Questions
85 questions, answered plainly.
Everything clients ask us about cost, tenders, contracts, claims and running a project in Oman. Reviewed September 2026.
Working with OGB
Full page →- Where do you work?
- We are based in Muscat and work across Oman.
- Do you build, or manage the build?
- We manage. We are your representative, not the contractor, so our advice is on your side.
- Can you take just one service?
- Yes. A BOQ audit, a tender, an interim bill check or a claim can each be taken on its own, or you can hand us the whole project.
- What size of project do you take on?
- From a single villa to a full neighbourhood. The service scales with the project.
- Can you take over a project part-way through?
- Yes. We start with a health check on cost, programme and contract, then set out the options.
- How do we start?
- Send a WhatsApp or the enquiry form with the site and what you want to build. We reply within one business day.
Project Management
Full page →- What is client-side project management?
- We act as your representative. We manage the consultants and contractors so you do not have to.
- Do you replace the contractor's project manager?
- No. The contractor manages the works. We manage the project for you and hold everyone to the plan.
- How do you report?
- One monthly pack: scope, cost, time, risk and the decisions we need from you.
Independent BOQ Auditing
Full page →- When is a BOQ audit worth it?
- Before you sign a contract, before a large payment, or when a price feels wrong. The audit usually pays for itself.
- How long does a BOQ audit take?
- One to three weeks for most buildings.
- Is the audit confidential?
- Yes. We report to you only.
Tender Document Preparation
Full page →- Which standard do you measure to?
- NRM or SMM, or the standard your contract names. Every quantity is traceable to a drawing.
- How long do tender documents take?
- A villa takes days, not weeks. Larger buildings depend on the drawings. We confirm a date before we start.
- Can you prepare a BOQ from our drawings?
- Yes. Send the drawings and the specification and we measure from them.
Tendering & Tender Evaluation
Full page →- How many contractors do you invite?
- Usually four to six pre-qualified contractors. Enough for real competition, few enough that each one takes it seriously.
- Is the lowest bid the best bid?
- Not always. We check rates, exclusions and front-loading so the price you compare is the price you will pay.
- Can you evaluate bids we have already received?
- Yes. Send the tender documents and the bids and we evaluate them independently.
Tender Negotiation
Full page →- Is negotiating after tender fair to the bidders?
- Yes, when it is done openly with the preferred bidders and recorded. We negotiate on scope, rates and terms, not by playing bidders against each other.
- How much can negotiation save?
- It depends on the bids. The bigger win is usually certainty: qualifications removed and terms agreed before signing.
- Do you attend the negotiation meetings?
- Yes. We prepare the strategy, lead or support the meetings and write the record.
Cost Consultancy & Quantity Surveying
Full page →- What does a cost consultant do?
- We tell you what the building will cost at every stage, and what each decision does to that number, before you commit to it.
- When should a cost consultant get involved?
- As early as possible. A cost plan at concept stage is where most of the money is saved.
- Do you work with our architect?
- Yes. We sit alongside your design team and cost the design as it develops.
Cost Monitoring & Reporting
Full page →- How is cost monitoring different from cost consultancy?
- Cost consultancy sets the budget before the contract. Cost monitoring keeps it under control while the work is built.
- Do you act as project monitor for banks?
- Yes. We report independently to lenders and investors on cost, progress and drawdown.
- How often do you report?
- Monthly as standard, with an alert whenever the forecast moves materially.
Interim Bill Evaluation & Payment Certification
Full page →- How quickly can you evaluate an interim bill?
- Within the certification period in your contract, usually a few working days from a complete application.
- Do you visit the site?
- Yes. Progress is verified on site, not from the contractor's percentages.
- Can you check bills on a project you did not tender?
- Yes. We work from the contract, the BOQ and the payment history.
Variation Claim Analysis
Full page →- How are variations valued?
- At the contract rates where the work is similar, at rates derived from them where it is not, and at fair market rates otherwise.
- Do you work for owners or contractors?
