What Rawlinsons does

Rawlinsons (W.A.) Pty Ltd is an Australian private quantity surveying and construction cost consultancy founded in 1953 in Perth, Western Australia, and claims to be the country's longest-serving firm in the discipline. The company provides a full spectrum of construction cost management services — including estimating and project cost planning, specialist in-house measurement for service trades, Building Information Modelling (BIM) 5D Take Off, contract administration, replacement insurance valuations, reserve fund forecasting, development contribution plans, and expert witness and dispute resolution services. Its client base spans Western Australian local councils, state government departments (Public Transport Authority, Department of Finance), educational institutions (Curtin University), and private developers (Frasers, John Hughes Group), with visible project values ranging from $3.5M community facilities to $187.7M multi-building precincts and a prior $700M rail engagement.

Beyond consultancy, Rawlinsons operates a separate publishing arm (Rawlinsons Publishing, via rawlhouse.com.au) that produces two industry-standard reference publications: the Australian Construction Handbook, launched in 1983 and now in its 44th edition, and the Construction Cost Guide, in its 34th edition, which serve as nationwide pricing references for construction professionals. The firm is transitioning this publication business into a digital cost data platform scheduled for launch in January 2026, alongside its existing quarterly Market Insights newsletter and LinkedIn presence. Revenue is generated through quote-based professional services engagements with 21-day payment terms and direct sales of annual publications; the firm operates from a single headquarters in Rivervale, Western Australia with 18 employees and a sales-led, relationship-driven go-to-market motion.

Name

Rawlinsons

Legal name

Rawlinsons (W.A.) Pty Ltd ATF The Rawlinson Roberts & Partners Unit Trust trading as Rawlinsons (W.A.)

Website

https://rawlinsonswa.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rawlinsons is Australia's longest-serving Quantity Surveying firm, founded 1953 in Western Australia, providing construction cost consultancy and industry-standard cost data publications to government agencies, developers, and institutions across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rivervale

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cost Consultancy Services: Professional quantity surveying and construction cost management services provided to government agencies, private developers, and institutional clients across Western Australia. Services include cost planning, estimating, contract administration, and expert witness services.
2. Cost Data Publications: Sale of annual publications including the Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook and Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide, providing construction cost data to the Australian construction industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rawlinsons is a quantity surveying and construction cost consultancy firm providing cost planning, estimating, BIM 5D take off, contract administration, insurance replacement valuations, reserve fund forecasting, development contribution plans, and expert witness services to government agencies, developers, educational institutions, and healthcare clients. The firm also produces and sells the Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook and Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide, the leading construction cost data publications in Australia.

Product overview

Rawlinsons is Australia's longest-serving Quantity Surveying firm (established 1953) offering a portfolio of construction cost consultancy services and industry-standard cost data publications. The company provides two flagship publications: the Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook (launched 1983) and the Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide (34th edition), which are essential industry references for construction cost estimating in Australia. Beyond publications, the company delivers a comprehensive suite of consulting services including quantity surveying, cost planning, BIM 5D Take Off, contract administration, insurance valuations, reserve fund forecasting, development contribution plans, and expert witness services. The company is transitioning to a new digital cost data platform launching in January 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook Annual construction cost reference handbook providing detailed cost data for construction projects across Australia, used industry-wide as a standard reference for cost estimating.
• Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide Annual construction cost reference guide in its 34th edition, providing up-to-date cost information for smaller projects and developments up to $1.5 million.
• Estimating and Project Cost Planning Accurate construction cost forecasting and cost planning service ensuring financial efficiency for construction projects of all sizes.
• Building Information Modelling (BIM) 5D Take Off Integration of cost data with digital BIM models for enhanced project visualisation, digital quantity take-off, and 5D cost management.
• Contract Administration Post-contract administration service ensuring projects adhere to budgetary constraints and contractual obligations, including variation assessment and progress claim valuation.
• Replacement Insurance Valuation Insurance replacement valuation service providing replacement cost assessments for buildings and structures for insurance purposes.
• Reserve Fund Forecast Financial forecasting service for building maintenance and capital expenditure reserves, typically used by body corporates and strata managers.
• Development Contribution Plans Cost planning and estimation service for development contribution plans covering roadworks, intersections, open spaces, and utilities for local government areas.
• Expert Witness and Dispute Resolution Professional expert witness service and dispute resolution support for construction cost matters.
• Specialist In-House Measurement Expert measurement service for service trades (including HVAC and mechanical) ensuring precise cost assessments and specialist quantity take-off.

Quantifiable outcome

• Frasers Suites project completed on time and within $187.7 million budget
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Donald Cant Watts Corke: Australian quantity surveying and cost consultancy firm. Directly comparable to Rawlinsons in core service offering (QS, cost planning, bank valuations) and client mix (developers, government, institutional), with national reach.
• WT Partnership: Australian-headquartered quantity surveying firm offering cost planning, contract administration, and construction cost consultancy. Highly comparable to Rawlinsons in service mix and target client base (developers, government, institutions), operating across Australia.

Regional players

• BCQS International: Quantity surveying and construction cost consultancy with Australian presence. Comparable to Rawlinsons in core QS services but with Caribbean/international footprint rather than WA-regional focus.

Broad incumbents

• Turner & Townsend: International cost management and project consultancy with offices in Australia. Comparable to Rawlinsons in core QS and cost advisory services but with much broader service portfolio and global delivery capability, including program management and advisory.
• Currie & Brown: International cost management and project consultancy with Australian operations. Provides the same QS, cost planning, and contract administration services as Rawlinsons, but at significantly larger scale and with broader sector coverage.
• Rider Levett Bucknall: Global quantity surveying and construction cost consultancy with strong Australian presence. Directly comparable to Rawlinsons in core QS services (cost planning, contract administration, expert witness), but operates at national and international scale versus Rawlinsons' regional focus.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with cost management practices in Australia. Overlaps with Rawlinsons in construction cost consultancy and infrastructure project advisory, but with a much broader engineering and design portfolio.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering, and consultancy firm with cost management/QS services in Australia. Comparable to Rawlinsons in cost consultancy but operates as a multi-disciplinary incumbent offering design, engineering, and advisory alongside QS.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy with cost management services in Australia. Overlaps with Rawlinsons in construction cost consultancy and infrastructure advisory, but with multi-disciplinary scale and global delivery.

Emerging players

• Altus Group: Commercial real estate and construction cost consultancy with software/data offerings (ARGUS). Comparable to Rawlinsons' cost data publication business and parts of its QS practice, with a more software-and-data-led delivery model that highlights the strategic direction Rawlinsons is pursuing with its 2026 digital platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rawlinsons-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rawlinsons