College of Engineering and Architecture Construction Management and Engineering CME 380 Construction Estimating: Quantities and Costs Mon & Wed; 1:00 2:50; CIE 101 4 credits Fall, 2012 Instructor: Bradley Bowen Office: FLC 210H Phone: (701) 231-8823 E-mail: bradley.bowen@ndsu.edu Office Hours: Mon & Wed; 9:00am 10:00am Mon; 3:00pm 4:00pm or by appointment Catalog Description: This course provides an introduction to the methods and techniques of conceptual and detailed construction estimating, including: quantity takeoffs; costs related to labor, materials, equipment, overhead & profit; and bidding strategies. Course Objectives: Through course participation, the students will be able to: Use fundamental knowledge to perform quantity take-offs Understand various types of construction estimates and their accuracy relative to different stages of the project Determine appropriate labor, equipment, and material costs using appropriate resources and databases Develop, compare, and contrast subcontractor bids Produce complete and accurate bid packages for typical and atypical construction projects Understand how computer software is used in construction estimating Course Materials: Dagostino, F. & Peterson, S. (2011). Estimating in Building Construction (seventh edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (ISBN-13:978-0-13-119952-1) Other materials may be added during the semester to supplement the information being covered and will be announced as needed.
Course Policies: Students who are entering a professional development program need to exhibit the behaviors and dispositions that are consistent with those required by practitioners. Specifically, this means always turning in work on time, being engaged in the course activities, and treating all individuals respectfully. If for some reason work needs to be turned in late, advance notice is required, and you need to state when the work will be done. Professional quality is expected on all assignments. Academic Dishonesty or Misconduct: All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU Senate Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct which states: The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity, and fair play. Occasionally, this trust is violated when cheating occurs, either inadvertently or deliberately. Faculty members may fail the student for the particular assignment, test, or course involved, or they may recommend that the student drop the course in question, or these penalties may be varied with the gravity of the offense and the circumstances of the particular case. *Please see http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm CEA Honor Pledge On my honor I will not give nor receive unauthorized assistance in completing assignments and work submitted for review or assessment. Furthermore, I understand the requirements in the College of Engineering and Architecture Honor System and accept the responsibility I have to complete all my work with complete integrity. Students who are suspected of academic dishonesty may not withdraw from the course in which dishonesty is suspected while the case is under review by the Honor Commission (NDSU Policy 335, 5b). For more information about the honor code, and to view a presentation, visit: http://www.ndsu.edu/cea/ug-honor-code.php Students in the Service Veterans and student soldiers with special circumstances or who are activated are encouraged to notify the instructor in advance. Special Needs Any student with disabilities or other special needs who needs accommodation in this course is encouraged to speak with the instructor as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements.
Course Assessment The final grade for this course will be determined by the point system based on the following structure: Assignment Points 1. Classroom/Homework Assignments 100 2. Quizzes (5 @ 20) 100 3. Current Event Papers (2 @ 15) 30 4. MasterFormat Group Presentation 100 5. Midterm Exam 50 6. Group Project 200 7. Group Project Peer Evaluation 10 8. Final Exam 60 Total 650 *IMPORTANT All assignments must be fully completed and submitted to the instructor to receive credit for the course *IMPORTANT The instructor has the right to increase the student's grade based on continuous improvement during the semester and demonstrates sufficient knowledge by the end of the course. The student's grade will not be lower than the total points earned. Grading Scale: A = 585-650; A student in this category has a mastery of all course material and communicates this knowledge to the instructor in a highly effective manner. This student attends all classes, turns in all assessments and assignments on time with accurate and organized solutions, and develops a final project that is of the highest quality. B = 520-584; A student in this category has a good understanding of all course material and communicates this knowledge to the instructor in an effective manner. This student attends all classes, turns in all assessments and assignments on time with accurate and organized solutions, and develops a final project that is of high quality. C = 455-519; A student in this category has an average understanding of all course material and communicates this knowledge to the instructor in an effective manner. This student attends most classes, turns in all assessments and assignments on time with accurate and organized solutions, and develops a final project that is of average quality. D = 390-454; A student in this category has a below average understanding of all course material and does not communicates gained knowledge to the instructor in an effective manner. This student may miss several classes, does not turn in assessments and assignments with accurate and organized solutions, and develops a final project that is of below average quality. F < 390; A student in this category has a below average understanding of all course material and does not communicate gained knowledge to the instructor in an effective manner. This student may miss several classes, does not turn in all assessments and assignments on time with accurate and organized solutions, and develops a final project that is of poor quality.
