But Elena also knew something else. Something the shiny spreadsheets from the county office ignored.
The cost of not planning. Her boss, Marcus, had pushed for the aggressive bid. “We’ll figure out the rock formations when we get there,” he’d said, waving a hand. “Geotechnical surveys are expensive. Let’s save that $40k and put it toward labor.”
The contingency line in the budget was 5%. Industry standard was 15-20% for a bridge with unknown subsurface conditions. Elena had written a memo. She’d printed it, signed it, and filed it. planningpme cost
Elena smiled. She reached into her bag and pulled out a faded sticky note.
Then she’d watched the first excavator arrive on site. Week three. The drill bit shattered at seventeen feet. But Elena also knew something else
That drainage study would have cost $8,000.
When the county awarded her firm the contract to rebuild the old Jasper Bridge, she’d smiled. Easy money , she’d thought. The budget was $2.4 million. Timeline: ten months. Her boss, Marcus, had pushed for the aggressive bid
“The county is sending an auditor tomorrow,” she said. “They’re going to ask why we didn’t do the geotech survey. Why we skimped on drainage. Why we bought substandard rebar.”