Nightmares still happen to even the biggest construction projects, where costs and
revenue are not properly estimated, Construction Global writes.
Construction is all about estimating costs, then balancing income against expenditure. At
least in modern times. The builders of the pyramids had armies of slaves to
construct their magnificent monuments, plus the resources of an empire, so
costs didn’t matter. Nowadays, construction companies must operate like street magicians who keep plates spinning in
the air.
Inevitably though, once the plate marked ‘costs’ starts to wobble, those marked ‘income’ and ‘expenditure’ also go out of control … Such construction cost
estimating issues are spreading fast, even to Germany’s oft-praised economy. So
why do such nightmares happen?
Don’t get drawn in by ‘the vision’
Sometimes the architect’s vision is so compelling that it
receives a green flag, when it deserves the red. Britain’s most spectacular
example is Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament. In 1997, its cost was estimated
at between £10m and £40m; and the yawning gap really should have set alarm
bells ringing.
Instead though, the building went ahead and opened in 2005,
three years late, and with a price-tag more than ten-fold the highest
‘estimate’ at £430m. By 2013, annual maintenance costs had soared to £1.7m,
mainly through shoddy construction techniques, and in 2014, demolition was
suggested as the most cost-effective option.
Client control nightmares
Budgets can also go awry because clients just can’t stop
tinkering. Research by Reading University’s Simon Jackson concluded: “Clients
are the key drivers of change, and must look at themselves, before blaming the
industry for being inefficient.”
A cost control nightmare of Olympic proportions
On occasions too, projects can be judged so important for a
nation’s status that a government blithely ignores the estimated
cost. Topping
this global League of Shame is the 2004 Olympic Games, intended to herald
Greece’s renaissance, but which became a symbol of its subsequent economic
collapse. Even years later, as its stadia have become ivy-clad ruins and grand
highways lie crumbling, no-one knows the final bill. The Socialist Party which
was in power claims 4.8bn Euros, the opposition reckons 10bn, and both
estimates ignore the cost of a new airport and high-speed tram network for
Athens
So what’s the most obvious solution to cost control nightmares?
Use specialist construction
cost estimating software to properly estimate the cost and then keep
expenditure and revenue in synch. Then even if clients feel the need to tinker,
you’ll have the certainty and precision to understand the potential impact of
their variations.
Beware the temptation of being unrealistically optimistic –
both from the client’s and your point of view.
Keep the clients in check – if their demands become
unrealistic within the budget, tell them early.
