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Akintoye, A (1994) Design and build: a survey of construction contractors' views. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 155-63.

Aouad, G F and Price, A D F (1994) Construction planning and information technology in the UK and USA construction industries: a comparative study. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 97-106.

Chau, K W and Lai, L W C (1994) A comparison between growth in labour productivity in the construction industry and the economy. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 183-5.

Cornick, T and Osbon, K (1994) A study of the contractor's quantity surveying practice during the construction process. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 107-11.

Huat, T P and Pheng, L S (1994) The fuzzy industry maturity grid (FIMG) and its application to the Singapore construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 125-38.

Kaka, A P (1994) Contractors' financial budgeting using computer simulation. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 113-24.

Lam, Y T, Alum, J and Neale, R H (1994) Design and development of a KBES for planning and scheduling ready-mixed concrete supply. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 165-70.

Low S P (1994) Balancing construction and marketing in world economic development: the four global scenarios. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 171-82.

Skitmore, M R and Wilcock, J (1994) Estimating processes of smaller builders. Construction Management and Economics, 12(02), 139-54.

  • Type: Journal Article
  • Keywords: bills of quantity; item rates; pricing variability
  • ISBN/ISSN: 0144-6193
  • URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/01446199400000020
  • Abstract:

    The paper describes a study of the way in which smaller builders price items in bills of quantities for competitive tender. A series of interviews revealed some marked differences between normal practice and literature-based prescriptions. An experiment was conducted in which eight practising builders’ estimators were separately presented with a representative sample of 36 bill of quantities items taken from groundwork, in situ concrete work and masonry sections. The estimators stated the method they would normally use to price each item, their ’normal’ price rate and their highest/lowest price rate. The results showed that only half the items would be priced by the prescribed ’detailed’ method, the remainder being priced mainly by ’experience’. Analysis by work section, item rate, item quantity, item total, item labour content, contribution to the total of the bill, the standard deviation of the interestimator intraitem rates and totals and their coefficients of variations, skewness and kurtosis indicated that the item total was the main factor determining the rating method used, although this varied in importance between work sections. An intraestimator intraitem analysis of pricing variability generally confirmed the assumption of a constant coefficient of variation.