Pricing Concrete, Formwork and Reinforcing

Building a complex rate worksheet for tendering purposes takes not only technical understanding of that element and materials involved, but also requires historical productivity, output records of similar projects, finishes required, market conditions and years of estimating experience.

When we look at costruction in general, most projects require an engineer designed structural frame and foundations. The three major trades involved in constructing such a frame consist of Concrete, Formwork and Reinforcement. The combination of these three elements significantly impacts on the price of a project. Considering that most tenders define the wet works (structure) of the project in detail and the finishes are usually given as provisional sums or contingencies, stress the importance of getting this costing right.

Important factors to be considered in a rate build-up calculation are;

Quantity

The quantity of work to be done is fundamental in determining labour productivity. Smaller quantities of work dictate lower productivities as a rule, since there is no learning curve and increased efficiencies gained from repetition.

Finish

Smooth, rough, on grade, etc. finishes all have a significant impact on productivity and material to be used.

Access/location

The access constraints of a site will define what plant will be used, if concrete should be pumped or not and if a mobile crane will be required.

Climate

The local weather and seasons in certain parts of the world have a major effect on productivity, material handling and placing. For example if you work in very hot areas and you know the concrete will be cast in summer then ice should be priced in your concrete to cool it down.

Design

A repetitive design for example in a multi storey building will greatly improve productivity and cycle times due to the learning curve and repetition.

The best way to price these elements if you do not have a sophisticated estimating program is to use a template designed for this purpose. A template should allow for adjustment of resources, material and labour costs, outputs, material usages, hours of work, plant required, factor options, etc. to calculate an all inclusive rate for a particular BOQ item. By copying these sheets and creating separate calculations for each bill item, it will allow you to develop a very accurate record of rates that cab be used in your next tender. Once set-up you can simply adjust the rates by entering the new resource prices. All the rates are instantly updated and ready for your next tender. We offer such a template as part of the Tendering Package.