Questions and Answers of Construction Cost Estimating

Other than rebar installation, what are some work packages a GC may typically self-perform but choose to hire a subcontractor for if their proposal is complete and more competitive?
What is the responsibility of the officer-in-charge?
Have you participated in bid day at your place of employment? What was your role? Was your firm successful? Would you like to one day be bid captain?
Name three positions that are required on the bid team.
What types of documents typically go into the bid package to be delivered to the owner?
List five documents that should be put into the bid room in preparation for bid day.
What does the function of the pre-bid day estimate on bid day?
What is a pre-bid day estimate, and how is it used?
When would an amount be entered for a subcontractor bond?
Prepare a wage check from the Vehicle project’s summary estimate. Is it within a reasonable range? What labor craft does it most closely match?
What is labor burden?
Which scope of work discussed in this chapter lends to it being performed by a design-build-operate subcontractor?
What are the major site utility systems that typically are required to support the construction of a new apartment building?
Why might a commercial GC decide to self-perform construction of concrete sidewalks instead of hiring a subcontractor for the work?
Why do civil GC estimators develop work packages for each bid item listed on the contract bid form?
What does the general conditions section of the estimate represent?
List three items included in home office overhead and three items included with jobsite general conditions.
Calculate the bond cost and percentage of contract for the following three projects utilizing the graduated bond schedule included in this chapter or another one you may have access
Who on the contractor’s estimate team typically makes the final decision on markups?
What are four factors to consider in determining the fee?
Determine what business taxes are required for a general contractor in your local area.
What are the components of the fee?
Where would an estimator choose to order the fee markup on the estimate summary form on an open book negotiated project proposal?
How would your answer change in Exercise 3, if:A. Market fees are at 7%.B. This was a negotiated project.C. The GC will perform $1.5 million in direct labor, and/or D. The GC has sufficient backlog
Develop an administrative estimate for a project involving two buildings with an estimated cost of $7 million each. Both buildings will be constructed at the same time but on opposite ends of a large
Where is the ‘line’ drawn in our ‘above-the-line’ and ‘below-the-line’ discussions?
What is the minimum fee, in both dollars and percentage of construction contract, a general contractor would need on an upcoming $10 million bid project? Assume the following parameters:• $100
What effect on the bottom line does reordering the liability insurance, fee, excise, and contingency markups have? Assume a $20 million construction cost and 1%, 5%, 1%, and 2% markups, respectively.
If a contractor suspects a project might be risky to pursue, they have several options available to them. What might some of those be?
What is the advantage of estimating general conditions on a detailed line-item basis versus plugging it in as a percentage markup?
Many reasons why a contractor might choose to increase its bid fee were discussed in this chapter. Why might a contractor choose to lower a lump sum bid fee or negotiated proposal fee?
Placing labor burden below the line on the estimate summary versus incorporating it above the line in loaded wages provides the contractor with what advantage?
Why might a negotiated project have a higher GCs percentage than a bid project?
What is the advantage of placing percentage add-ons such as permits, taxes, insurances, and bonds on the estimate summary sheet rather than in the general conditions estimate? There are a couple of
What is the basis of costing performance and payment bonds?
What is the basis of costing of the building permit?
How are taxes and insurance commonly estimated?
Compare the industrial project’s general conditions estimate with its site logistics plan and summary estimate, all located on the book’s eResource. Do the three documents match? What changes
Why should the general conditions be estimated in detail rather than using a percentage of the project costs?
What is an expected percentage range of GCs for a lump sum commercial project?
What is another name for the general conditions part of the estimate? There are multiple uses of the term.
City Construction Company prepared their general conditions estimate based on a 20-month preliminary schedule, from mobilization through receipt of a certificate of occupancy, which is a common
How does the general conditions section of the estimate relate to the general conditions of the specifications?
Obtain the building permit rates from your nearest major city and determine the permit cost for a building with an estimated construction contract amount of:(A). $3.3 million.(B). $10 million,
What are the titles of each of the four pages of the general conditions estimate?
Prepare an equipment estimate of an eight-story high-rise building over two stores of underground garage that uses a tower crane and personnel and material hoist. Assume the project will be completed
What are indirect work items?
The contractor installing the sewer pipe in Figures 16.3 and 16.4 chose a moveable trench shoring system over a 1:1 slope cut excavation.Figure 16.3Figure 16.4Calculate the contractor’s overall
How many TCY of earth were generated from the excavation described in Exercise 5?Data from Exercise 5The Figure 16.1 tower crane photograph was taken during the shoring stage of another project. The
The Figure 16.1 tower crane photograph was taken during the shoring stage of another project. The shoring was bidder-designed based upon soldier piles, wood lagging, tiebacks, and shotcrete. The site
How is a grid system used to estimate the volume of cut and fill when preparing an earthwork cost estimate?
Prepare a stand-alone site utility estimate for the vehicle maintenance facility based upon the drawings included on the book’s eResource. Assume you are a civil specialty contractor providing a
Why are shoring systems often needed when constructing deep excavations? How would you develop an OM estimate for soldier piles and timber lagging?
