Best Practices for Highway Project Cost Estimating
Abstract
This thesis examines the estimating practices currently in use by state Departments of Transportation (DOTs). It presents a review of DOT estimating practices and discusses actions that help agencies produce estimates that are in line with the current challenges of large reconstruction projects in urban environments. The research involved all aspects of estimating from the conceptual estimate, to the final engineer's estimate (which are used for bid analysis). Additionally, issues such as project award and collusion detection are examined. Data was collected from all fifty DOTs and analyzed based on the size of the DOT's construction program and estimating practice. Two major estimating systems are examined and compared: detailed estimating and historic bid price estimating. The two systems are compared and the final chapter discusses identified best practices. Providing the personnel performing estimating duties with the right training and information as early in the estimating process as possible was determined to be the most influential factor in producing consistently accurate estimates.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA411837
Entities
People
- Jonathon E. Byrnes
Organizations
- Arizona State University