How Much Does a Lift Plan Cost? UK Prices 2026

A professional lift plan in the UK typically costs £200 to £500. Simple excavator and telehandler lift plans start from £200, mobile crane and lorry loader plans usually fall between £250 and £500, and complex operations — tandem lifts, contract lifts, or plans needing a site visit — run from £500 to £1,500. This guide breaks down exactly what you pay, what drives the price, and how to avoid paying twice for a plan that gets rejected.

Very few providers publish lift plan prices, which makes budgeting harder than it should be. We publish ours. The figures below are the fixed prices we quote at RMT Solutions, and they are representative of what a competent, independent CPCS A61 Appointed Person charges in the UK market in 2026.

Lift Plan Costs by Equipment Type

Lift plan type	Typical UK cost	Turnaround
Excavator lift plan	£200 – £300	24–48 hours
Telehandler lift plan	£200 – £300	24–48 hours
Lorry loader (HIAB) lift plan	£250 – £500	2–5 working days
Mobile crane lift plan	£250 – £500 (site visit included)	3–5 working days
Complex / tandem / multi-pick operations	£500 – £1,500	Agreed per project
Tower crane Appointed Person contract	Priced per project	Ongoing

All figures are fixed fees, not hourly rates. A fixed price matters more than it sounds: lift planning has a habit of growing extra correspondence — principal contractor comments, revised loads, a different machine turning up — and an hourly arrangement quietly turns each of those into billable time.

What Actually Drives the Price

1. Complexity of the operation

The single biggest factor. A routine excavator pick with good ground and clear access is quick to verify. A near-capacity lift over a live carriageway with restricted slew needs significantly more calculation, drawing work, and hazard control — and the price reflects the planning hours and the responsibility being taken on.

2. Whether a site visit is needed

For straightforward lifts with good photographs, drawings and load information, a competent planner can work remotely — that keeps you at the bottom of the price range. Mobile crane work usually justifies a visit to assess ground conditions and access; where we quote one, it is included in the fixed price rather than billed on top.

3. The quality of your information

The fastest way to keep your cost down is to send complete information first time: load weight and dimensions, the machine make, model and configuration, site address and access details, and the principal contractor's requirements. Chasing missing load data is the most common cause of delay — and on hourly arrangements, of cost creep.

4. Urgency

Same-day and next-day plans are routinely achievable for standard equipment where the information is ready. Expect a premium for genuine emergencies, though at RMT we treat 24–48 hours as standard rather than a rush service.

The Three Ways to Get a Lift Plan — Costs Compared

Independent lift planning consultancy — from £200 fixed

You deal directly with the Appointed Person who writes the plan, the fee is fixed, and the plan is independent of any equipment supplier. This is usually the most economical route when you already have your machine and operator arranged and need the planning competence LOLER requires.

Crane hire company Appointed Person — typically bundled into a contract lift

If you are buying a contract lift (CPA terms), the crane company supplies the crane, operator and Appointed Person as a package, and the planning cost is wrapped into the overall contract price rather than itemised. A contract lift is the right answer when you want the crane company to carry the lifting risk — but if you already have the plant, paying for a bundled AP you did not need is an expensive way to get a document.

Do it yourself with a template — free, with a serious caveat

For routine, low-risk lifts, a competent person on your own team can complete a free lift plan template at no cost. The caveat is the word competent: under LOLER 1998 Regulation 8 the plan must be prepared by someone with adequate training, knowledge and experience — a blank form filled in by someone unqualified is not a lift plan, and principal contractors reject them daily. Our guide to when you need a lift plan explains where the DIY route is legitimate and where it is not.

The Hidden Cost Nobody Budgets For: Rejection

On major projects, every subcontractor lift plan is checked by the principal contractor's Appointed Person before lifting is approved. A cheap or templated plan that fails that check costs far more than the saving: resubmission delays, standing time for the machine and gang you booked, and a dent in your standing with the PC. Having reviewed hundreds of submissions, the most common rejection causes are wrong load charts, missing thorough-examination certificates, and capacity calculations that ignore accessory weight — all avoidable with competent planning the first time.

How to Get an Exact Price

Send the load details (weight, dimensions, lift points), the equipment (make, model, configuration), the site (address, access, ground), and the dates. Any competent provider should turn that into a fixed written quote within 24 hours — we do, with the plan itself typically delivered 24–48 hours after you confirm. You will find our full service details on the lift plan writing service page.

How RMT Solutions Prices Lift Plans