Quantity Surveying | NSW Development
Estimated Development Cost NSW
Archi-QS prepares professional Estimated Development Cost (EDC) reports for NSW development projects, assessed by qualified quantity surveyors, documented to suit your development application, and consistent with the current NSW methodology.
What is Estimated Development Cost?
Estimated Development Cost (EDC) is the estimated cost of carrying out a development, as defined in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021, and it is the figure the NSW planning system uses to set your assessment pathway, your application fees and the documentation your development application must include.
Since 4 March 2024, EDC has replaced capital investment value (CIV) and cost of development as the single cost measure used for planning purposes across NSW. Because the figure decides who assesses your DA and what must be lodged with it, it needs to be assessed properly. Archi-QS prepares EDC reports for NSW development projects.
The current guidance is Planning Circular PS 25-004 (October 2025), which requires a genuine estimate of the full scope of works. It is supported by the AIQS Practice Standard Construction Cost Assessments for NSW Estimated Development Cost Reports (2nd edition, July 2025) and the DPHI standard forms for developments over $3 million. Archi-QS reports follow these requirements. Further information is available on the NSW Government Estimated Development Cost page.
What is Estimated Development Cost (EDC)?
Estimated Development Cost is the estimated cost of carrying out the development you are seeking approval for, calculated using the methodology set out in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021.
Under that definition, EDC covers the cost of designing and erecting buildings and associated infrastructure, carrying out works, demolishing buildings or works, and the fixed or mobile plant and equipment forming part of the development. It is not a valuation of the finished asset, and it is not the cost of the land.
The figure matters because the NSW planning system uses it as a trigger. Your EDC helps determine the application fee payable, whether the application is assessed by a council, a Sydney or Regional Planning Panel or the Minister, what supporting documentation must accompany the DA, and who is expected to prepare the cost assessment itself.
An EDC that is understated can lead to requests for further information, a revised fee, or a pathway dispute part-way through assessment. An EDC that is overstated can push a straightforward project into a more onerous assessment pathway than it needs. Both outcomes cost time. This is why the assessment is best prepared by a quantity surveyor working to a documented methodology, the same discipline Archi-QS applies to its cost planning and building consultancy services.
Estimated Development Cost
EDC vs CIV: What is the Difference?
EDC and CIV are not interchangeable. Capital Investment Value was the previous NSW planning measure; Estimated Development Cost replaced it for planning purposes on 4 March 2024, and it is calculated differently.
| Estimated Development Cost (EDC) | Capital Investment Value (CIV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The estimated cost of carrying out the development, defined in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021. | The former measure of the capital investment in a project, previously defined in the planning regulations and now superseded for planning purposes. |
| Primary purpose | Sets the planning pathway, application fees and DA documentation requirements across the NSW planning system. | Previously used for the same triggers before the terminology and methodology were consolidated. |
| What it measures | Construction and development costs: design and erection, works, demolition, and fixed or mobile plant and equipment. | Broader capital investment in the project, historically including some items now expressly excluded from EDC. |
| Where it is used | Local development, complying development, regionally significant development, State significant development and State significant infrastructure in NSW. | Legacy applications and documents prepared before the change, and in other contexts outside the NSW planning system. |
| Effect on planning requirements | Current triggers for fees, assessment pathway, consent authority and required cost reporting are all measured against EDC. | No longer the operative planning trigger in NSW, although the term still appears in older reports and correspondence. |
| Key difference | A defined, methodology-driven estimate of the cost to carry out the development. | A superseded term. Using a CIV figure in place of an EDC assessment risks an incorrect basis for your application. |
If you hold an older CIV report or a council template still referring to capital investment value, it should not simply be relabelled. The inclusions and exclusions differ, so the figure needs to be reassessed under the current EDC methodology.
What is Included in Estimated Development Cost?
