The General Requirements of any contract are very important to both the bidder and the owner. These lay the ground rules under which the contract will be executed and have a significant influence on the cost of operations. Therefore, it is extremely important to thoroughly read and understand the General Requirements both before preparing an estimate and when the estimate is complete, to ascertain that nothing in the contract is overlooked. Caution should be exercised when applying items listed in Division 1 to an estimate. Many of the items included in the unit prices are also listed in the other divisions such as mark-ups on labor and company overhead.
01200 Price & Payment Procedures
When estimating historic preservation projects (depending on the condition of the existing structure and the owner's requirements), a 15-20% contingency or allowance is recommended, regardless of the stage of the drawings.
01300 Administrative Requirements
Before determining a final cost estimate, it is a good practice to review all the items listed in subdivision 01300 to make final adjustments for items that may need customizing to specific job conditions.
Historic preservation projects may require specialty labor and methods, as well as extra time to protect existing materials that must be preserved and/or restored. Some additional expenses may be incurred in architectural fees for facility surveys and other special inspections and analyses.
01330 Submittal Procedures
Requirements for initial and periodic submittals can represent a significant cost to the General Requirements of a job. Thoroughly check the submittal specifications when estimating a project to determine any costs that should be included.
01400 Quality Requirements
All projects will require some degree of Quality Control. This cost is not included in the unit cost of construction listed in each division. Depending upon the terms of the contract, the various costs of inspection and testing can be the responsibility of either the owner or the contractor. Be sure to include the required costs in your estimate.
01500 Temporary Facilities & Controls
Barricades, access roads, safety nets, scaffolding, security and many more requirements for the execution of a safe project are elements of direct cost. These costs can easily be overlooked when preparing an estimate. When looking through the major classifications of this subdivision, determine which items apply to each division in your estimate.
01590 Equipment Rental
This subdivision contains transportation, handling, storage, protection and product options and substitutions. Listed in this cost manual are average equipment rental rates for all types of equipment. This is useful information when estimating the time and materials requirement of any particular operation in order to establish a unit or total cost.
A good rule of thumb is that weekly rental is 3 times daily rental and that monthly rental is 3 times weekly rental.
The figures in the column for Crew Equipment Cost represent the rental rate used in determining the daily cost of equipment in a crew. It is calculated by dividing the weekly rate by 5 days and adding the hourly operating cost times 8 hours.
01740 Execution requirements
When preparing an estimate, thoroughly read the specifications to determine the requirements to determine the requirements for Contract Closeout. Final cleaning, record documentation, operation and maintenance date, warranties and bonds, and spare parts and maintenance materials can all be elements of cost for the completion of a contract. Do not overlook these in your estimate.
01770 Closeout Procedures
When preparing an estimate, read the specifications to determine the requirements for Contract Closeout thoroughly. Final cleaning, record documentation, operation and maintenance data, warranties and bonds, and spare parts and maintenance materials can all be elements of cost for the completion of a contract. Do not overlook these in your estimate.
01830 Operations & Maintenance
If maintenance and repair are included in your contract, they require special attention. To estimate the cost to remove and replace any unit usually requires a site visit to determine the accessibility and the specific difficulty at that location. Obstructions, dust control, safety, and often overtime hours must be considered when preparing your estimate.
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