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One of the industry’s premier construction advisory firms

A track record that spans in excess of 10,000 projects over 40 years.

With a roster of more than 3,000 clients, CCS is redefining Owners Rep, Project and Program Management, and Cost Management services for the public and private sectors through its boutique approach. CCS is differentiated by the way it takes on the values of its clients with a proprietary value-creating, risk-mitigating process.

CCS’ long list of blue-chip clients includes the United States Department of State, Presidential Libraries, The Peninsula Hotels group, Pritzker Realty Group, the University of Chicago, Texas A&M University, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., DOW Chemicals, the Smithsonian, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Argonne National Laboratory, and the United States Olympic Committee.

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CCS is headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois, with three regional offices.

  • Expert advice since 1979

  • 150+ projects per year

  • CCS staff averages 20 years of experience

  • CCS has a secure enclave for CMMC/NIST 800-171 contracts

The Ripple Effect

When you choose CCS International, Inc. for your project, “The Ripple Effect” begins. Quite simply, the ability to influence project cost and delivery is greater in predesign and design stages than in the later construction phase. There is a much greater opportunity for value engineering in the earlier stages.

Ripple Effect
Pre-Design
Design
Bid
Construction

Pre-Design

CCS assists the client by establishing a budget and addressing all the issues, tangible and intangible, to get a true and clear understanding of potential project cost and risk issues. Our process also helps the client to find the best architectural team to perform design work as the project evolves.

Design

CCS works with the client & design team to review budgets and schedules to ensure that, as design evolves, the construction documents are maintained and the client's best interests are protected. We also work to help establish a list of potential GC’s and contractors qualified to undertake the construction of the project.

Bid

CCS reviews bids and prepares a bid analysis for the client and design team to review and consider during interviews and discussions with candidate GC’s and contractors. The Ripple Effect works to ensure that the bid covers all the elements and issues relating to the given project, to mitigate change orders and additional costs later in the construction process.

Construction

CCS works to assist the client in regular meetings with the entire project team to ensure that the project schedule and deliverables are being addressed in a timely and cost-efficient manner. We participate in and report on monthly meetings and progress meetings with the team to give clear guidance and recommendations to the client as needed.

Fields of expertise

Business people looking at model building
Architects team having video conference
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Business people looking at model building

Acting as the owner’s advocate and steward, we integrate the different facets of the construction process to shepherd one or more projects from inception to completion.

Program & Project Management

Architects team having video conference

With our expertise in process and cost, CCS actively and rigorously forecasts factors impacting project cost and schedule, and helps clients strategize to minimize risk, engineer value and prevent budget overruns.

Cost Management

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For large complex projects or programs, CCS provides dedicated on-site project control teams to deal exclusively with cost and schedule issues, including monitoring, updating, negotiating, processing, and reporting as needed to support your project team.

Project Controls

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CCS’ expert advisory offerings straddle the areas of total budget development, master project schedule development, risk management, value engineering, contract and schedule auditing, project dispute intervention and litigation support.

Advisory Services

Both an advisor and an advocate, CCS was created to guide and support Owners and the AEC community through the complex process of planning, designing and constructing a facility.

Our experts

Parr Ian resized

Ian Parr

President and Founder

Bransby Clive resized

Clive Bransby

CEO / Director of Business Development

Harwood Graham resized

Graham Harwood

Principal

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Sectors

CCS’ client roster spans every corner of the global economy, from mission-critical government facilities to world-class universities to our most celebrated civic institutions and public lands.

Partners

Communication is our strength. Our long-term goal is to become a trusted advisor and advocate for your success.

  • IFMA
  • The Society for College and University Planning
  • AIA
  • ARTBA
  • Urban Land Institute
  • smps
  • ILA
  • COAA

Company Announcements

17 February 2026

Budget Blog Post

Who is Protecting Your Budget? Why Owners Need Independent Cost Consultants.

Capital project owners are operating in an environment defined by sustained cost volatility, constrained labor markets, financing pressure, and heightened delivery risk. Traditional project delivery structures—while effective—do not provide owners with independent financial oversight of the assumptions shaping project viability. Cost overruns are increasingly rooted in early-stage decisions rather than execution failures. Structural misalignment in traditional delivery models often obscures emerging risk, delaying visibility until corrective action is costly or no longer possible. Independent cost consultants play a critical role in protecting owner capital by providing objective, data-driven oversight at the point where assumptions are set and commitments are made. CCS International helps owners move cost risk upstream, transforming a reactive liability into a managed strategic advantage.

22 January 2026

Hidden Costs Blog Post

The Hidden Costs That Blindside Capital Project Owners — And How to See Them

Capital project owners are facing a growing set of cost pressures often emerging too late to control: volatile labor markets, obscure supply-chain premiums, misaligned design assumptions, and schedule risks compounding quietly until they become unavoidable. These hidden drivers routinely erode contingencies, distort forecasts, and force difficult scope or funding decisions mid-project. The challenge is these risks are unknown; the issue is owners often lack early visibility to recognize and manage them. By improving front-end visibility, strengthening data inputs, and integrating commercial, design, and workforce intelligence early, owners can surface these pressures sooner and avoid surprises undermining budget, schedule, and strategic goals.

11 November 2025

NIST CUI Blog

Trust, Safety, and Stewardship: Our Commitment to CUI (NIST 800-171) 

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is government-created or government-owned information that isn’t classified but must be safeguarded and shared only on a need-to-know basis. In capital programs, that often includes: Detailed facility drawings and security layouts Budgetary and cost estimate data tied to critical infrastructure Procurement, vendor, equipment and contract records with proprietary details Project schedules, risk registers, and change documentation for essential services Protecting this information is now a compliance prerequisite for servicing federal, state, and local owners—and prime contractors who must flow CUI requirements down to subs require compliance with all prime contract requirements and obligations.

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