This tab hopefully provides some answers to frequently asked questions. We have also included some FAQs that RS Means has documented and agreed for inclusion. Feel free to suggest questions that have stumped you. |
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Q: What are the benefits of Means CostWorks compared to hard copy books?
RS Means CostWorks is the digital version of their cost books. The user can enter his project location and instantly all material and labor costs are revised eliminating the need to manually multiply by the City Cost Indexes. The user can also toggle between union and shop wage rates. The software has multiple search tools to easily locate assemblies or components. The costs can be manually entered or exported to other databases. The reports can be exported to Excel format.
Q: How should we implement CostWorks?
CAS personnel and cost estimators are probably the best group of facility experts to implement the CostWorks program. These individuals have experience with facilities systems, construction and design disciplines. The software will be sent to CAS and FIMS administrators or anyone requesting a CD with appropriate implementation instructions. Mission critical assets should be the first facilities that should be scrutinized for replacement plant values and sustainment cost estimates.
Q: Will the RPV costs always be calculated in FIMS? Can CostWorks include an RPV calculation method?
Sites can estimate an “engineered” RPV for building and OSFs and enter the RPV in FIMS by electronic exporting or manual entry. The CostWorks Markup feature in the Estimator tool can be modified to include a new subtotal field and site factor markup to estimate this cost. Users must know the Site Factor multiplier to estimate the RPV. The CostWorks Settings screen Location option allows the user to select the regional adjuster by zip code or city. The database automatically modifies the national average cost to reflect local factors.
Q: How often is the CostWorks data updated and new releases distributed?
The CostWorks CD is reviewed and updated annually. The CDs are distributed to sites in mid-February to permit ten year site plan inclusion of CostWorks sustainment estimates. There are currently 50 licenses of CostWorks availble for the sites. CostWorks is funded by program offices that contribute to FIMS support.
Q: How is Assembly prices generated?
Assembly prices are created by RS Means and are comprised of unit prices from their databases. An assembly is a group of related line numbers or components organized around a task. As the size or types of components vary the actual components sizes and quantities may also vary. One advantage of CostWorks is that when an assembly is highlighted you can click on the jigsaw puzzle icon at the top of the screen and a drop down menu will show exactly what components and quantities are included in that particular assembly.
Q: What city are the prices based on?
The material prices are national average costs. Some materials that vary across the country are listed in the Reference section and prices shown for 30 major cities. The union labor rates are an average for 30 major US cities for each trade. Note: The city cost index is the ratio between the US average for each trade and the union local for that particular city.
Q: What are the difference between the City Cost Indexes (CCI) and the Location Factors?
The CCI is broken down by trade (Construction Specification Institute/CSI) division number. At the bottom of each city is the weighted average cost. The average is weighted by giving more value to the more expensive components of a construction and less influence to those trades that are usually the least expensive. The Location Factors are just these weighted averages. If you are concerned with the total building (all trades) then the weighted average is fine. If you are concerned with individual trades and want a more exact replacement plant value or sustainment cost then use the City or Zip cost index.
Q: My city is not listed in the CCI. What should I do?
Use the factors for the nearest city that you can find. If a city or town is too small to have its own union hall workers, who wish to belong to the union, the workers will travel to the nearest large city that has union representation.
Q: Does the bare labor cost include “fringes”?
The bare labor cost does include the employer-paid fringe benefits such as vacation pay, employer-paid health and welfare costs, pension costs, plus appropriate training and industry advancement funds costs.
Q: What labor rates should be used… Union or Open Shop?
Union labor rates are used to estimate replacement plant value and sustainment costs. The cost books based on union wages are: Assembly, Building Construction Cost, Concrete & Masonry, Electrical, Green Building , Heavy, Interior, Mechanical, Plumbing, Site Work & Landscape, and Square Foot.
Q: What is the difference between the Building Construction Cost Data and the Facilities Construction Cost Data?
The Facilities Construction Cost Data contains 60-70% of the material in the Building Construction, Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Cost Data books. It is Means most complete single cost book. It provides access to costs associated with facilities construction and renovation, plus many common maintenance items.
Q: A structure or building was built twenty (20) years ago and DOE CostWorks has no model or assemblies that can be used to estimate the current cost to replace the asset. Does CostWorks have a method to do this calculation?RS Means includes Historical Cost Indexes to estimate this value. The Historical Cost tables are in the Reference/Tools section. The indexes are for thirty (30) cities starting from 1940. This reference has instructions to permit movement of costs backward and forward in time and to another city and time.