Silveroc advises and guides clients on residential and hospitality real estate projects in Switzerland.

Our mandates are as diverse as our clients. From initial concept studies to technical assistance, FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) procurement and construction management, we help clients navigate the many different areas and phases of a project’s development.

We customise our services specifically to the needs of our clients. Where these needs are not initially clear, we develop a brief in close collaboration with the client and adjust it as we go.

Our services are broadly divided into Development Studies, Project Management and Construction Management. Each of these categories is tailored specifically to the relevant project and client requirements.

Geographically, we focus on projects in Switzerland. This is particularly the case with larger projects, where our knowledge of German, French and English is an integral part of our service. For smaller projects, for example apartments or family homes, we focus on the German-speaking part of Switzerland, with a special emphasis on our home region of Graubünden.

Our development studies are targeted at clients who own or intend to acquire a property to renovate or develop. Often clients will have a general idea as to what they want, but require further studies, both on the market and technical side.

When it comes to market studies we recommend our clients to professional partners who specialise in the relevant areas, whether hospitality or residential. While they work on the market aspects, we work on the technical issues, analysing local construction codes – sometimes in conjunction with local architects – and drafting preliminary space programs to evaluate constructible boundaries.

Once our partners have completed the market study and made a suitable project recommendation to the client, we start our spreadsheet work. We devise detailed construction budgets including FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), OS&E (operating supplies and equipment), technical fees, and associated costs and expenses. We also prepare relevant cash-flow budgets so that the client can properly evaluate the feasibility of the project, both from a market and financial standpoint.

With hospitality projects, we calculate everything related to construction, while our partners calculate all relevant operating budgets and profit-and-loss statements.

Click below for typical development studies deliverables:

Project brochure

Brochure targeted at investors or shareholders summarising the key elements of the project, along with key figures and project milestones.

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Project budget including cash flow

Construction budget that includes technical fees, FF&E and OS&E budgets, marketing budget, revenue budget and cash-flow forecast.

Project planning

Preliminary planning document indicating key project phases and milestones. It will show SIA phases if the team to be assigned to the project is Swiss-based, or customised SIA phasing if an international team is to be used, so that international and Swiss standards and practices are aligned.

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Technical assistant/advisor

As technical assistant/advisor, our priority is always the best interests of the project, and therefore the client. Our approach is a holistic one, where we make decisions and recommendations by combining our knowledge of technical matters with the planning and financial objectives. We participate in key project meetings with the architects and engineers, and advise the client on decisions that must be taken.

With hospitality projects we take an active role in negotiations with hotel operators, particularly in relation to LOIs (letters of intent), HMAs (hotel management agreements), TSAs (technical services agreements), SSAs (system services agreements), MLAs (marketing license agreements), and other relevant agreements. We act not from a legal perspective but a business one, focusing on arguing terms for, and achieving, the best outcome for the client. This is especially important when agreements are traditionally very one-sided in favour of operators. We form part of an active team working hand-in-hand with a client’s specialist legal counsel.

Team procurement

We choose our project teams based on experience and requirements. We begin by preparing specific briefs for every role, analysing the responses once offers have been received. We then conduct a first round of negotiations and make our recommendations to the client. Next, we finalise negotiations and prepare the relevant agreements.

Team co-ordinator

As team co-ordinator, we ensure that everyone involved in a project – architect, interior designer, landscape designer, lighting consultant, acoustic, fire safety, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, civil and other engineers and consultants – can perform at their best. All participants working on time and on budget means optimising the client’s objectives.

We ensure information is organised and distributed on time to the right parties. Keeping a close track on how work is proceeding, we review consultant invoices in relation to progress and deliverables, validating or rejecting invoices as necessary.

We also ensure work processes and phasing correspond to a project’s requirements. For smaller and entirely Swiss-based project teams, phasing is generally that defined by SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects) norms. However, on larger or hospitality projects, where members of the team (for example lead architect and interior designer) are often international, we design the processes and phasing in a way that synchronises as best as possible with international standards.

Planning and budgeting

In this role, we use industry software (for example Microsoft Project) to prepare a general project plan. This combines the client’s objectives with realistic phasing and the milestones that need to be hit.

Normally, such planning is fairly detailed for the design and tender stages, but basic for the construction stages. Our planning does not replace the architect’s or construction manager’s planning, but rather serves as a high-level objective for the client and stakeholders. At the same time the architect and construction manager can use it to develop their own detailed planning.

