Estimating Cost Database - Work Items and Material Lists Overview

Work Items are tasks that can have a combination of pricing broken down by resource type: Material (M), Labor (L), Equipment (E), Sub (S), and Other (O). Work Items can also be Material Items that have no other pricing (ex. L/E/S/O Rates = 0).

Example Work Item

Resource (M/L/E/S/O) Conversion and Rate Fields

Conversion Factors and Unit of Measure:

Each resource has a conversion factor and unit of measure (ex. SF, FT, LF etc). The Resource and Work Item's unit of measure may or may not be the same. When it is the same which is often the case for M/S/O resources, the conversion factor is set to one (1). However, L/E resources will have units typically in hours, days or weeks that may be different from the Work Item's unit of measure. When this occurs, the Labor and Equipment Productivity Calculator can be used to calculate conversion factor and rates for both resources.

Resource Cost and Proposal Rates:

For M/S/O resources, there is only one cost rate. However, for L/E resources the cost rate is broken down into base and burden. Proposal rates are often equal to the cost rates. However, they can be higher using a markup that is based on a certain amount or percentage. The proposal rate should never be lower than the cost rate.

Calculating Total Cost and Proposal Rates per the Work Item's Unit of Measure

Total Cost Rate:

M Cost Rate Per WI Units = M Conv. Factor * (1 + M Waste %) * M Base Cost Rate
L Cost Rate Per WI Units = L Conv. Factor * (L Base Cost Rate + L Burden Cost Rate)
E Cost Rate Per WI Units = E Conv. Factor * (E Base Cost Rate + E Burden Cost Rate)
S Cost Rate Per WI Units = S Conv. Factor * S Base Cost Rate
O Cost Rate Per WI Units = O Conv. Factor * O Base Cost Rate

Total Proposal Rate:

M Sell Rate Per WI Units = M Conv. Factor * (1 + M Waste) * M Sell Rate
L Sell Rate Per WI Units = L Conv. Factor * L Sell Rate
E Sell Rate Per WI Units = E Conv. Factor * E Sell Rate
S Sell Rate Per WI Units = S Conv. Factor * S Sell Rate
O Sell Rate Per WI Units = O Conv. Factor * O Sell Rate

Calculating the Work Item Quantity

When a Work Item is added to an estimate, the quantity can either be entered manually or calculated using a Formula. To aid data entry, a default Formula can be specified in the Work Item form. This would eliminate the Formula selection step after the item has been added to the Estimate.

Important: The Formula's calculated unit of measure must match the Work Item's unit of measure.

Steps To Complete Before Entering Work Items

Optional: Classification Codes (eg. Cost Codes) can be used to group or filter Work Items.
Optional: Create Formulas to calculate the Work Item quantities. A default Formula can be specified in the Work Item's detail form.