What is Project Estimating?

Project Estimating is an activity performed by General Contractors, Subcontractors, Cost Consultants, and Quantity Surveyors as part of the construction process. It involves counting the number of items associated with a particular construction project, determining the associated materials and labor costs, and formulating a bid (or estimate) as part of the bidding process. Project Estimating is also applied to the pricing process.

How quantity is taken off from IFC Model?

IFC enables the use of a neutral BIM (building information model) for cost estimation and calculation processes across the boundaries of proprietary software solutions. It should allow project teams to collaborate while using CAD and cost estimation/calculation software tools of their choice.

Cost estimations and calculations from BIM are expected to be faster, more precise, more relyable and better for optimization (recalculations of modifications and variations of the project).

The business process of cost estimation (early design phases) and cost calculation (late design and construction phases) has been analyzed and the following solutions are proposed:

	refinement of existing IFC specifications for building element specific quantities (definition of exact generation rules for e.g. GrossFootprintArea at IfcWall)
	potential additions to the quantity resource of the IFC model to exchange in addition to each quantity also:
	traceable quantity generations (where does the result come from)
	short and long text (specification of work items)
	a configuration language for the definition of quantity calculation formula, the constraints on when to apply those rules, the substitutes, etc. This configuration language is developed as an independent XSD (XML Schema) specification.

How Project Estimating capabilities are used in Civil 3D 2010?

Civil 3D 2010 included new Project Estimating capabilities. Project Estimating within Civil 3D allow the designer to easily create estimating takeoffs based on the design model. Design changes to the model are reflected when the Project Estimating report is run at any point in the design. This provides the capability of conducting accurate Project Estimating throughout the design. At this time Success Estimator does not provide the ability to import data from a text document or other electronic format. Success Estimator does provide the ability, through the API, to create custom applications. A custom application may be created to import data into Success Estimator contained in the Civil 3D Project Estimating report.

The Civil 3D Project Estimating capabilities make it possible to easily perform Project Estimating of the design without taking the design into another Project Estimating program. By performing Project Estimating on the model errors may be reduced. By creating a custom application within Success Estimator it is possible to import data from an external source. This ability could reduce errors caused by manual entry of information

EARTH™
For grading and excavation contractors who need cut and fill volume quantity information, Pizer’s EARTH™ is an earthwork program that provides a solution for traditional cross section project work. Unlike other more sophisticated earthwork programs, Pizer’s EARTH is easy to learn and simple to use – perfect for the construction professional wanting to spend more time in the field than behind a computer.

Input your cross-section data for both existing and proposed ground levels and EARTH calculates the volume of earth to be removed and added. EARTH plots cross-sections and profiles and calculates station and total quantities using either the Average End Area Method, or a modified Prismatic Method. EARTH is used to calculate cut and fill quantities for roadways, runways, borrow pits, trench excavations, parking lots, retaining walls, marinas, land developments, etc. EARTH is the most affordable excavation software for the construction industry.

WinQS
WinQS is an efficient cost effective software solution for Quantity Surveyors and Cost Engineers for the production of cost plans, Detailed estimates, multiple cost analyses, bills of quantities, monthly progress valuations, financial review/cost reports, Tender analysis, final account.

QE-PRO
QE-PRO is a highly interactive and sophisticated MS WINDOWS based software for cost Estimation of civil engineering structures, preparation of Tender documents and Bills .It is designed to adopt different District Schedule of Rates (DSR) published and provided by competent authorities for the execution and monitoring of Civil works. QE-PRO also offers a user-friendly interface to carry out detailed rate analysis of items of DSR. Different modules of QE-PRO are coupled together & work under integrated environment so that the user doesn't have to repeat the data input anywhere. Interface with MS Project® is provided to import or export QE-PRO data files for scheduling & monitoring.