EDC includes the costs of physically delivering the development: design and construction, works, demolition, and the plant and equipment that forms part of it, together with the allowances required by the applicable assessment methodology.
| Cost Category | EDC Treatment | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Building design and construction | Included | The cost of designing and erecting the building and its associated infrastructure, including contractor preliminaries and margin. |
| Site works, excavation and remediation | Included | Site preparation, bulk and detailed excavation, retention and remediation works required to deliver the development. |
| Demolition | Included | The regulation expressly includes the cost of demolishing a building or work as part of the development. |
| Infrastructure and services | Included | Associated infrastructure and the in-ground and in-building services required for the development to function. |
| External works and landscaping | Included | Works outside the building footprint that form part of the development, such as pavements, driveways and landscape works. |
| Fixed or mobile plant and equipment | Included | Named in the regulation. Fit-out, furniture, fittings and equipment are included where they form part of the development being approved. |
| Design and project management consultant fees | Included | Professional fees associated with designing and delivering the development are included under the AIQS Estimated Development Cost Practice Standard. |
| Statutory authority levies on construction | Included | Levies charged on the construction works, such as the Long Service Levy, are treated as an included cost under the practice standard. |
| Contingency and cost escalation | Included | An allowance for contingency, and escalation to the anticipated construction commencement date, are applied in accordance with the practice standard. |
Cost categories should be tested against the documentation for your specific project. Where an item sits on the boundary (tenant fit-out with no identified tenant, or works that will be the subject of a separate consent), the treatment depends on the scope of the application being lodged.
What is Excluded from Estimated Development Cost?
The regulation excludes land costs, GST, development contributions, ongoing operating costs, and any part of the development covered by a separate consent or approval.
| Cost / Item | Included in EDC? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| GST | No | The EDC value excludes GST. Every estimate should show the EDC, the GST and the total including GST as separate lines, as GST is added back for some fee calculations. |
| Land purchase, marketing and selling costs | No | The cost of acquiring the land, and the costs of marketing and selling it, are expressly excluded. |
| Development contributions and planning agreement amounts | No | Amounts payable, land dedicated or other benefits provided under a planning agreement or a condition imposed under the EP&A Act are excluded. |
| Parts of the development under a separate consent | No | Costs relating to a part of the development or project that is the subject of a separate development consent or approval are excluded from this EDC. |
| Ongoing maintenance and operating costs | No | The costs of maintaining or using the development once it is complete are not part of the estimated cost of carrying it out. |
| Finance and interest costs | No | Project funding, interest and holding costs are not costs of carrying out the development and are excluded from the assessment. |
| Construction works and demolition | Yes | Included for contrast: the physical delivery of the development is the core of the EDC figure. |
| Fixed or mobile plant and equipment | Yes | Included for contrast: plant and equipment forming part of the development is captured in EDC. |
Treatment of borderline items should be confirmed against the current NSW methodology and any specific requirement of the consent authority for your project before the report is finalised.
Estimated Development Cost Thresholds in NSW
Thresholds do two things: they set who is expected to prepare the cost assessment, and they influence which authority assesses the application. The table below summarises the current NSW position.
| EDC / Development Cost Range | Relevant Requirement / Implication |
|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | A cost estimate may be prepared by the applicant or a suitably qualified person. The consent authority may still set its own documentation requirements. |
| $100,000 – $3 million | The estimate should be prepared by a suitably qualified person, for example a licensed builder, registered architect, qualified building designer or quantity surveyor with relevant experience. |
| Over $3 million (local and regional development) |
An EDC report prepared by an appropriately qualified quantity surveyor who is a member of AIQS or RICS is recommended, following the AIQS Estimated Development Cost Practice Standard and using the DPHI standard form. The report should show the EDC, the GST and the total including GST. |
| Over $3 million (State significant development and State significant infrastructure) |
An EDC report must be prepared by an AIQS Certified Quantity Surveyor or an RICS Chartered Quantity Surveyor, using the DPHI state significant projects standard form and the AIQS practice standard, and dated no earlier than 30 days before lodgement. The EDC report is required under the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) issued by DPHI for the development. |
| Over $5 million (specified categories) |
Council-related development, development by or on behalf of the State, private infrastructure and community facilities, and eco-tourism development may be regionally significant and determined by a Sydney or Regional Planning Panel. |
| $10 million – $30 million | An applicant may be able to refer the application to the relevant planning panel where it has not been determined within the prescribed period. |
| Over $30 million | Development is generally regionally significant and determined by a Sydney or Regional Planning Panel rather than the council. Development in the City of Sydney local government area is treated separately. |
State significant development thresholds are set by development type under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Planning Systems) 2021, rather than a single dollar figure. For example, in-fill affordable housing is SSD where the EDC is more than $75 million in Greater Sydney and $30 million elsewhere, and build-to-rent housing where the EDC is more than $50 million in Greater Sydney (outside the City of Sydney) and $30 million elsewhere. Individual councils may impose their own cost reporting requirements through a development control plan or contributions plan. The thresholds above should always be confirmed against the instrument that applies to your specific project.
