Every contractor has seen it happen: a project design that, for whatever reason, exceeds the owner's budget. If there's no leeway to spend more—and these days, there usually isn't—the contractor has little choice but to value engineer the design down to size.
Some value engineering decisions are relatively easy, others aren't. Although the result may satisfy the owner's pocketbook, not everyone perceives value engineering the same way. Rationalizing a successful project outcome that pleases few people doesn't seem entirely acceptable either.