What Is Site Mobilisation?
Mobilisation is moving the contractor’s capability onto the site — offices, accommodation, hoarding, services and plant — an early cost item that deserves careful planning and pricing.
The usual scope
Hoarding and gates, site offices for the contractor and the consultant with their fit-out, labour accommodation or its arrangements, temporary power and water, access roads and laydown areas, project signage, and lifting and mixing plant according to the nature of the work.
Pricing and funding it
It is a heavy early cost falling before the first progress claim, which is why the advance payment and a separately paid “site mobilisation” item became common. Pricing it realistically and timing its recovery make the difference in the first months’ cash flow.
And demobilisation
At the end of the project: removing the temporary works and returning the site to its condition — an item forgotten at estimating time that reappears as an unwelcome invoice at handover.
Worked example
On a school project, mobilisation cost SAR 380,000 — hoarding, offices, a generator, supervisors’ accommodation — spent over the first 45 days while the first progress claim fell due after 75. The gap was planned for with a 10% advance that covered it comfortably.
FAQ
Is mobilisation a lump sum or a percentage?
Most commonly a lump-sum item paid against the progress of the mobilisation itself; some contracts fold it into the distributed indirects. What matters is that the payment mechanism is clear from the start.
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