1. Describe the cost control procedure involved in controlling the cost of a project.

(15 marks)
Describe the cost control procedure involved in controlling the cost of a project.
Cost control can be defined as an umbrella term embracing all contributory stages such
as cost analysis, cost planning, cost comparisons, cost checking, cost reconciliation at
the tendering stage, and cost monitoring at the post-contract stage in the manner listed
in the following schedule:

(1) Initial cost budget and cost plan prior to detailed design, often based on functional
unit costs, elemental cost analysis, or some similar method.
(2) Preliminary cost studies, usually based on measured approximate quantities, to
compare alternative materials and systems in terms of capital, operating, maintenance
and depreciation costs.

(3) Cost checking detailed designs as they are produced, again usually on the basis of
measured approximate estimates, to ensure that any under-design or overdesign relative
to the budget is corrected early enough to avoid delays and abortive effort.
(4) Preparation of tender documents (for example, plans and specification; schedules
of rates; bills of quantities) for pricing by tendering contractors.
(5) Checking and reporting on competitive tenders or agreeing negotiated tenders.
(6) Preparing and agreeing pre-contract variations (if required) to balance tenders with
budgets.
(7) Analysis accepted tenders into functional or elemental costs (or both), comparing
tenders with estimates, and modifying basic estimating data as necessary for future
reference.
(8) Calculating final costs (including variations, re-measurements, PC accounts, day-
works, increased or decreased costs and authorized overtime) in two stages –rough
estimates reported quickly for budget control; and accurate valuations agreed with the
contractor for final payment.
(9) Checking and negotiating contractors’ claims.
 2. A contractor is employing a fleet of 6 scrapers with single pushers for backtrack push
loading. The estimated cycle time for each scraper is 5 minutes. The scrapers have a
capacity of 200 BCY per hour, and the contractor has 3 dozers available for pushing.

(i) What is the number of pushers required to serve the fleet?

(ii) What is the estimated production of this fleet? (5 marks)

No. scrapers served by one pusher = 5 min ÷1.5 = 3.33 scrapers/pusher (Table 4-8)
No. pushers required =6 ÷ 3.33 = 1.8 use 2 pushers

(b) Fleet Production = [3 ÷ 3.33] x 6x 200 BCY/hr = 1081.1 BCY/hr

3. A 3.5 yd (heaped) hydraulic shovel with a bottom dump bucket is excavating tough
clay. The swing angle is 100° and job efficiency is 75%. Estimate the shovel’s
production in bank measure. Soil swell is 30% and the bucket fill factor is 0.95.
(8 marks)

Cycle output = 150 cycles/60 minutes (Table 3-6)

Swing-depth factor = 0.98 (Table 3-6)

Bucket volume =3.5 LCY

Bucket fill factor = 0.95

Job efficiency = 0.75

Load factor = 0.975 (Table 3-5)

Load Factor=1/(1+ swell) = 1/(1+0.3)=0.769

Production (BCY/h)

= C x S x V x B x E x load factor

= 150 x 0.98 x3.5 x 0.95 x 0.75 x 0.769

= 281.9BCY/h

4. Describe ten main sources for effective controlling building costs at the design stage.
(10 marks)
Describe ten main sources for effectively controlling building costs at the design stage.
(1) There is greater urgency for the completion of projects to reduce the amount of
unproductive capital or borrowed money and few building clients have sufficient time for
the redesign of schemes consequent upon the receipt of excessively high tenders.
(2) Building clients’ needs are becoming more complicated, more consultants are being
engaged and the estimation of probable costs becomes more difficult.
(3) Employing organizations, both public and private are themselves adopt more
sophisticated techniques for the forecasting and control of expenditure and they in their
turn expect a high level of efficiency and expertise from their professional advisers for
building projects and require a broad and comprehensive range of services.
(4) The introduction of new constructional techniques materials and components creates
greater problems in assessing the capital and maintenance costs of buildings.
(5) Changing prices, restrictions on the use of capital, variable interest rates, and low
contractor profit margins all make effective cost control more important.
(6) The move towards reduced waste and greater use of scarce resources creates the need
for more accurate forecasting and improved cost control.
(7) There is an increasing demand for integrated design to secure an efficient combination
of building and service elements in complex developments, such as hospitals.
 (8) Rising energy costs necessitate costing alternative heating and thermal insulation
measures.
(9) More attention is being paid to life cycle costing and total cost appraisal.
(10) Demand centres around the elements of value-added, finance, management, and
investment.

5. A 1000ft long pipeline requires an excavation 4ft wide to an average depth of 5ft. If the
soil is dry common earth, what size spoil bank the excavation will create? Use swell =
25%. (10 marks)
Pipeline length, L = 1000ft
width = 4ft
average depth = 5ft
Dry common earth R = 32 (Table 2.6)
Swell = 25%
Spoil bank width, B = ?
Spoil bank depth, H = ?
Area = 4  5 = 20 sqft

Volume = area  Length = 20  1000 1.25 = 25000 cuft

B = (4V/(LtanR))^(1/2) = (4 25000/(1000tan32))^(1/2) = 12.65ft~ 13ft

H = ((BtanR)/2) = (12.65  tan32)/2 = 3.95ft~ 4ft

Spoil Bank Size = 13ft  4ft

A small hydraulic excavator will be used to dig a trench in hard clay (bucket fill factor =
0.80). The minimum trench size is 26in. (0.66 m) wide by 5ft (1.53 m) deep. The excavator
bucket available is 30 in. (0.76 m) wide and has a heaped capacity of ¾ cuyd (0.57m3). The
maximum digging depth of the excavator is 16ft (4.9m). The average swing angle is
expected to be 85°. Estimate the hourly production in linear feet (meters) if job efficiency
is 70%. (10 marks)

