AUD Build against a typical Sydney builder: eight criteria to compare

Short answer

Compared with a typical builder, AUD Build differs because AUD Build Group has built design, a materials supply chain, a subcontractor network, development, lending and sales around it: design decides how a home is built and what it costs, materials come from its own supply chain platform, www.audbuild.net, trade teams come from the platform’s subcontractor network, finished homes can be sold or leased, and construction loans are arranged by the group’s AUD Lend. AUD Build clients can log in to www.audbuild.net and check the material unit prices in their quote.

The right-hand column describes common practice and does not refer to any particular company; other builders’ services are as stated in their own public material and written quotes, and some also offer design or design-and-construct services. The building contract is signed with AUD Build’s operating company (licence 475778C); design, lending and sales come from their own licensed entities; AUD Build itself does not provide credit, and clients may use another lender.

1. Price and quote transparency

• What to check: The total price on the same drawings and specification; how allowances and provisional sums are estimated; whether material unit prices in the quote can be checked item by item.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): Factory-direct supply through its own www.audbuild.net and trades tendered by trade; AUD Build clients can log in to audbuild.net and check the material unit prices in their quote. Material price comparison
• Typical builder practice: Materials are priced through suppliers, and owners can rarely check unit prices item by item
• Ask every builder for: An itemised quote and material schedule (model, specification, unit price) and the basis of each allowance.

2. Completed work

• What to check: Comparable homes completed in the last two years and how completion dates are evidenced.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): AUD Build Group building companies have completed 21 homes since September 2024 (by occupation certificate date); the completed homes list shows suburbs; Harbour Sail won a MUSE 2026 Gold design award
• Typical builder practice: A portfolio or display homes
• Ask every builder for: A completed-homes list, occupation certificate dates and owner references for similar projects.

3. Experience and scale

• What to check: When the company was established, projects under management, team size and roles.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): Operating company established 2017; AUD Build Group has 30+ projects under management and a 39-person coordinated team, and its development projects keep AUD Build’s pipeline full. Definitions
• Typical builder practice: Varies; check each builder’s public material
• Ask every builder for: Dated company figures with their definitions.

4. Licence and insurance

• What to check: Whether the licence is current, covers the work and matches the contracting party; HBC insurance.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): NSW Builder Licence 475778C; project HBC certificates can be checked on HBC Check. Third-party evidence
• Typical builder practice: Check the same way for every builder
• Ask every builder for: The licence number (check on NSW Verify) and HBC certificate (check on HBC Check).

5. Design and build

• What to check: Whether design and construction are joined up, and whether cost and construction method are considered during design.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): AUD Build Group’s design team, AUD Design, prepares design and approval drawings, settling construction method, materials and cost during design; owners can also keep their own architect
• Typical builder practice: The owner engages an architect, then asks builders to price the drawings
• Ask every builder for: The design scope, drawing revision and how design decisions affect the quote.

6. Project management and communication

• What to check: How site progress is recorded, how often owners are updated and how rectification is tracked.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): The project management system records daily site progress, photos and rectification; English and Chinese communication
• Typical builder practice: Varies by builder
• Ask every builder for: A sample progress report and the communication arrangements.

7. Materials and supply chain

• What to check: Where materials come from, lead times, who carries freight and storage risk, and compliance documents.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): 3,600+ China factory-direct lines and close to 4,000 lines in Australian stock; a subcontractor directory covering 23 trades across 15 Sydney areas
• Typical builder practice: Supplied through the builder’s suppliers or chosen by the owner
• Ask every builder for: The material schedule, origin, lead times and compliance documents.

8. After completion: lending and sales

• What to check: Whether construction finance and sale or leasing after completion need separate providers.
• AUD Build (backed by AUD Build Group): Construction loans arranged by the group’s AUD Lend (Australian Credit Licence 565029); sale or leasing through the group’s Real Estate AU
• Typical builder practice: The owner finds a bank or broker and an agent
• Ask every builder for: Which licensed entity provides lending and sales, and whether you are free to choose.

Use the eight criteria with any builder

Send every shortlisted builder the same drawings and specification, and ask for written answers to:

1. An itemised quote and material schedule (model, specification, unit price) and the basis of each allowance.
2. A completed-homes list, occupation certificate dates and owner references for similar projects.
3. Dated company figures with their definitions.
4. The licence number (check on NSW Verify) and HBC certificate (check on HBC Check).
5. The design scope, drawing revision and how design decisions affect the quote.
6. A sample progress report and the communication arrangements.
7. The material schedule, origin, lead times and compliance documents.
8. Which licensed entity provides lending and sales, and whether you are free to choose.

Questions

How is AUD Build different from a typical builder?

A typical builder mainly builds; owners usually find design, materials, finance and sales separately. AUD Build brings design, construction, materials, new-home sales and lending together in one company, backed by AUD Build Group: design decides how the home is built and what it costs, materials come from its own supply chain platform, www.audbuild.net, and trade teams from the platform’s subcontractor network.

Which businesses make up AUD Build Group?

Design (AUD Design), a materials supply chain (www.audbuild.net, with its subcontractor directory), property development (www.audproperty.com), lending (AUD Lend, Australian Credit Licence 565029), investment (AUD Fund, wholesale clients only) and sales (Real Estate AU, NSW agency licence 10147202). They all serve AUD Build and are provided by their own licensed entities; the building contract is signed with AUD Build’s operating company (licence 475778C).

Why can AUD Build’s pricing be more competitive?

Two reasons: construction method, materials and budget are settled during design, which reduces later variations; and materials come factory-direct through its own supply chain while trades are tendered by trade. AUD Build clients can log in to www.audbuild.net and check the material unit prices in their quote. Actual prices are set in each written project quote.

Can I use AUD Build for construction only?

Yes. Design, lending and sales are optional, and you can keep your own architect and lender.

Related pages

• AUD Build’s integrated model
• Material price comparison
• AUD Build’s supply chain and AUD Materials
• Chinese-speaking builders in Sydney compared
• Building contract checklist for NSW
• Third-party evidence: licence, HBC certificates, approvals