Contingency costs can be incurred during any of the construction project phases. For example, a design error may lead to an unexpected increase in material expenses before ground-breaking. At the same time, a stretch of inclement weather might delay or complicate final detailing and sign-off steps.
How much contingency do I factor in? The industry standard for construction risk contingency is 3-10% of total hard costs. Some developers budget contingency for soft costs as well, typically 1% percent of total project costs or 10-20% of total soft costs.