Cycle output = 160

cycles/60 minutes (Table 3-3)
Swing-depth factor = 1.1669 (Table 3-4)
Bucket volume = 0.57 LCM
Bucket fill factor = 0.8
Job efficiency = 0.7
Adjustment factor for trench production = 0.975 (Table 3-5)

Production (BCM/h)
= C x S x V x B x E x adj factor for trench
= 160 x 1.1669 x0.57 x 0.8 x 0.7 x 0.975
=58.106 LCM/h
=58.106(LCM/h) * 0.77 (load factor for clay) (Table 2-5)
=44.742 BCM/h
=44.742 (BCM/h) / (0.76 x 1.53)
=38.4778 linear meters / hr
 7. A wheel tractor-scraper weighing 120 tons is being operated on a haul road with a tire
penetration of 3 inches. What is the total resistance (lb) and effective grade when the scraper
is ascending a slope of 6%? (10 marks)

Rolling resistance factor (lb/ton) = 40 + (30  in penetration)

= 40 + (30  3) = 130 lbs/ton
Rolling resistance (lb) = Vehicle weight (ton)  rolling resistance factor (lb/ton)

=120 130 = 15600 lb

Grade resistance (lb) = Vehicle weightGrade
= 120  2000 (lb)  0.06 = 14400 lb
Total resistance (lb) = Rolling resistance (lb) + Grade resistance (lb)
= 15600 + 14400 = 30000 lb

Effective grade = Grade % + rolling resistance factor (lb/ton)/20

= 6 + 130/20 = 12.5%

8. The tractor-scraper hauls its rated payload 2000ft up a 5% grade from the cut to the fill and
returns empty over the same route. The rolling resistance factor for the haul road is 120lb/ton.
The material and operating conditions are average. Use single pusher and travel-time curves
method. Estimate the scraper cycle time (min). Calculate the number of pushers required to
serve a fleet of 11 scrapers using a single pusher with black track. (10 marks)

Grade = 5% (haul)

Effective grade = grade(%) + (Rolling resistance factor (lb/ton)/20)

Haul = +5 + (120/20) = + 11%

Return = -5 + (120/20) = +1%

Travel time:

Haul = 3.2 min (Figure 4)

Return = 0.85 min (Figure 5)

Fixed cycle: (Table 4.7)

Spot time = 0.3 min
Load time = 0.6 min
Maneuver and Dump time = 0.7 min
Total = 1.6 min
Total cycle time = fixed cycle time + travel time
= 1.6 + 4.05 = 5.65 min
Number of pushers = ?
Back Track Method
Pusher cycle time = 1.5 min (Table 4.8)
Number of scraper per pusher = Scraper cycle time/Pusher cycle time
= 5.65/1.5 = 3.8
Number of pusher required = Number of Scraper/Number served by one pusher = 11/3.8
= 2.89 ~ 3
Number of pushers = 3
9. A power-shift crawler tractor is excavating tough clay and pushing it a distance of 95 ft.
The maximum reverse is the second range, 5 mi/h. The rated blade capacity is 10 LCY.
Estimate dozer production if the job efficiency factor is 0.83. Note: 1 mi/h = 88 ft/min.
(10 marks)
Fixed time = 0.05 min (Table 4.4)
Dozing speed = 1.5 min/h (Table 4.5)
Dozing time = 95/(1.5  88) = 0.72 min
Return time = 95/(5  88) = 0.22 min
Cycle time = Fixed time +Dozing time + Return time
 = 0.05 + 0.72 + 0.22 = 0.99 min
Production = Volume per cycle x Cycle per hour
= 10  60/0.99  0.83 = 503. 03 LCY/h

10. How many phases of the value management strategy? Discuss the value management
techniques. (10 marks)
Phase 1 The information stage
Phase 2 The creativity/speculation stage
Phase 3 The evaluation/analysis stage
Phase 4 The development stage
Phase 5 The presentation/proposal stage
Phase 6 The implementation/feedback stage
VM Techniques
(I) Functional Analysis
(II) Fast Diagrams
(I) Functional analysis is a powerful technique in the identification of the principal functional
requirements of a project. Useful active verbs include amplify, change, control, create, enclose,
establish, improve, increase, prevent, protect, rectify, reduce, remove and support. It should be
recognized that it is not usually possible to seek alternatives to a technical solution without first
identifying the functional definition. Cost and worth are allocated to each function.
Applied to Construction Projects-
The function of the building is to provide an environmentally controlled space suitable for its
require use.
The design constitutes a technical solution to functional requirements.
All products and components used in the building perform a function.
Each component is examined by asking question (1) What does it do?
(2) How else can this be achieving?
Functional analysis subdivided into four phases or level (1) task (2) space (3) element (4)
component.
(II) The FAST evolved from the functional analysis approach
To establish a hierarchy of function
To identify the means by which they can achieve end result.
The principle disadvantages:
It breaks the overall problem down into individual and readily manageable components
Permits a balanced analysis at different levels
It naturally led to the identification of those items in current brief or design at which high cost
for low functional value and those items of high importance coupled with low cost
The value of FAST diagram is enhanced by adding the cost of the various actives.