Need an Estimated Development Cost report for your NSW project?
NSW Planning Requirements for Estimated Development Cost
Councils and planning authorities require EDC information because the figure drives the mechanics of the application. It is used to calculate the application fee, to identify the consent authority, and to determine what else must be lodged with the DA.
EDC also affects the assessment pathway itself. Depending on the cost and the type of development, an application may be determined by the council, referred to a Sydney or Regional Planning Panel, or dealt with as State significant development. Moving between those pathways changes the timeframe, the documentation and the level of scrutiny applied.
Consistency matters as much as the number. The EDC stated on the NSW Planning Portal application, in the EDC report, in the statement of environmental effects and in any contributions calculation should all reconcile. Where figures conflict, the assessing officer will generally ask for the discrepancy to be resolved before assessment progresses. Archi-QS can also assist with planning portal management and gross floor area validation so the cost and area information submitted with your DA align.
Who Can Prepare an Estimated Development Cost Report?
Who can prepare the report depends on the cost of the development. Below $3 million a suitably qualified person may prepare the estimate; above $3 million a quantity surveyor is expected, and for State significant projects a certified or chartered quantity surveyor is required.
Suitably qualified person
A licensed builder, registered architect, qualified building designer, quantity surveyor or person with equivalent relevant qualifications and experience may prepare the estimate.
Qualified quantity surveyor
An EDC report prepared by an appropriately qualified quantity surveyor who is a member of AIQS or RICS is recommended, applying the AIQS practice standard and the DPHI standard form.
Certified or chartered QS
The report must be prepared by an AIQS Certified Quantity Surveyor or RICS Chartered Quantity Surveyor, using the standard form and dated within 30 days of lodgement.
Quantity surveying is the relevant discipline because EDC is a measured cost assessment, not a market valuation. It requires the quantities to be taken from the drawings, appropriate rates applied, and the inclusions, exclusions, contingency and escalation treated consistently with the methodology. Individual councils and consent authorities may also set their own requirements for who prepares and signs a cost report, so the specific requirement for your application should be confirmed.
Archi-QS is a quantity surveying and building consultancy practice working across NSW. Our team prepares development cost assessments and EDC reports for residential, commercial, mixed-use and industrial projects.
When Should You Obtain an EDC Report?
Obtain the EDC assessment once the design is developed enough to be measured, and before the development application is lodged; the figure is needed at lodgement, and it influences decisions made earlier than that.
During project planning
An early indicative assessment shows which side of a threshold the project sits on, which informs the assessment pathway you should be planning for.
While preparing the DA
The EDC report should be prepared alongside the DA documentation so the cost information is consistent with the drawings and the statement of environmental effects.
At DA submission
The EDC figure is entered on the NSW Planning Portal and determines the application fee. The EDC report must be dated within 30 days of the application being submitted.
During assessment
Where the consent authority queries the figure, or the design changes materially during assessment, the assessment may need to be reviewed and reissued.
Getting accurate cost information early helps avoid the rework caused by an incorrect or inconsistent figure: a fee shortfall, a request for further information, or a late discovery that the application sits above a threshold. It does not guarantee a particular assessment timeframe or outcome; that remains a matter for the consent authority.
How Does an EDC Report Fit Into the DA Process?
The EDC assessment runs in parallel with your DA documentation and feeds the cost information the application requires.
Determine the Project Scope
Understand the proposed development and what forms part of the application.
Gather Project Information
Review drawings, specifications and relevant documentation.
