RIB 4.0 · Estimating
From estimating to execution.
A cost estimate sets out how you plan to deliver a project and what it will require. In RIB 4.0, you develop that estimate using your own libraries, experience from previous projects and quotations received. Procurement, planning and project management then build on the same detailed information.
From bill of quantities to cost estimate
Import the bill of quantities and price the items according to the planned method of execution. For recurring work, use your item library, for example structured around Standaardbestek 250 and supplemented with your own price analyses. You can also reuse estimates from previous projects and adapt them to the new site.
Build up the items using articles from your library, labour hours, equipment and subcontracting. Define the required quantities and productivity rates, using an estimated equipment rate or the cost data for a specific machine. Where the method of execution differs, you can break down a bill item by work zone or construction phase. Your own calculated quantities remain available alongside those provided by the client.
Quotation requests that carry through to execution
As the estimate takes shape, you request prices from suppliers and subcontractors. From the estimate, you group the relevant materials or works into procurement packages in RIB 4.0. You compare the quotations and can incorporate the selected prices into the estimate.
After the contract is awarded, procurement continues working with those packages. The quantities sent out for pricing, quotations received and associated budgets are already available. Procurement can negotiate further, request additional quotations and proceed to purchase orders and subcontracts. The work done during tendering remains useful during execution.
Plan the work using the estimate as a basis
The hours and resources in your estimate also need to fit within the construction programme. By linking estimate line items to scheduled activities, the planner can use the calculated quantities and hours to establish resource requirements and activity durations.
This also shows when costs are expected to arise. The planned work and sales values together provide a basis for revenue planning. Taking expected invoicing and payment dates into account then helps you assess how much upfront financing the project requires. A change in phasing can affect both resource deployment on site and funding needs.
Every project builds knowledge for the next
During execution, purchase prices become firm and achievable productivity rates become clear. Use these insights to refine the working estimate and re-estimate the remaining work. Together with actual costs, the forecast estimate provides a view of the expected final cost. The original estimate remains available as a reference.
Carry that experience into future estimates. You can look back at how similar work was priced, what changed during execution and which cost build-ups can be reused. Your estimating knowledge grows with every completed project.
