Examination of estimates: features of the procedure, procedure, types and examples

As you know, the cost of work performed depends on their volume and is determined by the result of communication with the customer. But at the same time, in the process of carrying out construction work, a person must pay for a large number of various services and goods, as a result of which it is quite difficult to get confused in the whole list. For this reason, many people prefer to order a service such as examination of estimates providing the ability to accurately determine the amount of the required payment.

Why is it needed?

In the process of implementing any construction projects, verification of budget documentation should be carried out. Examination of the estimate eliminates all sorts of errors, because even small flaws in the project can ultimately provoke a serious cost overrun. Today, carrying out such a procedure is necessary not only from a technical point of view, but also is extremely important in conditions of fierce competition. A reliable determination of the cost of the construction of an object in many ways allows you to determine how correctly the distribution and effective use of investment will be made.

Modern practice suggests that over time, the examination of estimates becomes only more popular, because the problem of eliminating all kinds of errors, inaccuracies or even deliberate additions has not disappeared. In some situations, such oversights are the result of ordinary carelessness, while others prefer to use criminal schemes to generate unlawful income. Mostly violations create material losses for the investor, which undermine the overall quality of construction, but in some situations they can be exacerbated by more serious consequences, including even criminal prosecution.

It is for these reasons that a professional examination of estimates is extremely necessary, since it is necessary to ensure the most careful control over the expenditure documentation so that it fully complies with current standards and market prices. At the same time, it is immediately worth noting that the cost of carrying out such procedures is determined separately in relation to each specific project, since there are also a lot of nuances that need to be clarified.

What is the use of the depositor?

An independent examination of the estimates ensures that the person who decided to invest his own money in construction ensures that all the necessary standards are fully respected in the course of the work. During the preparation of any construction projects, a whole list of documents is drawn up, which are also required to achieve the required level of quality, because if there are no clear instructions regarding the type and quantity of materials, the contractor may eventually want to save, which can lead to a significant decrease in the quality of the final result.

That is why in the process of making estimates it is customary to indicate even insignificant details, and special attention is paid to all necessary works and materials, including their exact cost. The total amount of project documentation compiled directly depends on how complex and large-scale the planned construction is, and it must be correctly understood that the larger the estimated budget, the easier it is to hide in various errors that can be detected only by an independent expert review of the estimate.

Especially often, such a service is ordered in the process of various contests and tenders.After all, do not forget that the negative consequences are fraught not only with overpriced, but also with underestimated estimates, which are often resorted to by unscrupulous contractors seeking to receive an order, regardless of what methods need to be used for this. Most often in such situations, the necessary work and materials are simply excluded from the budget documents, and in the process of implementing such a project it turns out that it is impossible to do without them, and the final waste grows one and a half or two times in comparison with those that were originally declared.

Professional non-state examination of estimates allows you to insure yourself against such problems, as experts pay close attention to whether there are all works and materials that are required or may be required to implement this project in this estimate.

Nowadays, all of the above problems are far from uncommon, and therefore many prefer to exclude the possibility of their occurrence due to a timely check.

What errors can be detected?

Examination of construction estimates in the vast majority of cases allows you to determine the following errors:

• Too high labor costs, as well as the total number of machine shifts. In addition, transportation and many other expenses may be inflated, the initial cost of materials and necessary equipment may unreasonably increase in the framework of calculations using the resource method, guided by current prices.
• All kinds of errors in the process of calculating overhead costs and other costs, as well as the planned cost and all kinds of ratios.
• Errors in the process of selecting similar objects.
• Various violations related to the use of mixed prices in the process of adding value. For example, it often happens that an independent or state examination of estimates makes it possible to determine the simultaneous use of prices for 1987, 2001 and this year.
• The increase in construction time, which ultimately inevitably leads to an increase in the necessary costs for labor payment of shift workers, travel and many others.

When should it be done?

The estimates that have passed the examination must be taken by the responsible person, that is, the customer or a person authorized by him. That is why this procedure should be taken care of immediately after the contractor has provided all the necessary documents on this issue. In particular, an estimate for the examination should be submitted in the following cases:

• if necessary, obtain the optimal cost of the construction estimate, which may be required not only by the customer, but also by the contractor;
• in the event that the examination of the construction estimate should be carried out in order to determine the correct use of prices and ratios;
• to verify the implementation of a certain amount of work at the facility, which was indicated in the estimate;
• in order to verify the estimates drawn up for repair, restoration or construction work, the financing of which is carried out from the state budget (in this case, a state examination of the estimates is carried out, the cost of which is also paid from the same source);
• if from all the estimated documentation for tax optimization it is necessary to select only those papers that are directly related to the overhaul or reconstruction;
• before checking in the DSC (Center for Pricing in Construction) in order to maintain confidence in the correctness of the documentation.

