Belfast 02890 480066 Dublin 00353 1 536 3235
Glasgow 0141 255 2821 London: 0203 637 9161 Manchester: 0161 883 3939

3 Tips For Better Construction Cost Management

Posted on 11/03/15 by admin

Construction Cost Management

Cost management is how a business controls and plans its costs of doing everyday business. Every type of business needs to do this efficiently if they want to succeed and thrive, including those in the construction industry. This means that before a construction business starts a new project it must identify and analyse all of the expected expenses and get them approved in advance in order to stay within its budget.

If all of the costs are not fully analysed and defined in advance, or if you don’t periodically re-evaluate how the project is going, then there could be serious problems with unexpected overspending. Construction projects in particular have their own potential issues due to various rules and regulations governing the way they are handled. By following theses suggestions of effective construction cost management you can save your business from making serious financial mistakes:

  1. Identify the Price for Global Commodities

Most construction projects need materials like metal, cement, wood, or even special materials like marble or ceramic. The costs for these and other needed materials should be identified prior to starting the building project so your company knows how to develop its building budget. Be sure to get cost estimates from several different sources to see which one best suits your needs.

  1. Compare Costs to Previous Similar Projects

Another good tip is to always compare the costs from a similar construction project to see how it compares to the one you are getting ready to begin. This way you can keep track of whether or not the prices for materials, labour, etc. have gone up or down and plan accordingly. The costs of everything from nails to salaries should be managed and determined based on the most up to date information as possible and not just by throwing out numbers.

  1. Consider the use of Special Construction or Project Management Software

Today’s construction workers and companies need to take advantage of special project management software programs that can help keep track of the entire project from planning stages to completion. Plus, it gives everyone from the managers to the workers a way to input their data all in one place and to do things like send out updates via emails, do reports for your boss, update personnel on any changes.

The best thing is that it keeps it all in one place and it can’t get lost like it could if everything was done on paper. It can be kept in the cloud so that various workers can update their parts from the work site as long as they have an Internet connection, thus saving time, as well as money.

The main point to take away is that if proper construction cost management practices are not undertaken prior to starting any small or large building project, the end result could be disasters such as overspending, going past the deadline for completion and disgruntled employees and clients. So, be sure to do proper planning and analysis in order to make the costs for your construction project stay within your budget.