With budgeting, we work in a similar way to planning, in that we establish a fairly detailed first budget that covers issues that are often forgotten at the early project stages, such as FF&E, OS&E, and marketing budgets for hospitality projects. As with planning, our budgets do not replace the detailed construction budgets of the architect, quantity surveyor or construction manager. Rather, they function as high-level budgets for the client and stakeholders, and can be used by key project team members to establish their own detailed budgets.

We also develop cash-flow projections, in particular for consultant fees, allowing the client to properly plan the required liquidities and payment dates.

Negotiations and procurement

In this role, we assist the client and project team in the sourcing and negotiation process, mostly of materials and finishes. The aim is to achieve the best possible quality/price ratios. We also help with FF&E and OS&E procurement. Generally, we can achieve significant savings for the client. Especially on larger projects, this can be in the millions.

Our construction management services are limited to smaller projects, mainly residential apartments and houses/villas (renovations or new build) in Graubünden and the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Our attention to detail and experience in managing large projects lets us provide an exceptional construction management service, and complete projects on time, on budget, and to the expected quality.

Project Phases

With the client, we define the project framework, challenges, objectives and requirements. The definitions can be as detailed or as broad as desired, and cover budget, timing, design, architecture, team and working method.

We set out the preliminary project structure, team organisation and planning. We prepare an overall project brief, conduct a feasibility study, and begin team procurement, including key members such as architects and engineers. We prepare and review contracts, and lead negotiations for fees and terms & conditions.

The architect, interior designer and engineers develop the concept design documents. These include sketches, plans, computer-generated images, schematic drawings, specifications and budgets. We ensure that the design, specifications and budget are in line with the project brief, and help the client evaluate the design concepts and draft comments. We keep the project planning up to date, provide regular reports, and review and approve technical fee invoices prior to payment by the client, to make sure they are in line with both contract terms and services and project progress.

The architect, interior designer, engineers and specialist consultants refine the concept design into a detailed developed design. This can often involve mock-ups of rooms and other spaces. We ensure the design, specifications and budget conform to the project brief, help the client evaluate the developed design and draft comments, keep the project planning up to date, provide update reports, and review and approve technical fee invoices prior to payment by the client.

Once the developed design is complete, the architect can submit the planning application (with simple projects, plans can be submitted during the developed design process). For less complex projects such as apartments and private villas, and depending on the contracting strategy, tenders can be made during this phase. We advise the client on the tender and procurement strategy, and help them with the negotiations, contract reviews and terms and conditions.

The architect, interior designer, engineers and specialist consultants develop the technical design. Using the latest digital modelling and imaging techniques, they create the necessary plans and documents. We ensure the design, specifications and budget are in line with the project brief, help the client evaluate the technical design and draft comments, keep the project planning up to date, provide regular reports, and review and approve technical fee invoices prior to payment by the client.

For more complex projects, such as hotels, resorts and larger developments, we recommend tenders are made after the technical design phase. This allows for more precise tender documents and therefore more precise tender returns, and lets the client make lump-sum agreements with contractors if required. We advise the client on the tender and procurement strategy, and help them with the negotiations, contract reviews and terms and conditions.

Construction starts. Depending on the strategy (general contractor versus individual contractors), the architect is the main construction manager, with engineers and other consultants having certain designated construction management roles under the architect’s leadership. We supervise the construction manager, make periodic site visits, and ensure that progress is in line with the approved schedule, that construction is according to plans, and that costs are according to budget. We review and approve technical fee invoices prior to payment by the client, to make sure that construction carried out is in line with contracted terms and services. For larger and more complex projects, such as hotels and resorts, we start the tender and procurement processes for FF&E and OS&E.

We assist the client and construction manager to make sure handover and close out proceed smoothly. We carry out detailed site reviews for each work category – MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), joinery, paintwork and so on, and produce a detailed snags list. We then oversee the snags work to ensure that everything is remedied to the client’s satisfaction. We ensure the client receives all “as built” construction documents and plans, as well as maintenance manuals and guides. We make sure the handover is properly carried out, as befits the type and complexity of the project.

Effectiveness Principle

DISCLAIMER: This infographic is for illustration purposes only and reflects a general principle. This infographic shall not be used for any particular reference to a project or other.