FIRST PRINCIPLES? FIRST PLACE!
Australia needs good estimators
We’ve already discussed why Australia has historically used first principles estimating rather than standard rates. But September’s issues of Infrastructure Magazine highlight how critical this still is.
Calling for a national database on historical infrastructure rates, the article highlights one of the problems estimators frequently encounter—that information “is not always clearly captured, much less made available in a consistent, usable form.”
Such a database would take a mammoth effort to compile, and this would be after consensus had been reached on the kinds of data it would collate, in what form, where it would be stored, and how it would be accessed by government and private organisations for future estimates.
Perhaps the cost could be offset by levying access, but the initial investment requires an estimate in itself. Once built, companies who used the data would definitely have an advantage in building up pricing quickly and submitting tenders with greater assurance.
This will not undo the need for First Principles Estimators, however. Changing technologies, diverse geography and weather events mean that, especially for civil megaprojects, individual circumstances will always need to be considered, and it takes the experience and skill of a First Principles Estimator to do that best.
If you need an experienced estimator, contact us. We have a list of contract estimators for all of Australia. Our clients are at the forefront of today’s infrastructure projects, and are building our future.