Prepare an argument why a GC estimator may choose to utilize the subcontractor site concrete plug estimates as developed in this chapter, or later bids received on bid day, compared to performing all
Why are unforeseen ground conditions an issue in preparing estimates for deep foundation excavation?
Prepare an alternate complete stand-alone direct work estimate, including equipment and labor burden, for the concrete pavement, sidewalks, and curb and gutter OM plugs presented in this chapter.
Why might a heavy civil GC estimator develop a detailed cost estimate for mass excavation, while a commercial GC estimator only prepares an OM estimate?
Which systems discussed in this chapter might be packaged by a GC all under one subcontractor?
Why would a commercial GC choose not to self-perform many of the scopes of work discussed in this chapter with their own craftsmen?
Price up the concrete substructure system(s) you quantified in Exercise 6.4. How does the total system $/CY compare with a comparable system from the Dunn commercial project? Why might they be
What is the most expensive item associated with constructing a(A). CIP wall.(B). CIP beam.(C). Elevated slab, and/or(D). Tilt-up wall?
Match the labor craft (laborer, concrete finisher, ironworker, carpenter) with the concrete activity:a. Hard trowel finish.b. Install rebar or welded wire mesh.c. Install embedded weld plates.d.
List at least three estimating activities a project superintendent can be involved with in development of a project estimate.
Which step in the estimate process (Figure 1.1) do you feel will take the longest?Figure 1.1 10. Final Bid 9. Subcontractor Quotations 8. Jobsite General Conditions 7. Summary Schedule 6.
Why not take every scope of work in a project down to the WBS task level?
Who should attend the site pre-bid meeting?
What is the difference between a WBS and a project item list?
What is the difference between a construction schedule and an estimate schedule?
We have portrayed the estimating process in a series of logical steps, 1 through 10. Why can’t the construction schedule be prepared at the beginning of the process? Why can’t subcontractor bids
Generally, which items included in either a WBS or a project item list will be in more detail?
Prepare a WBS for either of our other two case study projects. For the Lee Street Lofts project, expand the WBS to the second level for CSI division 06. For the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, expand
At which design level (SD, DD, or CD) would a door, frame, and hardware schedule be included?
List five items which may be considered part of an owner’s FF&E.
Match the three levels of design (SD, DD, and CD) with the three types of construction cost estimates (GMP, bid, and budget).
Why would inclusion of Q&A or ACE in a public bid be grounds for bid rejection?
Which type of estimate is associated with programming or conceptual design?
What does the development phrase ‘does the project pencil?’ mean, and at which design phase (program, SD, DD, or CD) is that question addressed?
Which of the schematic design budget estimates presented in this chapter would be considered the most accurate, and why that one?
What would it take for a design team to produce a set of 100% complete and accurate drawings and specifications, without error, and change order proof?
What is the difference between the traditional and the agency construction management delivery method?
Utilizing an outside case study project, draft one or two sentences each describing the project’s delivery, procurement, pricing, and construction organization.
What is the difference between the construction manager-at-risk and the design-build delivery method?
Who assumes risks associated with design errors, unforeseen site conditions, cost control, schedule control, quality, and safety with respect to (A) Traditional delivery method and (B) IPD
Why is it essential that an estimator fully understand the requirements and procedures specified in the contract documents?
Obtain a blank copyrighted contract format such as an AIA A101. Complete the contract for the book’s case study project or another outside project. Make whatever assumptions are necessary.
What five types of preconstructions ‘plans’ might a project manager or estimator or superintendent prepare during the preconstruction phase, especially as it relates to(A) Contract development
Research a material item or two, such as hollow metal door frames or carpeting or plumbing fixtures or storm system catch basins and look up the prior CSI specification division and section number
List three items/documents included in a project manual beyond the technical specifications.
If you were a GC PM and could assemble any combination of delivery, procurement, and pricing methods and contract format from this chapter, along with organization styles from upcoming Chapter 4,
What is the difference between ‘general’ and ‘special’ or ‘supplemental’ conditions?
Prepare a spreadsheet comparing types of estimates presented in the last chapter and the pricing methods discussed in this chapter. Which ones go with which, and what are the similarities and
Which design entities/firms prepare ‘plan’ views?
Add procurement methods and contract types to the spreadsheet prepared in Exercise 6. Which ones are the most common matches?Data from Exercise 6Prepare a spreadsheet comparing types of estimates
Which firm pays for post-bid document discrepancies in a design-build delivery method?
Who should sign a contract, and why them?
What is the procurement, pricing, and contracting methods chosen by the owner for the book’s case study project?
How do the responsibilities of the project manager differ from those of the project superintendent?
As a PM or PE or estimator, would you prefer to work on a projectbased or a home office staff organization, and why that choice? Assume for this exercise that even with a jobsite organization, the
List these positions in order of who reports to whom: General superintendent, apprentice, project superintendent, COO, general foreman/assistant superintendent, journeyman, and helper.
Draw an organization chart for an outside case study including all of the companies and team members discussed here and whatever/whomever else you feel would be necessary to adequately staff the job.

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