This work provides principles & techniques for the evaluation of construction design, emphasizing the importance of strong analysis skills & exploring estimation. It aims to provide readers with a balanced & cohesive overview of these two areas.
Changes in production processes reflect the technological advances permeat ing our products and services. U. S. industry is modernizing and automating. In parallel, direct labor is fading as the primary cost driver while engineering and technology related cost elements loom ever larger. Traditional, labor-based ap proaches to estimating costs are losing their relevance. Old methods require aug mentation with new estimating tools and techniques that capture the emerging environment. This volume represents one of many responses to this challenge by the cost analysis profession. The Institute of Cost Analysis (lCA) is dedicated to improving the effective ness of cost and price analysis and enhancing the professional competence of its members. We encourage and promote exchange of research findings and appli cations between the academic community and cost professionals in industry and government. The 1990 National Meeting in Los Angeles, jointly spo~sored by ICA and the National Estimating Society (NES), provides such a forum. Presen tations will focus on new and improved tools and techniques of cost analysis. This volume is the second in a series. The first was produced in conjunction with the 1989 National Meeting of ICA/NES in Washington, D.C. The articles in this volume, all refereed, were selected from about 100 submitted for presen tation at the Los Angeles meeting.
Presents an accessible approach to the cost estimation tools, concepts, and techniques needed to support analytical and cost decisions Written with an easy-to-understand approach, Cost Estimation: Methods and Tools provides comprehensive coverage of the quantitative techniques needed by professional cost estimators and for those wanting to learn about this vibrant career field. Featuring the underlying mathematical and analytical principles of cost estimation, the book focuses on the tools and methods used to predict the research and development, production, and operating and support costs for successful cost estimation in industrial, business, and manufacturing processes. The book begins with a detailed historical perspective and key terms of the cost estimating field in order to develop the necessary background prior to implementing the presented quantitative methods. The book proceeds to fundamental cost estimation methods utilized in the field of cost estimation, including working with inflation indices, regression analysis, learning curves, analogies, cost factors, and wrap rates. With a step-by-step introduction to the practicality of cost estimation and the available resources for obtaining relevant data, Cost Estimation: Methods and Tools also features: Various cost estimating tools, concepts, and techniques needed to support business decisions Multiple questions at the end of each chapter to help readers obtain a deeper understanding of the discussed methods and techniques An overview of the software used in cost estimation, as well as an introduction to the application of risk and uncertainty analysis A Foreword from Dr. Douglas A. Brook, a professor in the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School, who spent many years working in the Department of Defense acquisition environment Cost Estimation: Methods and Tools is an excellent reference for academics and practitioners in decision science, operations research, operations management, business, and systems and industrial engineering, as well as a useful guide in support of professional cost estimation training and certification courses for practitioners. The book is also appropriate for graduate-level courses in operations research, operations management, engineering economics, and manufacturing and/or production processes.
The most effective way to generate an estimate of a new product’s cost engineering change cost, or innovation cost is through a detailed cost investigation. Analysis of the available materials and processes leads to the most economical and financial decisions. Now in its third edition, Realistic Cost Estimating for Manufacturing has been used by students and practitioners since 1968 in this endeavor. Revised and expanded, the book recognizes the extremely important role estimating is playing in today’s highly competitive global economy. Realistic Cost Estimating for Manufacturing provides a survey of the myriad manufacturing processes and practices and combines this with in-depth explanations and examples of costing methods and tools. A comprehensive, standardized approach to their application is given. Among the manufacturing processes surveyed are: machining, casting, stamping, forging, welding, plastics technology, finishing, and rapid prototyping. To develop realistic baseline estimates, an engineering or costing professional must have an in-depth understanding of costing methods and techniques. As a fundamental reference, the book provides insight into the art, science, and functions of cost estimation in a wide range of activities: product design and manufacturing, engineering change control, proposal development, make or buy studies, identifying cost reduction opportunities, component costing, reverse engineering, benchmarking, and examining alternative processes, materials, machines, and tooling. As examples, it will aid the practitioner in efforts to justify the replacement or improvement of existing technology with new creative solutions; perform a feasibility study; develop a basis for cost-oriented decision support; improve supply chain evaluation and sourcing analysis; and minimize costs. The third edition has been greatly enhanced with new chapters and material dedicated to the roles of economics and finance, cost reduction, continuous improvement, plastic parts, electronics cost estimating, costing studies, advanced manufacturing processes, and quality costs. Further, the existing chapters have been significantly expanded to include new processes and operations and examples to enhance learning. Since nontraditional technology is widely applied in manufacturing, its costing aspects are also explored. Five Appendices provide additional information on productivity based on efficiency, cost reduction, matching part features to manufacturing processes, packaging cost, and inspection and measurement costs. As with its previous editions, instructors of cost estimating courses can rely on the book to provide a solid foundation for manufacturing engineering courses and programs of study. The book is also useful for on-the-job training courses for engineers, managers, estimators, designers, and practitioners. It can be applied in seminars and workshops specifically dedicated to product or component cost reduction, alternative cost analysis, engineering change cost control, or proposal development. As in the previous editions, there are multiple equations and calculation examples, as well as end-of-chapter questions to test student’s knowledge. An instructor’s guide is also available.