Assess Development Costs
Determine the appropriate EDC using the applicable methodology.
Prepare the EDC Report
Document the assessment and the relevant cost information.
Integrate With the DA
Provide the EDC information as required for the relevant planning process.
Respond to Requirements
Address clarification or documentation requirements where applicable.
Estimated Development Cost Reports by Archi-QS
Engaging Archi-QS gives you a measured, documented EDC assessment and a report prepared for the planning purpose it is being lodged for. This is what the engagement involves.
Project Documentation Review
We review the architectural drawings, consultant documentation and specifications provided for the development.
Project Scope Assessment
We confirm what forms part of the proposed development and what sits outside the application being lodged.
EDC Cost Assessment
Quantities are measured from the documentation and costed using the relevant EDC methodology.
Inclusions & Exclusions
We identify the cost inclusions and exclusions that apply to your project and document how each has been treated.
EDC Calculation
The assessment is consolidated into the EDC figure, with contingency and escalation applied in line with the methodology.
EDC Report Preparation
We prepare the professional EDC report, including the basis of preparation, assumptions and supporting cost detail.
Professional Review
The completed assessment and documentation are reviewed by a qualified quantity surveyor before issue.
Finalisation
The report is finalised in the form required for the intended planning or DA purpose and issued for lodgement.
Where a project needs more than the EDC figure alone, the same assessment work supports our wider cost planning and building consultancy services, including feasibility estimates and capital works planning. A full list of our NSW offerings is available on our services page.
Why Choose Archi-QS for Your EDC Report?
Accuracy, quantity surveying expertise and professional documentation: the three things a consent authority actually assesses a cost report on.
- Quantity surveying expertise. EDC is a measured cost assessment. Our work is prepared by quantity surveyors who cost construction projects as their core discipline.
- Qualified professionals. Our EDC reports are prepared by our Principal, Samuel Star, an AIQS Certified Quantity Surveyor (registration no. 2752) and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (FAIQS). Based in Sydney, Samuel has over 30 years of industry experience, with recent and extensive experience on projects across New South Wales, and is qualified to prepare EDC reports for all project types, including State Significant Development.
- Development cost assessment experience. We prepare cost estimates and development cost assessments across residential, commercial, mixed-use and industrial projects.
- NSW project experience. Our practice works on NSW developments and understands how cost information is used through the local planning process.
- Understanding of planning requirements. We prepare the report with the planning purpose in mind, not as a generic construction estimate.
- Documented methodology. Inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, contingency and escalation are set out so the figure can be followed and defended.
- SME-reviewed regulatory knowledge. Our regulatory positions are reviewed by subject matter experts and kept current as NSW requirements change.
Common Errors When Preparing an Estimated Development Cost
Most EDC problems are methodology problems, and they surface at the worst point: after lodgement.
Confusing EDC with CIV
Relabelling an older capital investment value figure as EDC. The two are calculated differently and are not interchangeable.
Using the wrong methodology
Applying a builder’s quote or feasibility budget instead of the assessment methodology the planning system requires.
Including excluded costs
Adding land, GST, development contributions or finance costs into the figure, which inflates the EDC and the fee.
Excluding included costs
Leaving out demolition, site works, external works or plant and equipment that form part of the development.
Outdated threshold information
Relying on superseded threshold figures or pre-March 2024 guidance when deciding what the project requires.
Inconsistent figures across the DA
A different cost appearing on the portal, in the SEE and in the cost report, which invites a request for further information.
Incomplete project information
Assessing from partial or superseded drawings, so the measured quantities do not match the development being assessed.
Preparing the estimate too late
Leaving the assessment until lodgement, with no time to resolve a threshold issue the figure reveals.
Missing development components
Omitting infrastructure, services or fit-out that forms part of the development covered by the application.
Need an Estimated Development Cost Report for Your NSW Project?
Speak with Archi-QS about your development and discuss the information required for your EDC assessment and report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Estimated Development Cost?
Estimated Development Cost (EDC) is the estimated cost of carrying out a development, as defined in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021. It covers designing and erecting buildings and associated infrastructure, carrying out works, demolition, and fixed or mobile plant and equipment.
