Broad brush estimates
Vector is a wonderful tool for producing approximate estimates. Rapidly create your document using the same mechanics used to produce a bill of quantities. Show totals on screen and use formula to calculate contingencies and similar items.
While it is quite possible create an Estimate using a library -- many surveyors don't bother. They simply create their first estimate by typing it in. Later estimates are created by simply copying and pasting sections of previous estimates that make a good starting point and editing to mould the estimate for the job in hand. Adding manually items as required.
Measuring is a mix and match affair entering summary quants or guestimates, and doing some proper measuring. Using a digitiser is a big timesaver, and makes it much easier to get accurate results especially with photocopies of a small GA.
Cost Plan Summaries
Vector is supplied with industry-standard BCIS and SFBS cost plan layouts, plus templates to assist defining your own custom analysis. You can clone and modify any analysis to suit your requirements. This might be something as simple as having slightly nonstandard contingencies, or a radically different content and layout to meet the needs of a particular client. A typical Vector user often ends up with the standard BCIS analysis, plus two or three more specialised presentations.
| Standard BCIS Cost Plant | Custom Cost Plan for a Pub | |
|
Click to View
|
||
You can create a cost plan from
- A simple broad brush estimate as discussed above.
- An elemental bill of quantities
- A SMM bill of quantities.Yes the last item is correct. Let's digress for a moment. With a downward pressure on fees many practices' are opting to produce SMM bills because they are cheaper to produce than an elemental bill. But many practices' would also like a cost plan for produced in-house cost statistics. This apparent conflict is very easy to resolve using the following approach.
- Complete the Bill of Quantities and ensure that it is priced with the successful rates
- Make a copy of the bill, and with the copy.
- Click on the take-off order button to ensure your bill is in take-off order. Usually when you look at the take-off order of a bill, it is very easy to identify which element an item or group of items belong. You simply use the block mark and replace option to mark up your bill with the elemental references. From time to time you will come across items that needs to be split between two or more elements, in this situation imply click on the clone button and spit the quantity between the two copies.
- In less than an hour even quite a substantial bill can be marked up in this manner and the cost plan produced by simply clicking on the appropriate report.