Feasibility study
Early-stage assessment of whether a fibre or EV project can be built — and what it'll take in cost, timeline, and risk.
A feasibility study is the first step on any infrastructure project — the work that decides whether to proceed and at what scale. We deliver feasibility assessments for fibre rollouts, EV charging deployments, and broader utility projects, working from desktop data, satellite imagery, GIS sources, and any existing asset records the client can share.
The output is a decision-ready report: what’s there, what can be built, what it’ll cost in broad strokes, and where the risks sit.
When a feasibility study is the right step
Feasibility comes before design. It answers questions a detailed design assumes are already decided:
- Is the coverage area or site even buildable to a useful spec?
- Are existing assets (poles, ducts, substations) usable, or does the project need new infrastructure end-to-end?
- What permits will the project need, and from which authorities?
- What’s the cost order-of-magnitude — does this project make commercial sense?
- Where are the risks — third-party access, environmental constraints, planning?
Where the answer to those is already known with confidence, skip feasibility and go to HLD or site design. Where it isn’t, feasibility saves the cost of detailed design that gets shelved.
What a fibre feasibility study covers
For a fibre rollout, the study covers:
- Coverage area definition — premise counts, density, premise mix (residential, MDU, commercial)
- Existing infrastructure assessment — Openreach PIA inventory (UK), pole and duct availability (US), existing fibre routes
- Network topology options — point-to-point vs PON, GPON vs XGS-PON, splitter ratio range, hub locations
- Routes and access — likely backbone and distribution paths, easement and ROW constraints
- Indicative cost model — capex per premise across topology options
- Permitting landscape — which authorities will need approvals, expected timelines
For US rural projects, output is structured to feed RUS or BEAD funding applications without rework — coverage data, cost models, and serviceable location data in the formats those funders expect.
What an EV feasibility study covers
For EV charging, the study covers:
- Site assessment — power capacity, distance to grid connection options, site geometry, traffic patterns
- Charger configuration — types and counts that fit the site and the use case (forecourt, depot, motorway services)
- Grid connection feasibility — DNO / IDNO options (UK), utility interconnection options (US), cost and timeline ranges
- Planning constraints — local plan compatibility, conservation overlays, accessibility requirements
- Cost order-of-magnitude — capex split across charger hardware, civils, electrical, grid connection
Inputs we typically need
The study runs on whatever data is available:
- Coverage geography for fibre, or site address and proposed use for EV
- Any existing GIS data the client has (asset records, premise data, network of record)
- Commercial parameters — target take-rate or utilisation, target cost per premise or per charger
- Constraints — must-include sites, must-exclude areas, timing windows, regulatory drivers
Where data is sparse, we work from public sources — Openreach DPA data, Ofcom maps, FCC broadband data, OS or USGS terrain. The study output flags assumptions clearly so subsequent design phases know which inputs need confirming.
What the deliverable looks like
A typical feasibility study deliverable is:
- Executive summary (2-3 pages) — recommendation, headline cost, key risks
- Coverage / site definition with maps
- Topology or configuration options with comparison
- Cost model with breakdown and sensitivity analysis
- Risk register with mitigation paths
- Next-step recommendation — proceed to detailed design, re-scope, or pause
For US-funded projects, the deliverable also includes the funder-required artifacts (BEAD serviceable location data, RUS area coverage report).
Common pitfalls in outsourced feasibility work
Optimism bias on existing infrastructure. A poor feasibility study assumes existing poles or ducts are usable when they’re not. We assess condition realistically — if pole loading work is likely to fail on a meaningful proportion of poles, that goes in the cost model and risk register, not buried as “to be confirmed.”
Generic cost models. Cost models that don’t adjust for terrain, premise mix, or local labour rates produce numbers the client can’t use. We build cost ranges based on comparable projects we’ve seen, with explicit assumptions stated.
Skipping the permitting reality. Authorities and timelines vary widely. A feasibility study that skips the permitting picture leaves the project open to nasty surprises during detailed design. We name the authorities, flag the high-risk approvals, and note expected timelines.
Typical timelines
- Single site or small coverage area (under ~1,000 premises / single EV site) — 2-3 weeks
- Mid-sized programme (1,000-10,000 premises / multi-site EV programme) — 4-6 weeks
- Large programme or county-scale fibre — 6-12 weeks, often phased across sub-areas
How we deliver
Feasibility work runs onshore in the UK with offshore production support for data-heavy tasks (premise counting, route option mapping, cost model build-out). The judgement layer — buildability, risk assessment, recommendation — sits with senior engineers who’ve delivered the actual underlying projects.
Talk to us about a feasibility study
Tell us what’s being built, where, and what decision the study needs to support. We’ll come back with scope, price range, and timeline. Most studies under 5,000 premises or single EV sites scope within two business days.
Typical deliverables
- Coverage area or site definition with premise / charger counts
- Buildability assessment (terrain, easements, existing infrastructure)
- Network topology options (PON / active / hybrid for fibre)
- Indicative cost model with sensitivity analysis
- Risk register covering permits, ROW, third-party access
- Decision-ready report supporting go / no-go / re-scope
Who buys this
Project sponsors, ISPs, altnets, EV operators, utilities, and municipalities scoping a project before committing capital to detailed design or construction.
Talk to us about delivery options
Tell us what you need delivered, what your timeline is, and what format the downstream team needs the output in. We'll come back with scope, price range, and proposed approach.