Domus + Consultants: Platform Complements Professional Expertise

Why teams use Domus to complement professional consultants. Not replace them

Domus + Consultants: Better Together

Domus is not a consultant replacement. It's an operating layer that gives development teams structured workflows, baseline data, and faster preparation, so consultants can focus on strategy, negotiation, and expert judgment instead of routine data compilation.

What Consultants Do Best

  • Strategic planning advice and negotiation
  • Complex viability negotiations with LPAs
  • Technical specialist inputs (heritage, ecology, transport)
  • Planning appeals and public inquiry advocacy
  • Local authority relationship management

What Domus Handles

  • Viability baseline and scenario modeling
  • Planning lifecycle tracking and task management
  • Document checklists and evidence organisation
  • Policy context layering and compliance tracking
  • Team collaboration and shared data baseline

Challenges of Consultant-Only Reliance

Consultants are essential, but total reliance creates bottlenecks and delays

Waiting for Consultant Availability

Consultant-only problem: Need a quick viability check? Wait for consultant to free up capacity. Simple updates take days.

With Domus: Run initial viability scenarios in-house instantly. Engage consultant for strategic review and optimisation.

High Costs for Routine Tasks

Consultant-only problem: Paying consultant rates for routine data compilation, progress tracking, and basic scenario comparison.

With Domus: Use platform for baseline work and routine updates. Reserve consultant budget for high-value strategic advice.

Knowledge Lock-In

Consultant-only problem: Project knowledge lives in consultant's files. When they're unavailable, team has no visibility.

With Domus: Project data and progress visible to whole team. Consultant inputs layer on top of accessible baseline.

Limited Internal Learning

Consultant-only problem: Every question goes to consultants. Internal team doesn't build capability or understanding.

With Domus: Team handles structured workflows, builds internal competence. Consultants elevate team knowledge instead of replacing it.

Slow Iteration Cycles

Consultant-only problem: Want to test five unit mix scenarios? Email consultant, wait for turnaround, review, ask for changes, wait again.

With Domus: Run multiple scenarios instantly in-platform. Share refined options with consultant for strategic input.

How Development Teams Use Domus + Consultants

Early Stage Screening (Domus-Led)

Team uses Domus to screen opportunities, run initial viability, identify constraint red flags. Consultants only engaged on schemes that pass internal gate.

Viability Baseline (Domus) + Strategy (Consultant)

Team builds viability model in Domus with standardised assumptions. Consultant reviews baseline, recommends optimisation strategies, and handles LPA negotiation.

Planning Preparation (Domus) + Specialist Reports (Consultant)

Domus tracks planning lifecycle, document checklists, policy compliance. Consultants produce heritage statements, transport assessments, and specialist technical inputs.

Monitoring & Updates (Domus) + Strategic Steering (Consultant)

Team tracks progress in Domus, updates assumptions as design evolves. Consultant provides strategic guidance at key milestones and manages officer engagement.

When Consultants Remain Essential

Domus doesn't replace consultants for complex, high-stakes, or specialist work:

  • Planning appeals: Advocacy, inquiry preparation, and legal strategy require expert consultants
  • S106 negotiation: Complex affordable housing and planning obligation discussions need professional representation
  • Technical specialist reports: Heritage, ecology, transport, noise, air quality studies require accredited professionals
  • Local authority liaison: Managing ongoing LPA relationships and pre-app negotiations benefits from consultant expertise

See How Domus Complements Your Consultants

Book a demo to understand the platform + expertise model