Arborist for Civil & Commercial Construction NSW — Procurement-Friendly, Fixed-Fee, Single Accountable AQF5
Civil and commercial construction has procurement processes, programme dependencies and risk profiles that an under-qualified arborist can’t handle. We deliver into Tier 1 and Tier 2 builders, civil contractors, EPCM firms and infrastructure clients the way procurement teams need: fixed-fee scopes, single accountable AQF5, $20M PL / $5M PI cover, compliance certificates, GIS-ready deliverables and same-week mobilisation on most enquiries. Our principal consultant is a Licensed NSW Builder as well as an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist — reports a construction team can actually deliver against.
Procurement-ready · Fixed-fee TWM · $20M PL / $5M PI coverCivil and commercial construction needs an arborist who understands procurement, programme, and accountability — not just trees
The arboricultural risk on a civil or commercial site isn’t usually the trees themselves — it’s the process risk: a tree-related consent condition that holds up site establishment, a contractor sourcing problem that drags out clearing, a Tree Protection Zone that conflicts with the engineer’s foundation detail, a compliance certificate that doesn’t materialise when the consent close-out needs it. Each of these is a programme risk, a cost risk, and (on procurement-heavy contracts) a reputation risk against the prime.
The fix is to engage an arborist who works the way construction works: fixed-fee scopes, named single accountable consultant, contract-ready insurance cover, deliverables that integrate with the rest of the design and construction stack (GIS, CAD, compliance documentation), and a track record with Tier 1/Tier 2 builders and ASX-listed contractors. That’s what we deliver. Aaron Bath is a Licensed NSW Builder as well as AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist; the reports and on-site supervision read like work product a construction team can use, not like obstacles to negotiate around.
Where civil & commercial builders engage us
The most common engagements we deliver into civil and commercial construction — each one with the matching service:
- “We need consented tree removals done, with the compliance certificate for the consent file” — our Tree Works Management service: fixed-fee, single accountable AQF5, qualified contractors sourced and supervised, compliance-certified close-out. The most-requested engagement structure in this sector.
- “The consent requires a Project Arborist on site through construction” — our Project Arborist service. AQF5 on site for protection-zone establishment, excavation-within-TPZ approvals, TPP amendments, RFI responses, and consent close-out. Engagement structures from hourly through day-rate to fixed-fee on scope — quoted to fit the programme.
- “The DA needs an arborist report” — AIA for the lodgement, AS 4970-2025 compliant, Tree Protection Plan and Specification bundled. From $1,800 + GST.
- “Foundations / services trenches / retaining walls intersect tree roots and the engineer needs verification” — in-house Root Investigations using Air Spade: actual root distribution data so the engineer designs to reality, not worst-case. Same-week mobilisation.
- “We need a tree inventory for the tender / DD / GIS system” — Tree Surveys + GIS with Trimble R2 + RTX (cm-level accuracy), deliverables in GeoPackage / DWG / Shapefile / KMZ / Excel — not just PDFs.
- “Trees on the compound / asset register / easement need a defensible risk rating” — Tree Risk Assessments using the ISA TRAQ framework, per-site or programme-retainer, with the documentation a procurement team can audit.
- “Trees retained under the consent need ongoing supervision during the build” — Project Arborist again, with periodic site inspections, photographic records, sign-offs against the TPP, and RFI handling. Builds a defensible paper trail for the consent close-out.
The six services we deliver into civil & commercial construction
Each links to its dedicated page. The summaries here are sector-specific framing:
Tree Works Management
The single-accountable, fixed-fee deliverable that civil and commercial procurement teams ask for by name. We source qualified contractors, schedule the works to the build programme, supervise on site under our AQF5, and issue the compliance certificate for your consent file. One accountable AQF5 from quote to close-out, no contractor-procurement load on you.
