Overview
In this unit, you will learn about the history of the building and construction industry, the importance of preparing accurate cost estimates, the basic cost components integral to building projects and the development of cost estimates for projects at different stages of their life cycle including feasibility studies, procurement, retrofitting and 'change of use'. You will have the opportunity to prepare partial cost estimates for competitive tenders, use tendering strategies, discuss successful and unsuccessful tenders, and capture tendering data into cost monitoring systems.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: BLAR11049: Built Environment Communications and Skills or COMM11003: Professional and Technical Communication orENEG11005: Fundamentals of Professional Engineering
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Students lacking construction industry experience expressed difficulty with industry specific terminology.
Via the CQU library, students have access to Australian Standards HB50 Glossary of building terms. A reminder note will be added under the "learning community" tile in Moodle.
Feedback from Student evaluation
University library (to) have access to the latest version of the textbook.
CQU library has e-book access to 4th and 5th editions of the Brook text.
Feedback from Student evaluation
A beneficial aspect of the unit was learning about and using the Rawlinsons cost guide.
Access to and using construction industry-based cost books are part of the unit’s learning journey.
- Explain the general history of the construction industry and the role of estimators in the construction industry
- Apply cost planning principles and develop construction cost estimates for building practice
- Evaluate typical building life cycles and the application of different types of building cost estimates at different times in the cycle
- Assess activities involved in the preparation of a detailed building estimate and its development into a building tender
- Apply bidding and tendering principles to appraise tender strategies and formulate actions for successful and unsuccessful tenders
- Judge the relationship(s) between project outcomes and tenders ensuring the lessons learned are incorporated into a contractor's intellectual capital.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||
| 3 - Online Test - 40% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Online Test - 40% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Estimating and Tendering for Construction Work
5th edition (2017)
Authors: Martin Brook
Taylor & Francis Group
New York New York , New York , USA
ISBN: 978-1-138-83806-2
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to printer and scanner
- Computer headset (microphone speaker combo)
- Microsoft Office or equivalent software
- Web camera (webcam)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.lawrence1@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Topic 1 Introduction to project estimating
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 2 Tender documentation, contractor selection, and project appreciation
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 3 Building Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA)
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 4 Conceptual and square metre estimating
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 5 Quantity takeoff and detailed estimating
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No class
Chapter
Use the time as a wellness break, to catch-up or work on an assessment.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 6 - Building areas, elements, trades and measuring standards.
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 7 - Measurement using standards for building information modelling
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 8 Cost of labour, materials and plants including unit rates
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 9 Pricing the bill of quantities and preliminaries
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 10 Overheads and profit
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Topic 11 Tendering strategies and post tender activities
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Day and time for the A3 online test during the Exam Week released by Saturday.
Module/Topic
Revision
Chapter
Refer to Moodle for further information.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Unit review and exam period begins
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Exam period concludes
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
A3 online test as advised in Week 11.
1 Written Assessment
This assessment covers topics 1-3 in the study guide and will require research to answer questions exploring estimating practices and building life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) principles.
As with all assessments, formatting and presentation is really important, technical accuracy and referencing where required is paramount with an overarching requirement for demonstrating your answer / submission / design with clarity.
Week 4 Friday (2 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
It is recommended the Moodle submission remain in draft form until you have viewed the Turnitin report and made any necessary amendments before lodging by the due date and time.
Week 6 Monday (19 Aug 2024)
Students will be advised if a delay emerges.
The assessment will be assessed on the following basis:
Clarity of expression and comprehensive coverage of issues;
Use of quality supporting documentation as appropriate;
Use of original thought and content;
Overall presentation and ability to communicate using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation and the use of appropriate diagrams and other visual communication; and
Demonstration of core knowledge and demonstration of appropriate application of knowledge.
- Explain the general history of the construction industry and the role of estimators in the construction industry
- Apply cost planning principles and develop construction cost estimates for building practice
- Evaluate typical building life cycles and the application of different types of building cost estimates at different times in the cycle
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
2 Written Assessment
This assessment covers topics 4-8 in the study guide and will require research to answer questions exploring conceptual and square metre estimating, quantity take-off and detailed estimating.
As with all assessments, formatting and presentation is really important, technical accuracy and referencing where required is paramount with an overarching requirement for demonstrating your answer / submission / design with clarity.
Week 9 Friday (13 Sept 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
It is recommended the Moodle submission remain in draft form until you have viewed the Turnitin report and made any necessary amendments before lodging by the due date and time.
Week 12 Monday (30 Sept 2024)
Students will be advised if a delay emerges.
The assessment will be assessed on the following basis:
Clarity of expression and comprehensive coverage of issues;
Use of quality supporting documentation as appropriate;
Use of original thought and content;
Overall presentation and ability to communicate using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation and the use of appropriate diagrams and other visual communication; and
Demonstration of core knowledge and demonstration of appropriate application of knowledge.
- Assess activities involved in the preparation of a detailed building estimate and its development into a building tender
- Apply bidding and tendering principles to appraise tender strategies and formulate actions for successful and unsuccessful tenders
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
3 Online Test
This assessment covers topics 1-11 in the study guide and will require you to research and answer questions exploring the learning content presented during the term.
Test will be of 150 minutes duration, open-book limited to the content hosted within the unit Moodle site and require the use of a scientific calculator defined as non-programmable, no text retrieval, silent usage.
Your submission will be uploaded via the assessment link in Moodle.
Day and afternoon AEST/Qld time during Exam Week (14-18 October 2024) as advised in Week 11
Saturday 26/10/2024. Students will be advised if a delay emerges.
The test will be assessed on the following basis:
Clarity of expression and comprehensive coverage of issues;
Use of quality supporting documentation as appropriate;
Use of original thought and content;
Overall presentation and ability to communicate using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation and the use of appropriate diagrams and other visual communication; and
Demonstration of core knowledge and demonstration of appropriate application of knowledge.
- Explain the general history of the construction industry and the role of estimators in the construction industry
- Apply cost planning principles and develop construction cost estimates for building practice
- Evaluate typical building life cycles and the application of different types of building cost estimates at different times in the cycle
- Assess activities involved in the preparation of a detailed building estimate and its development into a building tender
- Apply bidding and tendering principles to appraise tender strategies and formulate actions for successful and unsuccessful tenders
- Judge the relationship(s) between project outcomes and tenders ensuring the lessons learned are incorporated into a contractor's intellectual capital.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