Improve the accuracy of project estimates and make better in-progress modifications by following the discipline-independent approach mapped out in this book. Learn the best ways to apply new tools, including a breakdown structure for both work and resources and proven estimating models. In addition, you'll gain insights into best practices for progress monitoring and cost management, as well as for dealing effectively with external projects.
The process of estimating the cost for the development and delivery of a product, service, or solution can range from simple to highly complex based upon multiple factors including: technology maturity, urgency, geographic location, quantity, quality, availability of resources, hardware and software, systems integration and more. This book provides a comprehensive discussion of cost estimating and contract pricing with extensive use of tools, techniques, and best practices from both the public and private sectors. Key topics of discussion include: Cost estimating methods Cost accounting standards Cost analysis Profit analysis Contract pricing arrangements Price analysis Total ownership cost Earned value management systems
This practical reference/text provides a thorough overview of cost estimating as applied to various manufacturing industries, with special emphasis on metal manufacturing concerns. It presents examples and study problems illustrating potential applications and the techniques involved in estimating costs.;Containing both US and metric units for easy conversion of world-wide manufacturing data, Estimating and Costing for the Metal Manufacturing Industries: outlines professional societies and publications dealing with cost estimating and cost analysis; details the four basic metalworking processes - machining, casting, forming, and joining; reveals five techniques for capital cost estimating, including the new AACE International's Recommended Practice 16R-90 and the new knowledge and experience method; discusses the effect of scrap rates and operation costs upon unit costs; offers four formula methods for conceptual cost estimating and examines material-design-cost relationships; describes cost indexes, cost capacity factors, multiple-improvement curves, and facility cost estimation techniques; offers a generalized metal cutting economics model for comparison with traditional economic models; and more.;Estimating and Costing for the Metal Manufacturing Industries serves as an on-the-job, single-source reference for cost, manufacturing, and industrial engineers and as a text for upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students in cost estimating, engineering economics, and production operations courses.;A Solutions manual to the end-of-chapter problems is available free of charge to instructors only. Requests for the manual must be made on official school stationery.
“Collaborative Product and Service Life Cycle Management for a Sustainable World” gathers together papers from the 15th ISPE International Conference on Concurrent Engineering (CE2008), to stimulate the new thinking that is so crucial to our sustained productivity enhancement and quality of life. It is already evident in this new century that the desire for sustainable development is increasingly driving the market to reach for new and innovative solutions that more effectively utilize the resources we have inherited from previous generations; with the obvious responsibility to future generations. Human productivity and progress can be positively engineered and managed in harmony with the provision and needs of our natural environment. One century on from the industrial revolution, this is now the time of the sustainable revolution; requiring holistic technological, process and people integrated solutions to sustained socio-economic enhancement.
This pocket-sized book is a concise guide to the basics of estimating construction costs for residential and light commercial building projects. It provides a step-by-step guide to estimating the total cost of a construction project. It takes readers through five phases that lead to a successful estimate: initial assessment, work analysis, programming, costing and cost distribution and summarization. The book's primary targets are small contractors; however, the principles set forth in the book are applicable to all contractors. The book could also serve as a textbook for estimating classes in construction management programs at universities and community colleges. The last section of the book provides useful but not readily available information for estimators on diverse topics, e.g., detailed information about Value Engineering, scheduling, subcontractor selection, bid summarization, and so on. An extensive glossary of construction terms is also included. Readers in all construction capacities will find: * A new, fresh look at the often baffling and deceptive job of estimating construction costs for residential and light commercial construction * How to assess plans, review bonds, and evaluate the site and the project schedule before beginning a cost take-off * How to integrate a cost estimate into a general accounting program for cost management and eventual billing * Incredibly helpful appendix with common construction standards and measurements--from standards for concrete forms, to nail sizes to commercial lumber sizes, and much more!
The past decade has seen increased attention to cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analysis in education as administrators are being asked to accomplish more with the same or even fewer resources, philanthropists are keen to calculate their "return on investment" in social programs, and the general public is increasingly scrutinizing how resources are allocated to schools and colleges. Economic Evaluation in Education: Cost-Effectiveness and Benefit-Cost Analysis (titled Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Methods and Applications in its previous editions) is the only full-length book to provide readers with the step-by-step methods they need to plan and implement a benefit-cost analysis in education. Authors Henry M. Levin, Patrick J. McEwan, Clive Belfield, Alyshia Brooks Bowden, and Robert Shand examine a range of issues, including how to identify, measure, and distribute costs; how to measure effectiveness, utility, and benefits; and how to incorporate cost evaluations into the decision-making process. The updates to the Third Edition reflect the considerable methodological development in the evaluation literature, and the greater empiricism practiced by education researchers, to help readers learn to apply more advanced methods to their own analyses.