- Both, but never on the same project.
- What do you need from us?
- The contract, the instruction, the drawings before and after, and the contractor's submission.
Claim Settlement
Full page →- Do you work for clients or contractors?
- Both, but never on the same project. We prepare claims for contractors and assess them for clients.
- What records do you need?
- The contract, the programme, site diaries, correspondence and payment records. We tell you exactly what to send.
- Can a claim be settled without going to court?
- Most of the claims we handle close at negotiation. If one goes further, our report is built to stand up.
Final Account Preparation
Full page →- When should final account work start?
- During construction. If variations are agreed as they arise, the final account is mostly arithmetic.
- Can you audit a contractor's final account?
- Yes. We check measurement, variations and claims and report what is properly due.
- How long does a final account take?
- Weeks if the records are good. Longer if variations were left unagreed. We give you a realistic date after the first review.
Residential projects
Full page →- Do you work on single villas?
- Yes. A single villa in Muscat is a normal project for us. The service scales down as well as up.
- Can you check a contractor's quotation for my villa?
- Yes. We re-measure the quantities, check the rates against the Oman market and tell you what is missing.
- Do you handle developments with many units?
- Yes. Apartment blocks and neighbourhoods get the same team with a larger scope: phasing, package procurement and monthly cost monitoring.
Commercial & Retail projects
Full page →- Can you work inside an occupied building?
- Yes. We plan phasing, working hours and protection with the landlord and the tenants.
- Do you manage the services and IT fit-out packages too?
- Yes. We procure and manage them as packages alongside the main fit-out.
- How early should we call you?
- Before the lease is signed if you can. The condition of the space changes the budget.
Hospitality projects
Full page →- Do you work with international hotel operators?
- We work to the operator's technical services brief and brand standards, and coordinate their reviews into the programme.
- Can you take a resort project outside Muscat?
- Yes. We work across Oman, including coastal and mountain sites where logistics drive the cost.
- Do you handle FF&E?
- Yes. FF&E and OS&E are procured as their own packages with their own programme.
Industrial projects
Full page →- Do you work in the free zones and industrial estates?
- Yes. Sohar, Duqm, Rusayl, Nizwa and the other estates are all within our reach.
- We already have a design-and-build price. Can you check it?
- Yes. An independent BOQ audit tells you whether the quantities and rates are right before you sign.
- What about cold stores and special processes?
- We scope the specialist supplier's package so nothing is missed at tender or double-counted in the main contract.
Infrastructure projects
Full page →- Do you work for public sector clients?
- Yes. We prepare and evaluate tenders to the client's procurement rules and keep an audit trail.
- Can you handle re-measurement contracts?
- Yes. Re-measurement is our core skill. Quantities are agreed as the work goes in.
- What about plot infrastructure for a development?
- We scope roads, utilities and landscape as their own packages so they land before the buildings need them.
Public projects
Full page →- Do you work with ministries and government bodies?
- Yes. We work to the client's procurement and reporting rules and keep every decision documented.
- Can you help a charity or a private school?
- Yes. Institutional clients get the same transparent process, scaled to the project.
- Do you handle mosques and community buildings?
- Yes. Community buildings are a regular part of our work across Oman.
Roles
Full page →- Is a cost consultant the same as a quantity surveyor?
- Same profession, different stage. Cost consultancy is the budget-setting work before the contract; quantity surveying is the measurement and certification work during and after construction. Most firms, including ours, do both.
- Does a project manager replace the contractor's project manager?
- No. The contractor manages the works. A client-side project manager manages the project for the owner and holds the contractor to the plan.
- Can I appoint a QS after the contractor has started?
- Yes. A commercial health check on the contract, the payments to date and the variations is the usual starting point.
- What does OGB provide?
- All three roles: cost consultancy, quantity surveying through to final account, and client-side project management, from one team in Muscat.
Contracts
Full page →- Is a lump sum contract really fixed?
