Standards we work to
Every deliverable is built against a named standard, not a proprietary format invented for the occasion. Which ones apply depends on the service:
The data hierarchy
Not every number in a report carries the same weight, and we say so rather than presenting all of them with equal confidence. In order of preference:
The default value explainer goes into why that labelling matters specifically for CBAM, where a default value can cut either way against a supplier's actual position.
Tools we use
None of these tools replace judgement, they narrow down the manual work of checking a figure against its source, which is where most of the time on an engagement actually goes.
Review before delivery
Every report goes through the same check before it's sent: the calculated figures are read back against the source documents, drawings, a bill of quantities, an energy bill, a supplier declaration, rather than taken as correct because a model produced them. Material take-offs are sense-checked the way a structural review would, not accepted at face value from a spreadsheet. Where an assumption had to be made because the data wasn't available, it's stated in the report as an assumption, not folded into the total silently.
What we won't do
We won't present a default or estimated figure with the same confidence as a verified one. We won't quote a UK CBAM cost or rate ahead of the real figures being published, anything shown before then is explicitly illustrative. We won't extend a report's stated purpose to cover a use it wasn't scoped for without confirming that the scope still fits.
Keeping this current
PPN 06/21, RICS guidance and UK CBAM are all still being actively developed or phased in. This page is reviewed whenever a standard we work to changes materially, and the date at the top reflects the last review, not just the last time the page was edited.
Questions about how a specific figure in a report was arrived at are always welcome, email hello@driftwatch.co.uk.