Assignment Overview
Assessment Task Details and Instructions
Ensuring construction projects are completed within budget and with a high degree of cost certainty is a central feature of quantity surveying practice.
With construction projects becoming more complex and challenging, clients require confidence in the cost advice provided, with developments requiring the consideration of a wide range of issues.
You are therefore required to identify and critically review key aspects of pre-contract cost control throughout the development of the GMIoT building (Drawings attached).
A considered report is required which should address the following:
Tasks
1. Develop a comprehensive order of cost estimate (RIBA Stage 1) for the construction of the GMIoT building.
2. Identify and critically review, in the context of the GMIoT project, the particular and recognised problems in preparing the ‘order of cost’ estimate at RIBA Stage 1 when predicting capital cost.
3. Identify and critically evaluate how digital transformation, including the use of technologies such as BIM and AI, can assist in pre-contract financial cost control and management practice.
4. In addition to capital cost considerations, what advice could be provided in seeking to achieve the most economical solution over the life of the project and ultimately provide optimum value
Brief Summary of Assessment Requirements
You are asked to prepare a considered report that critically examines pre-contract cost control for the GMIoT building. The report must specifically:
- Produce a comprehensive order of cost estimate (RIBA Stage 1) for the GMIoT building.
- Identify and critically review recognised problems when preparing an order of cost at RIBA Stage 1 (i.e. early-stage capital cost prediction issues) in the context of the GMIoT project.
- Critically evaluate how digital transformation (BIM, AI and related technologies) can assist pre-contract financial cost control and management.
- Provide advice on achieving the most economical life-cycle solution to deliver optimum value (i.e. whole-of-life economic considerations beyond initial capital cost).
Key Pointers to Cover in the Assessment
- Clear statement of scope, assumptions and exclusions for the RIBA Stage 1 order of cost.
- Elemental breakdown of the cost estimate (building elements, preliminaries, provisional sums, contingencies).
- Basis of rates, source of unit costs, and applied uplift/contingency percentages.
- Identification of key uncertainty drivers (design incompleteness, ground conditions, market volatility, scope changes).
- Risk allowance and how contingency was derived (e.g., quantitative/qualitative basis).
- Procurement and contract strategy implications on cost certainty.
- How BIM and AI would be used practically (automated take-off, parametric estimating, clash detection, predictive analytics).
- Data, tools and workflow required to integrate digital outputs into cost management.
- Whole-life costing considerations: maintenance, energy, replacement cycles, resilience and sustainability premiums.
- Clear, actionable recommendations for clients and project team to improve cost certainty at the pre-contract stage.