The life of a project may be considered in the four stages of concept, design, construction and operation. Involvement of a specialist geotechnical engineer at the outset should lead to a proper understanding of the ground related hazards. The continued input during the design should result in a scheme which achieves the required function for the lowest cost and thereby enhances the overall value of the development. The specialist may not be introduced at the outset, this may cause problems to arise in the operation stage, the cost to make changes will be high. This paper gives examples where the geotechnical specialist was introduced to a project. It demonstrates that the later the point at which the first involvement occurred, the greater the potential monetary loss and therefore the lower the likely end value of the development.