Costs can be minimised by using appropriate expertise and drawing on previous experience for each stage of the project. Business arrangements that draw extensively on experienced operators and planners may minimise total project costs. For the landowner, while this may involve paying fees to third parties (or reduced net revenue from the sale of ACCUs), it may prove cheaper than using the landowner's own time and resources.

As in all aspects of the CFI, this depends on the methodology used and the opportunity cost (in the landowner's time and resources).