Practical preparation · General information, assessed individually
Give each uncertainty an owner
Keep a risk register beside the project appraisal. Describe what could change, who will investigate it and when the next decision is needed.
- Separate unresolved design, ground, utility and procurement questions.
- Ask your cost professional to explain the basis of allowances.
- Record what each quotation includes and excludes.
Plan around the drawdown terms
Development lenders may release funds in stages and require progress evidence. Shawbrook’s published process is one example; your facility’s own conditions determine how it works for you.
- Ask when a request can be made and what must accompany it.
- Map inspection and approval steps against contractor payment dates.
- Identify the working cash needed between a payment and a drawdown.
Test a change before it happens
Use a few explicit scenarios to challenge the appraisal: a delayed programme, a higher cost item or a slower exit. These are planning exercises, not forecasts.
- Record the assumptions used in each scenario.
- Show the effect on cash and the amount needed to finish.
- Agree an escalation point with the relevant project and finance professionals.
Bring to the first conversation
- Current cost plan and risk register
- Contractor programme and payment schedule
- Facility drawdown conditions and monitoring requirements
- Scenario assumptions and intended exit route
Start with an outline. Send sensitive documents only through the secure route agreed with Jack.
Your questions, answered
Does an agreed facility eliminate cash-flow risk?
No. The timing and conditions of each release still matter. Keep the facility, project programme and cash forecast aligned.
Link to this answerWho should approve a change to the budget?
Agree decision authority within the project and check the facility for lender-consent requirements. Record decisions and revised assumptions in writing.
Link to this answerSources & further reading
Sources checked 12 October 2026. Preparation prompts are editorial checklists; follow the linked original for its scope and updates.
Prepared for Jack Cousins’s website · 12 October 2026. About Jack · How site content is prepared. Lender criteria and individual circumstances determine available options. This guide is not a mortgage offer or personal recommendation.