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Construction Cost Sheet

A construction cost sheet is a document on which the total cost of a project, segment by segment, is laid out. A construction cost sheet defines the price of equipment and materials, as well as employee costs, and the amount needed. The total tally is the estimated cost to the contractor to complete the project.

A construction cost sheet is required for any project, regardless of the delivery method used. In the traditional method of selecting a contractor, an architectural firm is hired by the property owner to develop a design for the building or project. Once that design is completed in approved by the client, the architect then puts the design out for bids. While the architect may want to know more information about a contractor than their price, the bottom line is the primary reason for the selection of most primary contractors. In some cases, the bid is the only thing that is presented and the lowest bid gets the project.

While construction cost sheets carry the all-important bottom lines, there are other factors, however, beyond the simple baseline price that can determine a project winner. With the design-bid construction method, construction cost sheets cover more information than just the price to build a building. The design-build method combines the architect and contractor as a unified team, where they present not only their price to build the project, but their architectural design as well. Design-build construction project bids include an all-inclusive price, including the cost of design and construction.

The construction manager at-risk (CM at-risk) method is another way construction bid jobs can be designed. Under the CM at-risk method, the contractor and architect operate separately, but the contractor is involved in the process from the beginning and serves as a liaison for the client in dealing with the architect. CM at-risk bids are not blind, and the client can select whichever contractor he believes is best suited to handle the project. The contractor's bid comes in the form of the guaranteed maximum price, which states the cost of preconstruction services and the construction process itself will not go over a certain total. The GMP is the amount established by the totals when they are summed up on the construction cost sheet.

There are a number of different ways to take part in the process in today's construction industry, but each can be effective and meet the needs of the client. A construction cost sheet is needed in all of them.

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