Quoted fixed-fee · Scheduled to the build program
TWM detailsProject Arborist
AQF5 on-site supervision under DA consent conditions. The named arborist on your project from site establishment through consent close-out: TPP enforcement, excavation-within-TPZ approvals, TPP amendments, RFI responses, additional protection works, post-construction monitoring, signed close-out documentation. Equally fluent on plans we didn’t write.
Fixed-fee on scope, day rate or hourly rate · quoted on supervision frequency
Project Arborist detailsArboricultural Impact Assessment
DA-stage report for any civil or commercial works affecting trees. AS 4970-2025 compliant: tree inventory, NRZ/TPZ/SRZ calculations, encroachment classification, retention/removal recommendations, Tree Protection Plan and Specification. Written with construction sequencing in mind — recommendations a build team can actually deliver.
From $1,800 + GST · 2 weeks standard / 48hr fast-track
AIA detailsRoot Investigations (Air Spade)
In-house Air Spade + 250 CFM trailer-mounted compressor for non-destructive root exposure under proposed foundations, retaining walls, services trenches, and adjacent excavations. Engineers detail to actual root data instead of worst-case assumptions; designs get optimised. Same-week mobilisation.
Hourly rate (groundwork) or fixed-fee where scope is predictable
Root Investigations detailsTree Surveys + GIS
Survey-grade tree inventories using Trimble R2 + RTX GNSS (cm-level accuracy) and the QGIS template stack. Deliverables in GeoPackage, DWG, Shapefile, KMZ, Excel — not just PDFs. Drops directly into your project GIS, your engineer’s CAD, or your asset management system. The right data, in the format your team actually needs.
Quoted on site + tree count
Tree Surveys + GIS detailsTree Risk Assessments
ISA TRAQ-framework risk assessment for trees on compounds, asset registers, easements, and retained-tree populations during construction. Per-site fixed fee from $800 + GST. Audit-ready documentation. Annual or biannual retainer available for ongoing compound / easement monitoring.
From $800 + GST per site · 1–2 weeks
Risk Assessment detailsWhy civil & commercial contractors pick us
Procurement-friendly engagement structure
Fixed-fee scopes you can quote against. Single accountable AQF5 named on the engagement. Contract-ready $20M PL / $5M PI insurance cover. Compliance certificates for consent close-out. GIS / CAD-format deliverables your project team can actually use. This is how civil and commercial procurement teams want to engage arboricultural services — structured, accountable, auditable.
Licensed NSW Builder runs the consulting
Our principal consultant has stood on the construction side of the fence. 10+ years prior as an AQF3 tree-removal contractor, NSW Fair Trading-licensed builder, AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist. The reports don’t contain unbuildable recommendations; the on-site supervision doesn’t trigger pointless stop-works; the relationship with the construction team works.
In-house Air Spade + GIS — no third-party scheduling
When the engineer needs root verification, we deliver it in the same engagement — not as a separately scheduled vac-truck investigation. When the project needs survey-grade tree data, we deliver it in the spatial format your team uses — not as a PDF. In-house Air Spade + 250 CFM compressor; in-house Trimble R2 + RTX + QGIS template stack. Two cost layers and two scheduling layers compressed into one.
Tier 1 / Tier 2 procurement-style brief?
Send us the brief, the consent, and the construction program. We’ll come back with a fixed-fee proposal structured for procurement review — named consultant, deliverables, insurance, timeline. Most of the major builders and ASX-listed contractors we work with engaged us this way the first time.
Project Arborist as a long-term engagement
Our Project Arborist service is the longest-running engagement structure in our practice. Once we’re the named AQF5 on a site, the scope naturally expands across construction phases — TPP amendments, RFI responses, additional protection works, post-construction monitoring — and the relationship often persists across subsequent projects with the same prime contractor.
