Replaced Word, Excel & disconnected tools with one system for cost modelling, drawing reviews, lender reports, approvals & audit history.
Summary
Five Thirds checks a developer's construction plans, costs and progress on behalf of a lender. The lender uses this assessment to decide whether it is safe to release the next round of funding. Each report includes 12 sections, risk registers, appendices and a detailed cost schedule, with calculations, drawings, documents and approvals spread across multiple tools.
We built a single platform that connects the entire workflow. From reviewing costs and identifying incomplete work to generating the final report and recording its approval.
About the client
Five Thirds is a UK construction cost consultancy and monitoring surveyor practice with around 15 employees.
Its core deliverable is the Lender's Independent Monitoring Surveyor report. Before a lender releases funds to a developer, Five Thirds independently confirms that the reported costs and construction progress are accurate.
These reports carry professional responsibility, making accuracy, evidence and traceability essential throughout the process.
The challenge
Five Thirds reviews construction plans, costs and progress to help lenders decide whether to release funds to developers. However, its reports were created by copying previous Word documents, while each surveyor maintained separate cost breakdowns in Excel. There was no shared pricing library or consistent way to record the evidence behind each cost.
If someone made a mistake, like included the same cost twice, or forgot to include work shown in the drawings, the error might not be noticed before the report was sent to the lender. It was also difficult to see who had changed, checked or sent each report.
The solution
Before
Surveyors created each report manually in Word using previous reports as templates.
After - with Creatr
Surveyors add the project details and documents once. The platform uses them to create the complete 12-section report, with separate versions for the internal team and the lender.
Before
Surveyors had to manually check for incorrect totals, duplicated costs and other calculation errors.
After - with Creatr
The platform recalculates every cost and flags any totals that do not match before the report is sent.
Before
There was no shared list of verified prices. Surveyors relied on their own judgement to estimate costs, without consistently recording where a price came from or why it was adjusted.
After - with Creatr
Every cost shows where its price came from, how reliable it is and why it was chosen. Prices without supporting evidence cannot be used. Any changes and their reasons are recorded, while frequently used, verified prices can be added to the shared team library.
Before
Drawings were checked manually and only when time allowed. Work shown in the drawings but missing from the cost breakdown could go unnoticed often creating larger gaps than incorrect pricing.
After - with Creatr
Every drawing, including image-only files are scanned. The quantities are calculated and are compared against the cost breakdown. Missing items are flagged and linked to the exact drawing page for review.
Before
Reports could be sent without confirming who approved them or which cost breakdown was used. If figures changed later, it was difficult to know which version the lender received.
After - with Creatr
A report cannot be sent until an assigned surveyor approves the costs and all required legal details are complete. Every cost is linked to the exact rate and pricing period used, while the final report remains tied to the cost breakdown behind it.
Before
There was no central record of the project details and who viewed, changed, approved or sent information to lenders.
After - with Creatr
All projects, tasks, documents and approvals are now managed in one platform. Every important action is recorded with the date and time. A shared knowledge library and built-in assistant also help the team find information while showing the original source behind every answer.
The build process
Founders quote
Creatr understood our reporting process and built a platform that brings everything together. Our team can now catch issues earlier and send reports with much more confidence.
The takeaway
With costs, drawings, documents and approvals connected in one platform, the team can catch missing work, explain every figure and ensure only approved reports reach lenders.