CONFIRMATION BY US: Professional Estimation Validation Services
CONFIRMATION BY US™ Professional Estimation Validation Services Est. 2003 | Global Headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Executive Overview: The Number Dilemma
A familiar scenario has emerged across enterprise organizations:
You have communicated a figure. The figure has achieved stakeholder visibility. The figure now requires analytical substantiation retroactive to its initial communication.
Traditional consulting firms approach this scenario as a "budgeting failure." We recognize it as what it truly is: a documentation opportunity.
The Reality
The number is out there. You said it in a meeting. Maybe it was in an email. Perhaps it's in a slide deck that's already been forwarded to someone who forwarded it to someone else.
The number exists now. It has weight. It has stakeholders.
What you need isn't an estimate. You need confirmation.
That's where we come in.
Our Services
| Tier | Offering | What You Get | Add-On Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Number Acknowledgment | A signed letter confirming your figure is "consistent with industry benchmarks" | Benchmark source citation library, Range-based validation (+/- 30%) |
| Silver | Methodology Retrofit | A custom estimation framework engineered to organically produce your predetermined outcome | Assumption documentation package, Sensitivity analysis (controlled variables) |
| Gold | Full Narrative Package | Complete documentation including assumptions, exclusions, risk factors, and pre-written variance explanations | Executive summary deck, Variance response templates, Post-project justification reserve |
| Platinum | Stakeholder Alignment | Our consultants attend your meetings and defend the number as their own professional opinion | C-suite presentation coaching, Board audit response support, Successor briefing documentation |
Our Methodology
Our proprietary Reverse Estimation Process (REP)™ begins where other firms end: with your number.
Phase 1: Number Archaeology
Our analysts conduct comprehensive documentation review to identify the origin point of your committed figure. We trace email threads, meeting minutes, and slide deck revision histories to establish the number's genealogy and stakeholder exposure surface area.
Phase 2: Assumption Engineering
Using our proprietary Reverse Estimation Process (REP)™, we identify the precise combination of scope boundaries, exclusions, and contingency factors that produce your predetermined outcome. Common assumption categories include:
- Productivity rate optimization
- Learning curve acceleration
- Vendor performance assumption elevation
- Scope interpretation refinement
- Risk probability recalibration
Phase 3: Narrative Construction
We document the engineered pathway as industry-standard estimation methodology, complete with:
- Parametric analysis frameworks
- Historical benchmark normalization
- Subject matter expert interview synthesis
- Contingency allocation rationale
- Range-based confidence intervals (optimized to position your number as midpoint)
Phase 4: Stakeholder Inoculation
Delivery of comprehensive documentation package designed to preempt technical questions and provide ready-made responses to variance inquiry.
Differentiated Value Proposition
Conventional consulting methodologies introduce unnecessary complexity:
- Scope discovery workshops that question baseline assumptions
- Risk analysis frameworks that surface implementation concerns
- Stakeholder interviews that generate conflicting requirements
- Iterative estimation processes that delay project authorization
We eliminate these inefficiencies.
Your organization has already achieved executive consensus on project cost. Our role is to provide the analytical framework that documents this consensus as industry-validated professional judgment—enabling immediate transition from estimation to execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this ethical?
A: Our services comply with all applicable professional standards for estimation documentation. We provide analytical validation of client-defined parameters, which represents standard industry practice for consultant-client collaboration.
Q: What if the actual costs differ from the validated estimate?
A: All professional estimates are subject to implementation variance. Our deliverables document the basis of estimate at the time of validation. Subsequent variance represents the natural uncertainty inherent in complex project execution, not methodology failure.
Q: Do you ever tell clients their number is wrong?
A: "Wrong" presupposes objective truth in cost estimation. We recognize that estimates exist within ranges of confidence, bounded by assumption frameworks. Our role is to identify the assumption framework consistent with client requirements.
Q: How is this different from traditional consulting?
A: Traditional consultants impose their conclusions on client organizations. We empower clients to defend their own strategic decisions with professional analytical support.
Q: What if my number was literally a guess?
A: All estimates begin as hypotheses. Our methodology transforms preliminary figures into documented professional judgment through rigorous reverse engineering of supportable assumptions.
Client Testimonials
"When the project came in at 280% of the approved budget, I was able to point directly to their report. My leadership understood that I had followed a rigorous, consultant-validated process. That's not a cost overrun. That's due diligence."
— Director, Capital Projects Fortune 500 Manufacturing | Validated Estimate: 34.7M
"They found a way to make $400,000 sound right. I don't know how. I don't need to know how. I just needed the PDF."
— Senior Manager, Procurement Public Sector Infrastructure | Timeline: 6 weeks to board approval
"The estimate I gave my VP was a guess. The estimate Confirmation By Us gave my VP was a methodology. Same number. Completely different conversation."
— Program Lead, Strategic Initiatives Healthcare Technology | Estimate Confidence Level: Tier 3 (AACE Classification)
Professional Standards Disclosure
Confirmation By Us™ operates in full compliance with AACE International ethical guidelines. Our validation services constitute professional opinion based on client-provided scope parameters, historical precedent analysis, and industry benchmark normalization.
All estimates are subject to standard exclusions including but not limited to:
- Unforeseen site conditions
- Scope modifications subsequent to initial commitment
- Vendor performance variance
- Regulatory requirement evolution
- Acts of God, market disruption, or stakeholder expectation drift
Results are guaranteed only insofar as documentation deliverables match agreed-upon specifications. Actual project outcomes remain subject to implementation variables outside the scope of estimation validation services.
Confirmation By Us maintains professional liability insurance covering methodology documentation. Coverage does not extend to project execution results.
Ready to Move Forward?
You've already said the number.
Let us make it true.
CONFIRMATION BY US™ Validation. Documentation. Accountability Transfer.
For engagement inquiries, please contact your regional account representative or submit a preliminary figure via our secure client portal. All communications are subject to consultant-client privilege provisions outlined in Master Services Agreement Appendix C.