Blog

May 21, 2015
Facility Life Cycle Costs with RSMeans Part 2

Comparison Of Buildings To illustrate a comparison of buildings, the publicly available dataset was again used to develop 5 life cycle cost models that were created in a similar manner as previously described.   

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May 14, 2015
Facility Life Cycle Costs with RSMeans Part 1

Life cycle cost analysis is the act of considering the initial, sustainment, and the cost of replacement or disposal over the lifespan of the facility. It is the full measure of a facility’s cost and is instrumental in the comparison of multiple facilities. So how can you estimate, plan, and prepare for a facility’s life cycle costs?  How can you easily compare multiple facility’s life cycle costs against each other? What does the geolocation of facility life cycle costs look like and what are the advantages? This article attempts to answer these questions and more using cost data by RSMeans and external resources.  

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April 30, 2015
Mark It Up! Getting to a Realistic Bottom Line When Budgetary Estimating

“What are the “appropriate” markups for overhead, profit and contingency when budgeting facilities construction projects?” I get this question a lot from my architect friends when helping them budget their projects through the design process. The answer can get messy considering all the factors that can impact the bottom line. There are many variables to consider. With this blog post I will answer the “markup” question for an average facilities project and try to keep it simple but still useful.  

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April 23, 2015
What is a “Responsive, Responsible” Bidder?

When contractors submit a bid, they use their expertise and knowledge to formulate a bid price that is accurate and competitive, but the bid must also be  “responsive” and the bidder must be “responsible.” What do these terms mean?  

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March 19, 2015
Spring Ahead in Construction Project Planning

If the construction calendar were laid out on a timeline graph, it would likely resemble a bell curve, with the bulk of construction work being shouldered in the summer months. Here are some things to keep in mind for your summer construction project planning.

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