Civil & commercial pricing snapshot
| Service | Starting figure | Typical turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Works Management (consented removals + supervision + certificate) | Quoted fixed-fee | Scheduled to build program |
| Project Arborist (on-site supervision) | Fixed-fee on scope, day rate or hourly rate | Mobilises with build program |
| AIA (DA stage) | From $1,800 + GST | 2 weeks std / 48hr fast-track |
| Root Investigations (Air Spade, in-house) | Hourly or fixed-fee | Same-week mobilisation |
| Tree Surveys + GIS (Trimble R2 + RTX) | Quoted on site + tree count | 1–2 weeks |
| TRA (compound / asset register) | From $800 + GST per site | 1–2 weeks |
All figures + GST. Bundled engagements quoted at scoping.
Civil & commercial service areas across NSW
Quote for your civil or commercial project
Send the consent, the program, the contract structure — we’ll come back within one business day with a fixed-fee proposal.
Civil & commercial construction FAQs
How do you handle procurement-style engagements?
Fixed-fee scopes structured against the deliverables you need (TWM scope, AIA report, Project Arborist engagement, GIS dataset, etc.), named single accountable AQF5 (Aaron Bath) on the engagement, $20M PL + $5M PI insurance cover available to attach to your contract, compliance certificates for consent close-out, deliverables in the spatial / CAD / documentation formats your team uses. Send us your standard procurement brief and we’ll structure the proposal accordingly.
Can you mobilise to a tight programme?
Most engagements: same-week mobilisation for site visits and Air Spade work; 2-week standard turnaround on AIA (48-hour fast-track available); 1–2 weeks on Tree Surveys + GIS deliverables; TWM and Project Arborist schedule to the build programme. For genuinely urgent situations (consent close-out deadline, site-establishment hold-up, programme-critical clearing) we’ll reshuffle the queue.
What GIS / CAD formats do you deliver?
GeoPackage (.gpkg), DWG (CAD-ready, layer-structured), Shapefile (.shp), KMZ / KML (for Google Earth and field tablets), GeoJSON, CSV / Excel, and PDF map outputs. Trees positioned to cm-level accuracy using Trimble R2 + RTX GNSS. The data drops directly into your project GIS, your engineer’s CAD environment, or your asset management system — not as a flat PDF you have to retype.
Do you carry the insurance our contract needs?
$20M Public Liability, $5M Professional Indemnity. Certificate of Currency available on request and attachable to your contract. If your contract requires higher cover for a specific engagement, we’ll discuss — sometimes available on negotiated terms with our broker.
How do you handle subcontracted tree contractors under TWM?
We source qualified contractors (AQF Level 3 minimum for climbing / removal works; appropriate licensing for traffic-controlled jobs; SWMS-compliant operators), supervise the works under our AQF5 on site, and issue the compliance certificate. The contractors invoice us (not you), we invoice you fixed-fee against the engagement, and the paper trail for consent close-out is consolidated under one accountable AQF5. Single point of accountability, single invoice.
Can you work alongside our engineer / project manager / planner?
Yes — this is the dominant engagement model. We typically work into a project team alongside the engineer (for root verification + foundation design), the project manager (for programme and procurement), the town planner (for consent compliance), and the prime contractor / builder (for on-site delivery). We don’t try to own the project — we deliver the arboricultural function into the team that does.
What if the AIA was written by another arborist?
Very common. We routinely deliver Project Arborist services and standalone TPPs against AIAs prepared by other consultants. We’re equally fluent on plans we didn’t write. Send the original AIA + TPP + consent conditions and we’ll quote the engagement.
What standards do you work to?
AS 4970-2025 (Protection of Trees on Development Sites), AS 4373 (Pruning of Amenity Trees), Arboriculture Australia Minimum Industry Standards, ISA TRAQ for risk assessment, local council DCPs for jurisdiction-specific requirements, WHS legislation for on-site work, AS / NZ standards for any climbing / rigging operations under TWM.
Tree work, done the way construction works.
Send through the consent, the program and the contract structure. We’ll come back within one business day with a procurement-ready proposal.
1300 859 510 Get my quote Mobile: 0434 523 566