Finally! A Source for RELIABLE Construction Cost Data.
“Standardized tasks and processes are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment”
(Liker 2004).
Construction costs change rapidly due to inflation, material shortages, labor demand, the availability of equipment, and multiple other factors.
Your construction cost data can now keep pace!
4BT (Four BT, LLC) is the only source for LOCALLY RESEARCHED reliable, objective, and current granular construction task data, complete with separate demolition lines, line-item modifiers, and even preventive maintenance costs for multiple frequencies and associated checklists. Cost data is UPDATED QUARTERLY, without the use of location factoring or economic indexing.
(Note: Location factoring has been demonstrated to introduce significant error.)
If you are familiar with CSI MASTERFORMAT and line item estimating, there is virtually no learning curve, as construction. Repair, renovation, and new build line items are organized using expanded Masterformat. This also significantly improves information sharing, lowers the cost of updating, expanding, and reuse, and enables knowledge building.
Fully transparent scope of work, schedule, and costs.
Locally researched detailed unit price construction cost data is critical to cost visibility and control. This is even more true today with continued high commodity, material, and labor market volatility.
4BT exclusively provides cost clarity and confidence.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure…
A standardized approach to construction data collection should be established that collates data on all public sector projects across all locations in a common format. The data should then be made available to both public and private sector audiences to leverage the latest methods and tools supporting optimal project planning, costing, procurement, delivery, and management.
A locally researched, detailed line-item Unit Price Book is an important consideration for any JOC Program, and any repair, renovation, repair, maintenance, or new construction project. It provides a highly detailed scope of work that is easily communicated to all participants and stakeholders, as well as full financial visibility and transparency.
How do you manage labor, equipment, and material costs for a self-performing contractor?
Read about the importance of cost data architecture – CSI Masterformat
Adaptable and flexible while maintaining cost estimation best practices, principles, and objectives.
A 4BT locally researched unit price book researched using propriety methods and unique capabilities provides multi-dimensional insight into a multiplicity of cost objects, functions, processes, activities, multi-disciplinary labor, and crews. Thousands of materials and all required equipment, as well associated productivity, and economy of scale are provided. Our approach enables owner led teams to focus more upon cost planning and control, and better support decision-making across planning, sourcing/procurement, investment justification, and execution efficiency activities and to improve overall productivity. A locally researched 4BT UPB mitigates root problems and the negative consequences resulting from traditional methods.
White Paper: How-to-Select-a-JOC- Unit Price Book – – A JOC Unit Price Book, UPB is particularly important to the quality, integrity, productivity, and transparency of any Job Order Contract.
A JOC unit price book, sometimes called a unit price guide, (UPG), is a required component of a Job Order Contract. That said, a detailed unit price book should be used for any construction project. (Learn more about the history of JOC / SABER Unit Price Books, UPBs)
The UPB enables the rapid development, use, and re-use of transparent detailed construction cost estimates for repair, renovation, repair, and minor new construction in association with a Job Order Contract.
Eliminate construction cost uncertainty
The use of standardized data formats and descriptions, easily understood by all participants, is important. CSI Masterformat (registered trademark of The Construction Specifications Institute) is the North American standard data format for organizing JOC and other construction unit price books. Unit price books should provide consistent clear descriptions of each line item using terms that all project participants and stakeholders can easily understand. The use of abbreviations and acronyms should be minimized.
Each line-item task, in addition to being clearly defined in “plain English”, should include associated detail cost data breakdowns for material, equipment, and labor.
Historically, the majority of Job Order Contracts have used the “Facilities Cost Data” books published by the R.S. Means Company, LLC. Alternative, best value sources are now available.
Owners should avoid “custom” UPBs, and “custom” unit price line items whenever possible. As JOC specifically targets numerous, repetitive, and common renovation, repair, and maintenance projects typically encountered by real property Owners, a standardized unit price book is preferable. This approach lowers the costs associated with building, updating/maintaining, and use of the cost book. It also improves overall communication and ease of use. That said, custom line items may sometimes be needed to account for unique structures, building requirements, etc.
Similarly, the use of standardized construction technical specifications, and/or those specifications currently in use by the owner, are preferable to customized JOC specifications for reasons like those stated above regarding custom unit price books.
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Four BT, LL – Your trusted information source – www.4bt.us