In the process of resolving any of the above issues, as well as in many other situations, it is recommended to turn to independent specialists who have long experience in carrying out such work and have gained a good reputation.Professional verification can be carried out in the interests of customers, investors or contractors involved in the performance of work.

What determines this procedure?

Examination of estimates for repairs or construction allows you to analyze the following details:

• the correct use of the coefficients in the process of various calculations;
• the total amount of work that is given in the design estimates provided;
• the state of the facility at the moment, as well as the total amount of work that has been done according to this estimate;
• absence or presence of overstatement of the declared scope of work;
• all kinds of errors, violations, cheating or inaccuracies that may be present in the compiled design and estimate documentation.

Among other things, an independent or judicial examination of the estimate allows you to understand how correctly certain prices are used. To carry out such a check, those prices that were listed in the estimate documentation are compared, not only with market prices, but also with those tariffs that are recommended by the state. Such examinations are usually carried out using a fairly wide range of regulatory frameworks.

The standards that can be used in the process of preparing estimates can be territorial or centralized, as a result of which they can vary quite significantly for different regions.

How is it carried out?

Consider a standard example of an estimate estimate:

1. Initially, the exact goals and composition of the examination are determined, and a detailed discussion is held with the customer regarding the scope of the planned work, as well as the result that he wants to get in the end.
2. A complete package of documentation is collected that may be required to conduct a comprehensive audit. Experts should have the maximum number of required papers, and in particular, they should be given even those that may seem insignificant to both parties. Not everyone understands that competent budgeting has such a feature, and the overall picture can be drawn up only with a complete list of information.
3. Experts carry out all the necessary actions related to the expert evaluation of the received documentation, and the deadlines for completing this work are agreed in advance with the customer. In the overwhelming majority of cases, in order to conduct a detailed examination of the estimate, the specialist must spend from one to four weeks, and here everything already depends on the complexity of the project and the total amount of documents received. It is worth noting that in each case, the cost of the audit is also determined individually, depending on the total amount of work, the urgency of the order and the required result.
4. After the final verification of the construction estimates, the final documentation is drawn up, which clearly displays all the data requested by the client.

At the end of all the procedures, the experts draw up a special report in which they point out any inaccuracies, irregularities or errors in the documentation compiled. Also, if necessary, specialists can make a list of recommendations on how to most optimally eliminate all the defects found.

If the project is financed from the state budget, then in this case the state examination of the estimated documentation is mandatory. In all other cases, special expert bureaus should be involved, working on an independent basis.

The main areas of expertise

Checking the estimated documentation is carried out in two main directions, in which all the papers submitted undergo a thorough analysis for:

• the correct use of prices and ratios;
• compliance of prices indicated in the contracts with those that are currently relevant on the market.

Correctness of Odds and Rates

In the first case, a detailed analysis is carried out of how well the compiled documentation complies with the current rules for using prices and generally accepted coefficients. In this case, both the norms regulated by law and those adopted within a particular industry are taken into account. For the calculations it is customary to use many regulatory frameworks, including:

• territorial unit prices that can be used for any regions;
• federal unit rates used in the process of screening projects funded by the federal budget;
• territorial estimated norms adopted separately by region;
• reference price guide;
• other regulatory frameworks that are established by government bodies or adopted by various commercial organizations and their associations.

Price Matching

In the second case, the examination is aimed primarily at determining the conformity of prices with the current market situation. In this case, during the audit, similar projects should be selected so that the value indicated in them can be compared with those values ​​that were indicated in this estimate. Ultimately, in accordance with the results of the audit for each individual position, a conclusion is drawn on how much these prices correspond to market realities.

It is worth noting that in any of the cases, the need to attract expert organizations in the absence of a direct legislative instruction is determined by the customer himself. At the same time, practice shows that basically the price of such procedures is much lower than the amount that can be saved at the expense of them.

Do I need to keep a surveyor on staff?

The expansion of the staff in favor of the person who will be engaged in constant checking of estimates should only be done if you can load such a specialist with permanent work, and the costs necessary for his maintenance will ultimately be less for you compared to the costs for attracting outsiders specialists. Ultimately, the result will not depend on whether this person is sitting in your office or whether he was engaged on outsourcing terms, but will be determined by the degree of his professionalism.

In the process of making estimates, it is necessary to clearly base on the current standards, as well as justify each individual item of the calculations. When carrying out such work, the technical part of the project is mandatory taken into account, and the estimator should refer to various specifications and paragraphs of documents, use only current prices and local regulations.