The five phases of value engineering are:
(1) Information — gather the project’s design, budget, and goals
(2) Function Analysis — identify what each element actually needs to do
(3) Creative — brainstorm alternative ways to achieve those functions
(4) Evaluation — assess the alternatives for cost, performance, and design impact
(5) Development & Presentation — refine the best options and present them to the owner for decision.
In a commercial construction setting, this process typically runs during preconstruction. The contractor and design team work through the phases together, and the output is a set of clear, costed options the owner can accept or decline — not unilateral changes.
The structure matters because it keeps value engineering disciplined. Skipping the function analysis phase, for example, is how projects end up “value engineering” away things that actually mattered. Darby follows a structured value engineering process on commercial fit-outs so the recommendations are sound and the owner stays in control of every decision.
