CHAPTER 25 Computer Estimating
CHAPTER 25 Computer Estimating
CHAPTER 25 Computer Estimating
Computer Estimating
Chapter 25
Introduction
To assemble complete estimate, the estimator must
combine knowledge of construction methods & cost
calculations.
This takes too much time, information, & numerous
calculations, so, it is an ideal task for the computer to
prepare a detailed estimate.
The estimator should NEVER accept everything that
comes out of the computer as being totally correct.
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Electronic Media
It is the use of the internet & other electronic
media (CAD & word processing software) to
operate drawings & specifications.
Intranet is an internet site set up for private use
of company & controls access of information.
Extranet is an internet set up by a company for
shared use with others.
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Fundamentals of Spreadsheets
A spreadsheet is an electronic file consisting
of hundreds of columns & rows. The
intersection of a column & a row is called a
cell.
Numerical data, formulas, & calculations can
be entered into cells.
Advantages of Spreadsheets
1. Practically effective in reducing repetitious arithmetic.
2. They are a duplicator for paper & calculator.
3. They enable the estimator to precisely duplicate the
format & appearance of manual reports that were
used before the computers, since managers are more
comfortable with printouts that look exactly like
handwritten reports they’ve used for many years.
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Disadvantages of Spreadsheets
1. Only the developer of the spreadsheet knows all the
features that are in the spreadsheet.
2. They may have errors in the logic that no one discovers.
3. Only the developer of a complex sheet can use it.
4. One estimator can make changes to the spreadsheet
without the knowledge of other estimators.
5. Cost items missing in a bid because of the addition of a
line & forgetting to adjust the sum formula to include the
line.
Management of Data
Most data is stored on hard disks since vast
amounts of data may be used in computer
estimating, and data must be created, stored,
retrieved, & continually updated.
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Labor Resources
It is estimated by craft rather than by individual people.
In computer estimating, they are selected from
selection lists.
There are three methods for costing labor resources:
1. All labor factors.
2. Prepare all combinations
3. Simple historical rate.
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Equipment Resources
The equipment rates can be broken down into
two components:
1. Ownership costs.
2. Operating expenses.
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CREWS
Most systems use the concept of crew to link together labor, equipment, and optionally
material . Using crews is a very fast way to enter labor and equipment into an estimate. When
the estimator selects one of these crews and enters a production rate, the computer can pull in
many laborers and pieces of equipment and compute their hours and total costs. The estimator
can do in 5 sec what takes 2 or 3 min on hand written estimates, and there are no arithmetic
errors. Most companies should set up any where from a few to 20 or 30 standard crews that
can then be used over and over in future estimates.
However, some software does not allow modification of a crew, which might require the
estimator to have hundreds of crews to account for every possible variation in the crew. Heavy
Bid/Express allows the estimator to modify the crew where it is used in the estimate; therefore,
the same crew can be used in many places with minor variations. The “pieces” field simply tells
how many members are in the crew and thus the number of hours per crew-hour
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