2006 December 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 2005 June 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10,

2004 - 9
2005 June

1) a) Explain what is meant by the term “Estimate”?

Estimate is the basic assessment of the net cost of carrying out of a

specified amount of building work. It is the net cost to the contractor for
carrying out the work shown on the drawings and described in the bill of
quantities and specifications. It comprises labour, materials, plant cost
together with the cost of providing all the site services such as temporary
huts, stores, telephone, electricity, water, etc. (Exclusive of management
cost, overheads and profit).

b) How is the “tender” or “bid” value achieved?

After adding additional sums such as management cost, overheads and

profit, allowances for other tender adjustments required to the estimate,
the tender or bid value is achieved.

3) a) Explain the purpose of an adjudication meeting (sometimes called a

Tender Review meeting) and the items to be considered at this meeting?

After preparation of tender (Estimate) by the Estimator, it is reviewed at

the Tender Review meeting by the management of the contractor’s firm.
Here the management decides further adjustments to the overheads and
profit, after careful appreciation of all relevant factors affecting the
company’s well being.

Items to be considered -

Tender value, the existing work load, market level of competition,

project report given by the estimator (Conditions of contract, risks
involved, etc), and resources required, etc.

9) Explain where “Schedules” are used in the measurement process, and

give any two examples of scheduled items.
When measuring a number of items with similar general characteristics
but of varying components, it is advisable to use schedules as a means of
setting down all the relevant information in tabulated form. This assists
the taking off process and reduces the liability of errors.

The use of schedules is particularly appropriate for the measurement of a

considerable number of doors, windows or manholes, etc.

In some instances schedules are used to collect together specification

information to assist in speedy taking off, while in other instances
schedules are used for recording measurements.

Example 1:

Schedule of Finishes
Location Ceiling Walls Floor
Entrance 10 mm Render in 3 mm
Passage plasterboard cement and sand thermoplastic
skimmed with 3 (1:3) 10 mm tiles on 52 mm
mm coat of hard thick and set cement and sand
wall plaster and with 3 mm hard screed.
twice emulsion wall plaster and
painted. finished with 2
undercoats and
1 coat of hard
gloss paint.
Waiting room --- Ditto --- Render and set 30 mm thick oak
as before; 450 black flooring
mm frieze twice laid herring
emulsion bone, with two
painted, black plain
remainder borders on 25
papered with mm cement and
pattern paper, sand screed.
P.C. $ 5.00 cents
per piece and
frieze border P.C.
$ 4.00 cents per
meter.
Office --- Ditto --- Render and set --- Ditto ---
as before and
twice emulsion
painted.
Note: All rooms are 2.400 m high (20 mm coved internal angles)

Example2:
 Manhol Ground Invert Type of Sewer Type of Location
e level Level manhole size channel
nr cover
1 240.000 236.00 Medium 2 / 225 Field
0 225 straight
2 238.800 236.30 Medium 2 / 225 Field
0 225 curved
3 238.500 236.54 Medium 1 / 225 Field
0 225 straight
4 238.650 236.75 Heavy 3 / 150 Road
5 150 curved
5 239.000 237.05 Heavy 2 / 150 Road
5 150 curved
6 239.000 237.05 Heavy 2 / 150 Road
5 150 curved
Total 3 5 /225
Medium 7 /
3 Heavy
1
5
0

10) B.O.Q. have in recent years, been produced in different formats.

Describe and comment upon two formats for B.O.Q. other than
“traditional” or “elemental” method.

Operational Bill:

The description of the billed work followed the actual building process,
with materials shown separately from labour, all described in terms of the
operations necessary for the construction of the building. (An operation –
work performed by a man or a gang between definite breaks in the work
pattern. Ex. Brick laying from DPC to 1st floor).

Activity Bill:
The activity bill is a development of the operational form but without the
separation of labour and materials. It is sub divided in to sections based
on activities or operations described from a network analysis.

Elemental Bill:

Items were arranged (not in work section order main headings of the
separate work sections) and grouped according to their position in the
building (element). Ex. External wall, Roof, Floor, etc.

Within each element, the items could be billed in work section order or
grouped in building sequence.

Disadvantages of this method: 1) Estimator has to look through many of

the element, to collect together all the items in a given work section
before he could assess the total quantities of materials or type of plant
required. 2) Similar difficulty in sub-letting.

Annotated Bill:

It is possible for the bill of quantities to give the contractor full details of
the quantity, type and quality of materials and labour, and for an accurate
and complete set of drawings to show him precisely where and how the
work is to be executed. Nevertheless, there are always some billed items
whose locations in the work is not readily identifiable, and it is most useful
to have a note against them in the bill giving their locations.

Annotations may be prepared in a separate document from the bill of

quantities or they may be bound in at the back of the bill. Another
alternative is to interleave annotations in to the bill so that notes appear
opposite the relevant bill items.