Assignment Descriptions All assignments are to be completed by the time indicated by the instructor. Points may be deducted from late assignments unless prior approval is given by the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to plan ahead and budget an appropriate amount of time to complete the assignments. Individual Assignments During the semester, you will be asked to complete in-class or homework assignments to demonstrate your understanding of the course material. These assignments may consist of in-class work, homework, or on-line assignments. Assignments are due as indicated by the instructor. After this time, the solutions will be posted on-line. If you do not turn in the assignment before the solutions are posted, you will not receive credit for the assignment. If you are absent from class, you are still responsible for turning in the assignment by this time, unless prior approval has been given by the instructor. The details for these assignments will become available during the semester when needed. Some individual assignments will only be available during class and cannot be made-up if the student is absent. Quizzes Quizzes may be in class or on-line. Quizzes may include any content covered in class up to that point. There will be at least a one-week notice for quizzes. All quizzes are open-note and open-book. On-line Quizzes Quizzes will be posted on Blackboard. Quizzes will be available during the indicated time frame. Quiz questions will be multiple-choice, multiple answer, matching, true/false, or short-answer.. Quizzes will be timed. Therefore, you must have studied the material before attempting the quiz. There may be time to reference your notes or the book to recall already learned material, but there will not be enough time to learn the material as you take the quiz. Quizzes are forced choice. Once you submit a response, you will not be able to look at previously answered questions. Quizzes will not be forced completion. You do not have to complete the quiz in the same session after it begins. However, the timer will not stop once you begin, whether you are logged in or not. If you lose internet connection or the quiz malfunctions, you need to log back in and continue the quiz within the time frame. Before beginning the quiz, please read the "Read This First" document carefully. It will give you specific quiz instructions and let you know if you need any specific resources for the quiz. In-Class Quizzes Quizzes will be timed. Therefore, you must have studied the material before attempting the quiz. There may be time to reference your notes or the book to recall already learned material, but there will not be enough time to learn the material as you take the quiz. You will be made aware ahead of time any resources required for the quiz Pop Quizzes Pop quizzes may be given at various times during this semester. These quizzes are designed to make sure each student is keeping up with the required assignments and readings throughout the semester. If you are absent, pop-quizzes cannot be made-up.
Current Event Papers During the semester you will write three, one-page papers (350-400 words), on a current event. The information can come from the newspaper, magazine article, construction-related journal, or other appropriate media. Be sure to properly site the source you used for the paper. The topic needs to relate to the construction industry and how the current event affects new knowledge and technologies in pricing or estimating. Submit these papers as a word document attachment in the appropriate SafeAssign link on Blackboard. Current event papers will be graded on the following criteria: Paper effectively communicates the topic throughout the paper Paper has an organized thought process and does not digress from the main point Proper paragraph structure is used including topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a conclusion Paper is developed with enough specific information demonstrating an understanding of the material and how it relates to the construction industry The tone of the paper is professional; proper language and word choice are used to present information in the highest academic quality The writer uses proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, and sentence structure Your writing assignments need to be proofread and revised to ensure high quality use of the English language. Writing assignments are expected to increase in quality as the semester progresses, and instructor comments are expected to be incorporated in subsequent papers. If writing is not one of your strong abilities, it is highly recommended that you visit the writing center for advice. Midterm Exam A midterm Exam will be given to determine your understand of the course content. This exam may be in-class, on-line, or a combination of both. This exam will contain any material covered in class up to that point. MasterFormat Specification Manual Group Presentation During the semester, you will be part of a group responsible for presenting on a particular division or divisions from the MasterFormat Specifications Manual. You are responsible for presenting the class with a comprehensive experience of this material. Refer to the "MasterFormat Group Presentation Guidelines" document for the requirements. Before the presentation, submit all material as electronic files on Blackboard. If files cannot be reasonably converted to electronic files, submit these documents to the instructor on the due date of the presentation. There will be a peer review for this presentation. Final Group Project The main assignment for the course will be a project in which your group will prepare a full bid proposal. This project will incorporate all the aspects of construction estimating learned throughout the semester. Details of the project will be provided as needed. The project will require one full set of 24" x 36" contract drawings per group. The drawings can be downloaded from Blackboard and printed at Mathison's at 1213 NP Avenue; http://www.mathisons.com/index.aspx Final Exam The final exam will summarize all the material learned throughout the course. It will be structured similar to the quizzes and the midterm exam. You will have 120 to complete the exam. The final exam will be during the normal exam time for this class.
