Project Development
Reducing front‑end risk before capital is committed.
Our Project Development Work Establishes Realistic Baselines Owners Can Actually Deliver Against
Capabilities Include:
- Feasibility validation and scope definition
- Pre‑FEED, FEED, and FEL studies
- Constructability‑driven budget and schedule modeling
- Early identification of execution risk
Project development FAQs
What is project development, and how is it different from project management?
Project development is the work that happens before construction begins. It covers feasibility validation, conceptual planning, front-end engineering, and budget evaluation — establishing the foundation your project needs before capital is committed. Project management picks up from there, overseeing execution through construction. CV Engineering offers both, which means the team guiding your early decisions is the same team accountable for delivering on them.
When should we engage CV Engineering for project development work?
As early as possible. The decisions made in the front-end phases of a project have the greatest influence on cost, schedule, and constructability. Engaging CV Engineering during Pre-FEED or FEL studies means risks are identified and addressed before they become expensive problems. Waiting until engineering is underway often means revisiting decisions that should have been resolved at the start.
What does CV Engineering assess during a feasibility study?
We evaluate whether a project is viable from technical, financial, and constructability perspectives. That includes reviewing site conditions, validating scope assumptions, stress-testing budget estimates, and identifying risks that could affect delivery. The goal is to give owners and investment-backed leadership teams an honest, clear-eyed picture of what the project requires before significant capital is deployed.
What are Pre-FEED, FEED, and FEL studies, and do we need all of them?
These are structured phases of front-end engineering and development, each progressively increasing the level of detail and cost certainty. Pre-FEED and FEL studies focus on early scope definition and rough-order-of-magnitude budgeting. FEED develops that scope into a more refined engineering and cost baseline. Not every project requires all phases. CV Engineering helps owners determine the right level of front-end investment based on project complexity, capital risk, and schedule requirements.
How does strong project development actually reduce cost and risk downstream?
Poor front-end work is one of the leading causes of cost overruns and schedule failures on large industrial projects. When scope is poorly defined, budgets are unrealistic, or constructability hasn’t been evaluated early, those problems don’t disappear. They grow. CV Engineering’s project development process is designed to surface and resolve those issues at the stage where changes are least expensive, protecting owners from the compounding cost of late-stage corrections.
Can CV Engineering take on project development for a project that already has some early engineering completed?
Yes. We regularly step into projects at various stages of development. If early work has already been done, we assess what exists, identify gaps, and build from there. Our goal is always to establish a solid foundation for execution, regardless of where the project currently stands.