weeks of delay, with all the indirect costs that follow.

Our four-step method

• Site survey and detailed power balance
• CFO/CFA execution drawings overlaid on the architect's plans
• Precise bill of quantities and line-item quote
• Coordination with all other trades before work begins

Frequently asked questions

Is a CFO/CFA pre-study legally required?
Not for private projects. It's a method choice — the one that prevents the overruns described above.

How long does a pre-study take?
Between one and three weeks depending on the building's size, run in parallel with the architect's final plan stage.

Can we do the study after construction has started?
Technically yes, but most of the benefit disappears once the structural work is advanced.