The construction of a development begins well before the first brick on the construction site. Before execution, there is the planning stage, which includes the processes of mapping for obtaining permits and licenses, which need to be well managed to avoid fines, delays, and interruptions in the project.

Among them is the Technical and Legal Feasibility Study - or EVTL - crucial for minimizing risks during the project.

In this article, you will see the importance of strategic management of permits and the impacts that the EVTL has within the process of constructing retail stores and expansion.

What is the EVTL

Theme of the 13th edition of Retail Expansion by Construct IN, the panel on Strategic Management of Permits brought deserved focus to the EVTL, a document aimed at ensuring the technical, economic, and financial viability of a construction project. In the analysis, aspects such as location, land characteristics, infrastructure, legal requirements, among other attributes that determine the success of execution are considered.

The study ensures that the project complies with zoning rules and regulations before taking action to actually begin construction, anticipating possible problems and avoiding risks of embargoes, delays, interruptions, and exorbitant fines.

According to Leticia Lopes, Legalization Manager at Grupo Pão de Açúcar, the document is the "heart" of any expanding company: "You can't close a deal if I don't have clarity about what is in that property, about what I can do there."

Cost vs. Benefit

Other areas involved in the project may not view the preparation of an extensive and complex document favorably, mainly due to the preparation time and the high cost of maintaining someone responsible for managing this documentation. However, the long-term savings are much greater, which is why Letícia Lopes discusses with Anelise Campoi, a Permits Specialist and Director of Acampoi Architecture and Consulting, how to raise awareness in other areas of the company about the importance of implementing the EVTL.

A great ally in gaining credibility with other areas is to collect, analyze, and display data that reflects the importance of implementing the EVTL in your expansion project. "When we raised the situations of the stores in GPA and analyzed the licenses that were not mapped, we found that 54% of the stores were at risk of embargo due to not having regularized permits. In 2024, we managed to reduce this to 0.9%, showing the savings through the data," says Letícia. 

What if the EVTL is not implemented? Understand what can happen

The EVTL helps to clarify for the company's areas, but also for strategic partners. If you need the service of a construction company to execute the work, this study is also very important. Eduardo Aguiar, director of Fast Construtora, mentions that the lack of EVTL leads to rework and delays in the delivery of the works.

"This generates widespread wear, lost time, and high costs that could be avoided with the acquisition of the EVTL," analyzes Eduardo. 

If the works begin before obtaining the permit,  it may result in fines, delays due to uncharted changes, and embargoes of the projects, delaying the entire planning of the store's inauguration and also the network's overall expansion project.

How to start a strategic management of permits

Conducting strategic management of permits in retail involves planning permits and licenses, optimizing processes, and mapping risks, becoming essential for the expansion project to function within legal frameworks. 

The Legalization Manager at GPA emphasizes that the most important thing is to start as soon as possible to map processes and initiate strategic management of permits. Watch the video about which software can be used to manage the entire process.

In the end, Anelise Campoi reinforces: "When I entered the permit area, I saw a lot of Excel, but it is good today to have the support of software for automation, since in this permits area, accessibility fines and operational fees are high, in addition to the risk of closing your establishment. Having the support of tools saves millions in fines in the long run."

The Retail Expansion

The Retail Expansion is not just an event but a community aimed at collaborating to improve efficiency and bring innovation and excellence in the fields of engineering, maintenance, and expansion of retail and service companies. 

By gathering executives from the industry at events, we create an environment for sharing experiences, success stories, and a networking opportunity for participants.

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