Four integrated service pillars, delivered by a leadership team with over 80 years of combined experience in construction, design and technical management.
RIBA Stages 1–6
Typical clients: Registered Providers, Local Authorities, Housing Developers
Our residential design capability is built on an extensive and sustained track record of designing and delivering affordable housing, extra care and supported living schemes across Yorkshire and beyond.
We work from the earliest stages of a project — establishing the brief, appraising the site and developing concept design options — through to the production of fully coordinated technical packages, detailed specification and on-site design management during construction.
Our particular strength lies in understanding the specific requirements of affordable housing procurement: the constraints of grant funding, registered provider standards, planning policy expectations and the technical complexity of care and supported living environments. This translates into design output that is not only well-considered but genuinely deliverable within programme and budget.
Site appraisals, concept design development, planning application preparation and negotiation through to consent.
Detailed design, specification, coordinated technical drawings and employer's requirements documentation.
Affordable housing, social housing, extra care, supported living and mixed-tenure residential development.
Design management and technical query resolution during the construction phase through to practical completion.
From land appraisal to site start
Typical clients: Tier 1 Contractors, SME Contractors, Registered Providers, Local Authorities
The pre-construction phase carries the greatest proportion of project risk. Decisions taken — or deferred — before a spade breaks ground shape programme, cost and buildability for everything that follows. We exist to manage that phase with rigour.
We act as the central hub for the pre-construction process — commissioning and coordinating the technical consultant team, managing design information flows, driving the programme and ensuring that the full technical package is complete, coordinated and commercially sound before the project proceeds to site.
Our approach begins at the earliest point. Where clients are appraising potential land acquisitions, we provide technical feasibility assessments and indicative scheme assessments to support investment decisions. As projects progress, we manage the design development process through planning, technical design and pre-construction, providing clients with a single, authoritative point of technical accountability throughout.
Land appraisals, technical due diligence, indicative scheme assessments and development viability input.
Pre-construction programme ownership, risk register management, value engineering and commercial review.
Consultant appointment, information schedule management, coordination and design team meeting facilitation.
Planning submission management, condition discharge coordination and pre-commencement compliance.
Lower-risk construction
Typical clients: Contractors, Registered Providers, Local Authorities
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced new and significant duties for those involved in the design of buildings. DevCom provides a competent, experienced Principal Designer service for lower-risk construction projects, ensuring that duty-holder obligations are properly understood, documented and discharged throughout the design phase.
Our Principal Designer service is led by an experienced practitioner with direct knowledge of the BSA framework and its practical application within residential development. We work alongside design teams and Principal Contractors to ensure that design risks are systematically identified, managed and recorded — and that the pre-construction health and safety file is properly maintained and handed over at the point of construction commencement.
We support clients in understanding what the Act requires of them at each stage, providing clear and practical guidance that cuts through the complexity of the legislative framework without generating unnecessary process overhead.
BSA 2022 compliance coordination, duty-holder obligations management and statutory documentation.
Systematic identification and management of design risks, hazard log maintenance and design team briefings.
Liaison with Principal Contractor to ensure design information is complete and safe for construction.
Pre-construction Health & Safety file preparation, maintenance and handover at construction commencement.
Technical leadership on site
Typical clients: Registered Providers, Local Authorities, Tier 1 & SME Contractors
The construction phase has become an increasingly complex and technically demanding period for clients and contractors alike. Regulatory changes, information management obligations and the heightened expectations of the Building Safety Act have created a genuine need for experienced, authoritative technical leadership on site.
We provide clients with a senior technical representative who can manage the design interface during construction — responding to contractor queries, managing RFIs, reviewing and approving technical submissions and ensuring that design intent is maintained as the project is built out. Where design decisions are required on site, we provide timely, considered responses that protect both programme and quality.
For clients who have commissioned their own development — whether a registered provider, local authority or private developer — we act as their technical eyes and ears throughout the construction period, ensuring they have independent, expert oversight of the design and technical delivery of their scheme.
On-site design management, contractor design information review and design team coordination during construction.
Systematic management of technical queries, RFIs and contractor submissions to maintain programme flow.
Independent technical representation for developers and registered providers throughout the construction period.
Technical quality oversight, specification compliance monitoring and construction stage sign-off support.
We provide a reactive and fluid service, structured around the specific demands of your project and organisation. Whether you need targeted input on a single scheme or ongoing strategic support, we can calibrate our involvement accordingly.
Discrete instructions for individual schemes — ideal for one-off projects, bid support or specific planning and design commissions.
Ongoing technical partnership providing consistent pre-construction capability across a rolling programme of development activity.
Director or senior-level resource integrated within a client or contractor team — supporting procurement, bid and delivery phases.
Targeted advice on specific technical matters — BSA compliance, Principal Designer appointments, or technical review and QA.
Every client engagement is led by one of our directors. With a combined 80+ years of industry experience, the DevCom team brings depth, breadth and genuine authority to every instruction.
Kevin has led DevCom Ltd since its founding in 2016, bringing three decades of experience working within construction and pre-construction across the residential, affordable housing and commercial sectors. His career spans Tier 1 contracting, client-side development management and independent consultancy, providing him with a uniquely rounded perspective on the challenges faced at every stage of the development process.
Kevin leads on client relationships, business strategy and complex pre-construction programmes — and remains hands-on across all major instructions. His network and industry standing underpin DevCom's reputation as a credible, experienced partner for contractors and registered providers alike.
Lauren brings over 18 years of specialist experience in technical coordination, design management and pre-construction delivery for affordable and social housing schemes — including an extensive portfolio of extra care and supported living projects.
She is responsible for overseeing the technical quality of DevCom's output, managing multi-disciplinary design teams and ensuring that schemes are coordinated, compliant and buildable before they proceed to site. Lauren's expertise in the affordable housing sector makes her an invaluable partner for registered providers and housing associations.
Nick is an experienced designer and compliance specialist with over 30 years of practice across residential, housing and mixed-use development. His deep knowledge of Building Regulations, planning requirements and technical detailing ensures that DevCom's design output is not only well-considered but rigorously compliant.
Nick leads on design quality, building regulation strategy and technical package delivery. His hands-on involvement in scheme design from RIBA Stage 1 through to Stage 6 ensures continuity and accountability throughout the design process.
Darby supports the technical delivery of DevCom's design commissions as Assistant Design Manager, working closely with the director team to coordinate design information, manage consultant team outputs and ensure technical packages progress to programme and quality standard.
In addition to her design management role, Darby holds the Principal Designer function under the Building Safety Act 2022 for lower-risk construction projects — providing structured, competent oversight of the design phase, maintaining the design risk register and ensuring duty-holder obligations are properly discharged through to construction commencement.
Get in touch to discuss your project and how DevCom can support your pre-construction programme.