Attendance Learning is an active process. The only way to get the most of education is to be an active participant in the discussions and activities. You are expected to come to class every day, prepared and ready to engage in the class events. You will be responsible for information that was discussed during class that day. Some in class assignments and pop-quizzes cannot be made-up, unless prior approval is given by the instructor. Other Course Information Class Preparation Each day in class we will be using the knowledge gained throughout the entire semester. It is important you come to class each day will the tools required to be productive. Each day you need to bring the following items to class: Previous class notes Current day's class notes which will be posted at least 24 hours in advance Calculator (a cell phone is not a calculator) Textbook All class lecture material, assignments, and notes will be posted on Blackboard. Independent Work As with most industries, construction involves constant collaboration with coworkers and colleagues. You are encouraged to talk to your fellow classmates about assignments and the development of solutions. However, collaboration does NOT mean copying. You are expected to do absolutely as much as possible on your own. Then when you have exhausted your own knowledge and resources, then you may collaborate with others. All assignments are expected to be the individual student's own work. Quality of Work The construction industry is just like any other professional industry. The quality of work in this industry needs to be of the highest caliber. When communicating ideas, it is imperative to be neat and organized, so the receiver of the information has a clear understanding of the thought process used to solve problems. You are expected to turn in the highest quality work on all assignments. Your thought process, equations, and solutions need to be clear, neat, and well-organized. All work needs to be submitted as though you are presenting it to the owner of your company. At a minimum, assignments should be written on engineering paper and include the following: Your name Assignment number Equations used during the solution process Headings or labels to show the thought process used to develop the solution Clearly marked answers Units on all answers Neat handwriting; the ability for the instructor to understanding each number and letter very clearly You are expected to show all your work on assignments. Partial credit will be given for processes that are correct even if the final answer is not. *Assignments that do not meet this standard of quality will be returned for revisions.
An example of the minimum quality of work expected can be viewed by opening the "Sample Work" document under the "course information" tab on Blackboard. Turning in Assignments All assignments not turned in during class or on Blackboard may be turned in by sliding them under my office door in FLC 210H. Do not place them in my box. Communication Please check your email frequently. This is the main method I will you for communication. If you need to contact me, email is the best way. I will be in my office during the posted office hours. However, you are more than welcome to stop by and see me anytime or call.
Week Date Topic Reading Due Assignment Due 1 Aug. 22 Intro 2 Aug. 27 Estimating Basics Chapters 1-4, 21 Introduce Group Project Aug. 29 Labor / Equipment Costs Chapter 7, 8 3 Sept. 3 Labor Day NO CLASS Sept. 5 Means Manual 4 Sept. 10 Quiz 1 Sept. 12 Print Contract Drawings 5 Sept. 17 Gen Requirements Group 1 Presentation Existing Conditions Sept. 19 Career Expo (5 extra credit points for attending) 6 Sept. 24 Earthwork Chapter 9 Group 2 Presentation Sept. 26 Quiz 2 7 Oct. 1 Oct. 3 Concrete Chapter 10 Group 3 Presentation 8 Oct. 8 Masonry Chapter 11 Group 4 Presentation Oct. 10 Computers in Estimating Chapter 5 Quiz 3 9 Oct. 15 Current Event Paper #1 Due Oct. 17 10 Oct. 22 Midterm Exam Oct. 24 Metals Chapter 12 Group 5 Presentation 11 Oct. 29 Wood, Plastics, Composites Chapter 13 Group 6 Presentation Thermal and Moisture Protection Chapter 14 Oct. 31 Openings Chapter 15 Group 7 Presentation Finishes Chapter 16 Specialties Quiz 4 12 Nov. 5 Equipment Group 8 Presentation Furnishings Special Construction Conveying Equipment Nov. 7 Fire Suppression Group 9 Presentation Plumbing Chapter 18 HVAC Chapter 19 Electrical Chapter 17 13 Nov. 12 Veterans Day NO CLASS Nov. 14 Profit and Overhead Chapter 20, 6 Current Event Paper #2 Due 14 Nov. 19 Cash Flow and Billing Quiz 5 Nov. 21 15 Nov. 26 Final Group Presentations Nov. 28 Final Group Presentations 16 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 Final Project; Peer Evaluation Dec. 11 Final Exam; 8:00am 10:00am in CIE 101 * The professor has the right to modify the schedule at any time to account for changes in class time or material that needs to be covered.