Every project has a number. Not every project has a story behind it. In Episode 3, Troy Simon and Trey Darnell dig into the cost narrative — what it actually is, why most GCs aren't delivering it, and what changes when you get it right.

They cover the three layers of a real cost narrative: the number, the context behind it, and the decision points that let an owner actually do something with it. Trey breaks down why owners always remember the first number you give them — and what happens when that number isn't backed by anything. Troy draws the parallel to technology sales: you're not presenting a conclusion, you're building a case. And if the owner can't walk out of the room and explain your number to someone else, you've already lost.

They also get into what it looks like in Ediphi — how tracking estimates across milestones, building cost per unit and cost per use group, and running variance reports between estimates gives pre-con teams the foundation to tell a cost story that holds up across the entire pre-con lifecycle.

If you've ever handed an owner a budget and watched them push back on a number you know is right — this one's for you.

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