PRE · Department

Preconstruction & Estimating

Everything produced before a contract is signed — the bid package, the takeoff, the estimate, and the decision to chase the job at all.

12 objects documented in this department.

Foundation

Bid Package / Invitation to Bid PRE 101 · Foundation · Preconstruction & Estimating
The scoped, documented request a general contractor or owner issues to solicit competitive pricing for a defined portion of the work.
Subcontractor Bid PRE 102 · Foundation · Preconstruction & Estimating
The price and scope a subcontractor offers to perform a trade package, and the offer that -- once accepted -- becomes the basis of the subcontract.
Proposal PRE 103 · Foundation · Preconstruction & Estimating
The document a contractor submits to win work, combining price, scope, qualifications, and approach into a persuasive and binding offer.
Bid Addendum PRE 104 · Foundation · Preconstruction & Estimating
The formal, numbered modification issued to all bidders during the bid period that changes or clarifies the bid documents before pricing is finalized.

Contractor Prequalification PRE 201 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The vetting process that determines whether a contractor or subcontractor is financially, technically, and legally fit to be invited to bid a scope.
Quantity Takeoff PRE 202 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The measured count of materials and work quantities extracted from drawings and models that forms the physical basis of every estimate.
Conceptual Estimate PRE 203 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The early, parametric cost projection made before design is complete, used to test feasibility and set the budget the project will be held to.
Bid Leveling Sheet PRE 204 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The side-by-side normalization of competing bids to a common scope, so the true cost of each is comparable rather than just the headline number.
Value Engineering Log PRE 205 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The running record of proposed cost-saving alternatives, their savings, their trade-offs, and their disposition, used to bring a project back to budget without gutting its value.
Go / No-Go Decision PRE 206 · Practitioner · Preconstruction & Estimating
The disciplined choice of whether to pursue an opportunity, made before proposal effort is spent, weighing winnability, fit, risk, and capacity.

Detailed Estimate PRE 301 · Advanced · Preconstruction & Estimating
The measured, bottom-up cost buildup priced from quantities, labor, material, and equipment that becomes the basis for the bid and the budget.
Unit Prices & Assemblies PRE 302 · Advanced · Preconstruction & Estimating
The reusable cost building blocks -- price per unit of work and bundled assemblies -- that let estimators price scope quickly and consistently.