Estimating building material costs accurately and creating realistic budgets are critical for construction project success. Unforeseen expenses due to underestimation can jeopardize schedules and profitability. This article discusses strategies to precisely quantify building material supply quantities, and obtain competitive pricing and contingencies for budgeting unforeseen costs associated with fluctuating material supply markets.
Takeoffs and Quantification
Accurately measuring quantities of all structural, architectural, and MEP building elements from plans enables precision. On-site evaluations provide field data to supplement drawings. Items like concrete volumes, rebar, wood framing, masonry, roofing, decking, drywall, insulation, plumbing, and electrical fittings are quantified component-wise considering wastage allowances. Taking off in 3D Building Information Modelling tools enhances comprehensiveness.
Material Requirements Planning
Planning material requirements involve determining procurement cycles, lead times, ideal construction sequencing, and just-in-time delivery logistics to prevent material stacking on-site or shortages holding up work. Pull planning reverse engineers’ schedules from finish dates working backward, allowing suppliers to align production.
They coordinated MRP with subcontractors to maintain stock visibility and schedule adherence. Obtaining competitive quotes from multiple prequalified building material suppliers facilitates cost benchmarking. Factors like material quality, green compliance, FOB terms, payment schedules, product data, technical support capabilities, and warranties aid supplier selection. Framework agreements ensure pricing validity as economies fluctuate. Price indexes adjust escalations.
Pricing Strategies
Market intelligence tools provide industry price trends to estimate material costs realistically factoring long-term swings. Strategies like hedging input prices through forward contracts with suppliers mitigate volatility risks. Just-in-time procurements minimize material carrying costs. Preferred subcontractor pricing incorporating volume discounts lowers total costs.
Unforeseen conditions, regulatory changes, RFIs/submittals, change orders, and acceleration costs necessitate realistic contingency planning. Hard cost contingencies covering labor/material overruns range typically 3-15%, reducing with project definition. Soft cost contingencies for design/professional services stay lower at 2-5%. Owners can hold separate budgets to fund change orders without impacting remaining allowances.
Monitoring and Change Management
Comparing actual monthly spending to prorated budgets flags cost overruns early. Variance analyses trace root causes to remedy through value engineering, alternative product choices, scope adjustments, or renegotiations. Budget change management tracks approved/pending change orders with financial impacts separately to maintain transparency.
Platforms like Oracle Primavera, and Procore aid materials management from procurement to inventory, delivery, receipts, and tracking use/waste on-site. This controls on-hand/on-order quantities minimizing overstock/shortages while maximizing inventory turns. Supply chain visibility provides real-time cost/schedule performance monitoring with suppliers.
Deck Construction Materials and Budgeting
Estimating deck construction costs involves material takeoffs, pricing timber, fasteners, waterproofing membranes, and railings made of composite or glass baluster materials considering waste factors. Supplier lead times, just-in-time deliveries factor seasonality, availability controlling inventory. Using decking made from sustainably sourced tropical hardwood, rapidly grown bamboo, or recycled plastic reduces environmental impacts within budgets.
Accurate material quantities and budgeting are crucial for construction project success. Quantifying building elements, procurement cycles, lead times, and just-in-time delivery logistics are essential. Pricing strategies include market intelligence tools, hedging input prices, and preferred subcontractor pricing. Construction contingencies are also important.
Conclusion
Adopting robust estimating, procurement practices and contingencies to anticipate market volatility facilitates protecting budget allocations. Leveraging technological tools with MRP and materials management controls costs by enhancing accuracy, visibility, and change governance. Strategic partnerships with building materials suppliers optimize pricing through framework agreements meeting schedules cost-effectively.