What does EDC mean in NSW?
In NSW, EDC is the cost measure the planning system uses to set application fees, determine the assessment pathway and identify the documentation a development application must include. It replaced capital investment value and cost of development for planning purposes on 4 March 2024.
What is included in EDC?
EDC includes building design and construction, site works and excavation, demolition, infrastructure and services, external works, and fixed or mobile plant and equipment. Design and project management consultant fees, statutory levies on construction, contingency and escalation are also included under the AIQS practice standard.
What is excluded from EDC?
EDC excludes GST, land purchase, marketing and selling costs, development contributions and planning agreement amounts, ongoing maintenance and operating costs, finance costs, and any part of the development that is the subject of a separate consent or approval.
What is the difference between EDC and CIV?
They are different measures and are not interchangeable. Capital Investment Value was the former NSW planning measure; Estimated Development Cost replaced it for planning purposes in March 2024 and is calculated under a defined methodology with its own inclusions and exclusions.
What are the EDC thresholds in NSW?
Key thresholds are $100,000 and $3 million for who prepares the cost assessment, and $5 million, $10 million and $30 million for whether development may be regionally significant and determined by a planning panel. State significant development thresholds are set by development type under the relevant State environmental planning policy.
Who can prepare an EDC report?
Below $3 million, a suitably qualified person such as a licensed builder, registered architect, building designer or quantity surveyor may prepare the estimate. Above $3 million an appropriately qualified quantity surveyor is expected, and for State significant development or infrastructure the report must be prepared by an AIQS Certified or RICS Chartered Quantity Surveyor.
When do I need an EDC report?
You need the EDC figure at development application lodgement, so the assessment should be prepared while the DA documentation is being finalised. The EDC report must be dated within 30 days of the application being submitted. We recommend an early preliminary estimate so the assessment pathway and fees are known before lodgement.
Is an EDC report required for a DA?
An EDC figure is required for a development application in NSW, and a formal EDC report is required or recommended depending on the cost of the development and the type of application. Your consent authority may also set its own cost reporting requirements.
How is EDC calculated?
EDC is calculated by measuring quantities from the project documentation and applying appropriate construction rates, then adding the allowances the methodology requires and removing excluded items such as land, GST and development contributions. It is a measured cost assessment rather than a valuation.
Can Archi-QS prepare an EDC report?
Yes. Archi-QS prepares Estimated Development Cost assessments and reports for NSW development projects, including the documentation of inclusions, exclusions, assumptions and methodology. Contact us with your project details to discuss what is required.
Does EDC affect the DA process?
Yes. EDC determines the application fee, influences whether the application is determined by a council, a planning panel or as State significant development, and affects the documentation lodged with the DA. An inaccurate or inconsistent figure commonly leads to requests for further information.
Which applications does EDC apply to?
EDC applies across the NSW planning system, including council development applications, regionally significant development, complying development, modification applications, and State significant development and infrastructure. The reporting requirements vary with the type of application and the cost of the development.
Does EDC apply to section 4.55 modification applications?
Where the original DA was lodged before 4 March 2024, the savings provisions in Planning Circular PS 25-004 mean the EDC requirements, including the detailed breakdown on the standard form, do not apply to the modification. Refer to the circular and the AIQS Practice Standard, or contact us to confirm what applies to your modification application.
What if council or DPHI asks to verify or amend an EDC report?
A consent authority may ask for an EDC report to be verified, clarified or amended during assessment. Where Archi-QS has prepared the report, we review the request against the project documentation and the methodology, then provide a written response or an updated report where the scope or figures need to change.
Do I also need a NABERS Embodied Emissions Materials Form?
Under the Sustainable Buildings SEPP, the NABERS Embodied Emissions Materials Form is required for non-residential development, covering new buildings with an EDC of $5 million or more and alterations for non-residential use of $10 million or more. Where Archi-QS prepares the EDC at DA stage, the form is completed from the same quantity take-off.
Request an Estimated Development Cost Report
Need an Estimated Development Cost report for your NSW development? Speak with Archi-QS about your project and the requirements for your EDC assessment.