You're working on a new civil engineering project. What's the best way to estimate its cost?

Identifing the project scope involves an in-depth examination and development of the construction process for the project. The incorporation of an experience factor is also essential. This factor takes into account the expertise and past experiences of the individuals involved in the project, influencing the accuracy and reliability of cost estimations. Understanding the intricacies of the construction process and the associated risks and factoring in relevant experience contributes to a more comprehensive and informed approach to cost estimation.

Para ter êxito na estimativa dos custos deve-se atentar para alguns pontos: 1 - Construir um escopo claro para saber o que deve ser entregue. 2 - Elaborar uma EAP (Estutura Analítica do Projeto), onde seja possível quantificar os custos para a realiza??o das tarefas. 3 - Definir o or?amento e o prazo do projeto 4 - Discutir com as principais partes interessadas as etapas anteriores. 5. Revisar e ajustar tanto o or?amento quanto o prazo de conclus?o caso seja necessário. Para a realiza??o dos passos anteriores vale ressaltar que uma boa comunica??o com a equipe e um monitoramento do projeto é fundamental. Etapas simples, mas que geram inúmeros documentos e requerem um conhecimento técnico para gerarem o valor esperado.

A civil engineering project cost estimating involves a systematic approach that considers various factors, including project scope, materials, labour, equipment, overheads, and contingencies. 1. Define the Project Scope 2. Breakdown WBS 3. Gather Project Data 4. Quantity Takeoff 5. Unit Cost Estimation 6. Labor and Resource Rates 7. Overheads and Contingencies 8. Cost Estimation Software and Tools 9. Benchmarking and Peer Review 10. Document Assumptions and Methodology 11. Review and Finalize Estimate By following a structured approach and leveraging relevant data, tools, and expertise, civil engineers can develop accurate and reliable cost estimates that support effective project planning, decision-making, and budget management

One of the most important factors for evaluating a project is the selection of an experienced and highly competent team to properly evaluate the project and not cause significant losses even if the site team eliminates what it has.

Choosing a suitable method varies from project to project. An apt method will help working on estimation in a deeper way. My suggestion is doing a work down break structure will help in the accuracy of the estimation.

Methods can range from historical data analysis and parametric modeling to detailed bottom-up approaches. In a recent highway infrastructure project, we opted for a parametric method based on cost per mile, considering factors like terrain and road complexity. This allowed for a quick but reasonably accurate estimation in the early project stages

1) Drawings- Accurate cost can be calculated based on GFC drawings and contour plan. 2)Similar cost- Cost per sqft of similar type of projects remains almost same, having cost details of any previous project helps in forecasting upcoming project. 3) Phase estimation- Breaking the project in phases and Estimation phase wise cost and tracking updating same.

The chosen method plays a pivotal role in determining the accuracy and efficiency of the cost estimation. Each method has its advantages and is suited to specific project characteristics. Bottom-up estimating involves detailed breakdowns for accurate estimations, top-down estimating provides a quick overview but with potential lower accuracy, parametric estimating relies on statistical relationships, and analogous estimating draws from similarities with past projects. The selection of the most fitting method depends on factors such as project complexity and the availability of data, ultimately contributing to a robust and tailored cost estimation process for civil engineering projects.

Benchmarking: Compare your cost estimates with industry benchmarks and similar projects. This can help validate your estimates and identify any areas where costs may be higher or lower than expected. While taking into account also the overhead and contingency.

Using a reliable tool or software can significantly streamline the cost estimation process. In a high-rise building construction project, leveraging Building Information Modeling (BIM) software helped in creating a detailed 3D model. The software not only facilitated accurate quantity take-offs but also enabled cost estimation based on real-time updates, enhancing precision and efficiency

As example with growth of AI and ML and software like BIM and Costx and Excel as a tool works well connecting all measurements and quantity and rates with basic rates, any change in basic rate automatically updates estimates.

This is were I think A.I. and parametric modelling application can be helpful. Some researchers have utilize Artificial intelligence for development cost estimating tools for complex projects like cement plant and an early stage.

En tercer lugar que herramienta usaremos para calcular el costo, dependiendo de nuestras necesidades, preferencias, cuál dominamos más, costo, la precisión, facilidad de uso.

Según mi experiencia, empezar por los ejercicios tradicionales (hoja de cálculo simple), da un aproximado muy interesante de los costos. Herramientas de software ayudan a detallar y hay que tener en cuenta que se necesita conocer los detalles del prouyecto, para detallar en la evaluación de costos. Entonces, como podriamos decir popularmente en mi entorno, una cuenta de panadero da un aproximado bastante real, si se tiene experiencia. Ya los detalles específicos, dependerán de la familiaridad con las herramientas o software utilizados y la envergadura del proyecto.

Só devemos tomar cuidado com esse "revisar e revisar" para n?o perder o controle e o foco do projeto inicial. Entendo que muitas vezes uma altera??o/ajuste possa ser significativo e muitas vezes até necessário, mas n?o devemos ter isso como regra. Em linhas gerais, uma boa avalia??o do escopo (de fato a primeira etapa), já dará condi??es para um bom entendimento de cada projeto.

As project progresses and As per client demand and site situation there are changes in design and sizes of structure changes as per loads changes, altering project cost. All reason of Cost variance needs to be documented and brought to notice of stakeholders immediately.

En cuarto lugar el control, revisar una y otra vez, ajustar, actualizar, e informar, este proceso se repite y se repite hasta el término del proyecto.

After detailed Estimate We go through the WBS to check that all the activities are covered or not in the BOQ, After review we will check and if any revision required for BOQ, We will update and finalize the BOQ

1.Through the use the historical data of similar kinds of projects. 2.Use the enterprise projects information from primavera P6 to get the kind of resources, activities, cost / resource code information that can be transferable from parent project to child project. 3.Connecting with Subject Matter Experts. 4. Use of predictive models from a large corpus of project data (machine learning models) for estimation. 5. Use of probabilistic approaches instead of deterministic approaches. 6. Taking the agile route by noting down the assumptions or risks that is considered and working iteratively and incrementally to get enhanced clarity of the project scope for estimation purposes.

Unforeseen circumstances, such as weather delays or unexpected site conditions, can impact costs. Drawing from my experience in a coastal infrastructure project, where weather-related setbacks were common, having a contingency fund proved invaluable in handling unforeseen expenses without compromising project timelines

Considering Local festival- Generally In India all roads are closed in most cities due to festival celebration local/national. Weather-Having contingency plan ready for rain i.e it's not possible to work in black soil during rain. Pollution-1 Month Ban in Delhi NCR Floods in coastal and areas with river tributaries. Goverment policy- Change in policy changes basic rates in range of 10-15% and in mega project of +1K crore becomes huge amount

Como responsável de forma pessoal por um projeto de engenharia civil, é crucial realizar uma análise detalhada de todos os aspectos do projeto. Isso inclui a avalia??o cuidadosa dos custos de m?o de obra, materiais, equipamentos, além de considerar possíveis imprevistos. Manter comunica??o aberta com a equipe, estar atualizado sobre os pre?os de mercado e buscar otimiza??es s?o práticas importantes para garantir uma estimativa precisa e eficiente.

Uma das considera??es que n?o devem ser esquecidas s?o os acréscimos financeiros com o passar do tempo, como por exemplo a infla??o, a desvaloriza??o da moeda, o contingenciamento do Estado, a varia??o cambial, e principalmente, a taxa interna de retorno do valor a ser aplicado no projeto, que pode torna-lo viável ou inviável economicamente.