Builders and developers increasingly want their modular supplier involved before a design is locked, not after. Early Contractor Involvement, ECI, is how EcoPrestige does that: a paid, staged design and documentation service that turns a concept into a buildable, certified, firmly priced modular scope before a single module is ordered. This guide sets out when ECI applies, what each stage delivers, and what it costs, so a builder or developer can scope it into a program and a fee proposal with real numbers, not a guess.
What ECI actually is
ECI is not a courtesy design service bundled into supply. Most modular suppliers do not draw for a client’s own consultants, a structural engineer, a building surveyor, a town planner. EcoPrestige does, because getting the module grid, the floor level solution and the consultant interfaces right before documentation starts is what stops a modular scope unravelling in a construction certificate review six months later. ECI is engaged and paid in two stages, each with a defined scope and a capped number of revision rounds.
When ECI applies
Whether a project goes through ECI or a standing quotation depends on the likely supply value, not the building class.
- Supply value $800,000 or more (plus GST, commercial basis): the project is engaged through ECI. Stage 1 first, then Stage 2. Documentation is marked indicative until Stage 1 confirms scope and price.
- Supply value under $800,000 (plus GST, commercial basis): no ECI stage is sold. EcoPrestige quotes direct from the brief, and shop drawings follow the order with two rounds of comment.
- Value not yet known: tell us the building count or room count and we will tell you which pathway applies before any fee is discussed.
Residential figures are read including GST. Commercial figures, and the $800,000 threshold itself, are read plus GST.
Stage 1: feasibility and scope alignment, $4,000 plus GST
Stage 1 confirms whether the project is feasible as a modular scope and confirms the price. It is not design documentation and drawings stay indicative, one option, one round of comment. On completion a client receives:
- A module plan for the single option selected, with sizes and heights fixed
- The floor level solution
- The factory and site work split
- A transport and crane note
- The consultant pathway for the project
- A firm supply price
- A clear decision point: proceed to Stage 2, change the design, or stop
Stage 1 is the only ECI fee that can be credited against the order, and only if the project proceeds. Consultant fees, surveys and reports sit outside Stage 1 and are never bundled into it.
Stage 2: module drawings and consultant briefs, fee by supply value
Stage 2 is the working stage. EcoPrestige issues one coordinated set of module drawings plus a brief and transmittal for each of the client’s consultants, sized to where the project sits in its approval path: before or during planning, with a planning permit already issued, or at building documentation stage.
| Supply value | Stage 2 fee (plus GST) |
|---|---|
| Under $1 million | $10,000 |
| $1 million to $3 million | $20,000 |
| $3 million to $4 million | $30,000 |
| Over $4 million | $40,000 |
A typical issue includes cover and general notes, a site plan with the module footprint, a floor plan on the module grid, module set-out and join types, roof plan, elevations, two building sections with levels, typical details, bearing points and preliminary loads, services connection points, and a finishes and inclusions schedule. The fee covers one coordinated issue plus two rounds of revisions to the modular design and one round for the building surveyor. Paid by the client direct: consultants’ own review and certification fees, surveys, soil tests and reports, Council and authority fees, and site-specific design beyond the modular scope.
If your project sits under $800,000: consultant fee allowances on a direct quotation
Where no ECI stage applies, EcoPrestige can still carry the consultant team on request. These are the standard allowances, residential figures including GST, commercial plus GST:
| Consultant | Under $400,000 | $400,000 to $800,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting | $5,500 | $11,000 |
| Structural engineering | $3,500 | $3,500 |
| Energy report | $800 | $800 |
| Building surveyor | $3,800 | $3,800 |
| Landscape design, if required | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Town planning application, if required | $1,400 | $1,400 |
Council, authority and statutory fees sit outside these allowances. Outside Victoria, read “building surveyor” as the registered certifier in your state and ask what further reports your approval pathway needs.
How we price the module itself
Every project is tested against three size routes in order, lowest first: ISO standard module, then ISO extended, then a custom size. A custom width is only priced where the design genuinely needs it, never offered first. Indicative commercial supply rates, within 40km of the Melbourne port, plus GST:
- Childcare and school buildings: from $2,200/m2
- Apartments, motels, cabins and caravan parks: from $2,300/m2
- Hotels: from $3,300/m2
Beyond 40km of the port, transport and crane logistics are added as part of the quote, confirmed against current carrier rates rather than estimated. Residential pricing runs on its own schedule and is not published here; contact our team directly for a residential figure.
Why engage EcoPrestige for ECI rather than a traditional consultant team first
A design developed without the module supplier at the table routinely gets re-drawn once the real module grid, factory interfaces and transport envelope are known. ECI puts that constraint in front of the consultant team from the first set of drawings, so the structural engineer, building surveyor and town planner are documenting against a buildable module layout, not a concept that still has to be converted into one. For a builder or developer carrying their own consultant fees, that is the difference between one coordinated issue and a second, unbudgeted redesign round.
FAQ
Does ECI cost extra on top of the supply price?
Stage 1 can be credited against the order if the project proceeds. Stage 2 is the working design stage and is not credited; it is the cost of the documentation itself.
What if I do not know yet whether my project is over or under $800,000?
Tell us the building count or room count and we will tell you which pathway, ECI or direct quotation, applies before any fee is discussed.
Can EcoPrestige work with consultants I have already engaged?
Yes. Stage 2 issues a brief and transmittal per consultant and is built to interface with an existing design team, not replace it.
Does the $800,000 threshold apply to residential projects too?
Yes, the threshold is read on supply value regardless of building class; residential figures are read including GST, commercial figures plus GST.
What is not included in the Stage 2 fee?
Consultants’ own certification fees, surveys, soil tests and reports, Council and authority fees, and site-specific design beyond the modular scope. These are paid by the client direct.
Related ECI and design guides
- Town planning for modular buildings: what a planner needs from your module supplier
- Converting an approved design to modular after a planning permit is issued
- What is in an EcoPrestige consultant brief
- Modular feasibility before you buy the site
- Builder scope on a modular project: what you price and what you don’t
- Regulation 126 structural certification for modular buildings explained
- Progress claims and cashflow on a modular construction project
- Staged and multi-site modular rollouts for developers
Talk to us about your project
Builders and developers scoping a project of any size: download our technical brochures and project portfolio, or email our team to find out which pathway, ECI or direct quotation, applies to your project. Download our detailed project brochures or email info@ecoprestige.com.au.