- Only for the scope it was priced on. Changes to that scope are variations and are paid for. A complete design is what makes a lump sum hold.
- Can a project mix the two?
- Yes. A building is often lump sum with the earthworks and external works re-measured, each with its own section of the bill.
- Which is cheaper?
- Neither by definition. Lump sum prices include a premium for quantity risk; re-measurement prices can rise or fall with quantities. The cheaper option is the one that matches how certain the design is.
- Do I need a quantity surveyor on a lump sum job?
- Yes. Someone still has to check interim payments, value variations and agree the final account. The measurement burden is smaller, not absent.
Procurement
Full page →- Is design and build cheaper?
- Usually faster, not usually cheaper. The single contractor prices design risk and holds the only pen on changes. A well-run traditional tender on a complete design normally produces the keener price.
- Can I keep my own architect in design and build?
- Yes, for the concept and the employer's requirements. The contractor's team then develops the design, or your architect is novated to the contractor.
- Which route do Oman government projects use?
- Most public building projects are procured traditionally through the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority, with design and build used for some industrial and infrastructure work.
- How does OGB help on a design-and-build project?
- We price the brief, audit the contractor's priced proposal before you sign, then monitor cost and certify payments through to the final account.
Permits
Full page →- Can I apply for a building permit myself in Muscat?
- No. Applications are made through a registered consulting office, which signs the drawings and submits on your behalf.
- How much is a building permit in Muscat?
- The base fee is 50 baisa per square metre of building area, plus supplements for roof structures over half the top floor, basements and some external works. Use the municipality's fee calculator for an exact figure.
- How long does a Muscat building permit take?
- The government portal lists five days for processing a complete application. Preparing a compliant design and the other approvals usually takes several weeks before that.
- Do I need a permit for a boundary wall or an extension?
- Yes. Fences, extensions and structural changes to an existing building need municipal approval. Ask your consultant before you start.
Contractors
Full page →- What is an excellent-grade contractor in Oman?
- The highest classification grade issued by the Tender Board. Excellent-grade companies may bid for any government tender and some tenders are restricted to them.
- Do I need a graded contractor for a private villa?
- No, but the grade is a useful check on capacity. For a villa a second- to fourth-grade contractor with good references is usually the right fit.
- How many contractors should I invite to tender?
- Usually four to six pre-qualified contractors. Enough for real competition, few enough that each takes it seriously.
- Can OGB run the tender for me?
- Yes. We pre-qualify, prepare the bill of quantities and tender documents, run the process and give you a written award recommendation.
Quantity surveying
Full page →- Is a quantity surveyor the same as an estimator?
- No. An estimator prices a job once, usually for a contractor. A quantity surveyor manages cost from the first estimate to the final account and certifies payments along the way.
- When should I hire a quantity surveyor?
- At concept stage, before the design is fixed. A cost plan then is worth more than any saving negotiated later.
- Do I need a QS for a single villa?
- A bill of quantities and a proper tender pay for themselves on most villas. Full monthly cost control is optional on small jobs and essential on large ones.
- Can a QS help after the project has started?
- Yes. A commercial health check on cost, programme and contract is a common starting point for a project that has drifted.
Cost
Full page →- What is the average cost per square metre to build a villa in Muscat?
- There is no reliable single figure. The most cited benchmark is Turner & Townsend's 2018 survey at about OMR 514 per square metre for Muscat construction in general. Your villa will differ with finish, services and site, so ask for a measured cost plan.
- Are villa sale prices per square metre the same as construction cost?
- No. Sale prices include land, developer margin and finance. Construction cost is the contractor's price to build the house on land you already own.
- Does VAT apply to building a villa in Oman?
- Yes. Oman applies VAT at 5 percent to construction services. Check whether quotations are inclusive or exclusive before you compare them.
- How accurate is a cost plan?
- An order-of-cost estimate at concept is a range. An elemental cost plan on developed drawings is tighter. A measured bill of quantities priced by contractors is a firm figure.
Not answered here?
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