BurnsleyTech Academy in partnership with Ornament Engineering Limited and Nigerian Society Engineers – Omoku Branch hosted a Three Day Training on Cost Estimation & Budgeting, Business Investment Cost Appraisals, Rate/Tender Analysis & Project Cost Scheduling & Control Using ESTIMATOR, Excel Solver & MS Project. The training was hosted on the 23rd of August 2018 at the BurnsleyTech Academy Hub in Port Harcourt, and had in attendance the following professionals; engineers, builders, architects, quantity surveyors, project managers, planners and consultants.

The trainer, Engr. Sunny Egbiki is a german trained engineer. He is a consultant instructor in ESTIMATOR and various civil engineering software for modelling and design. ESTIMATOR is a software that project engineers, managers and their stakeholders use to keep track of work. The program combines spreadsheet and word processing for project calculations.

On the first day, the participants got a copy of the software, including training manuals, video tutorials, project management template, cost template, and other necessary resource materials. The trainer did some refresher on basic engineering knowledge;

Below is the rule of thumb for estimating the weight of reinforcement based on volume of concrete.

Concrete Member                         Weight of Reinforcement.

Slab                                                                80 – 100 kg/m^3

Beam                                                            200 – 220 kg/m^3

Column                                                        200 – 250 kg/m^3

Foundation                                                  100 – 120 kg/m^3

Did you know that in making estimates, a residential building carries the lowest estimate, and industrial buildings use the highest estimate.

During the second day, students got a hands-on experience using ESTIMATOR, MS Project, and MS Excel Solver. MS Excel Solver is a plugin within EXCEL that can be put into action from the task bar for controlling cost. These softwares were used in combination for rate/tender analysis, budgeting and appraisal.

On the final day, students executed a top-to-bottom estimation for a case study project. Putting into practise project planning, budgeting, cost control, and baseline metrics. This case study project was designed for students to showcase their skills in planning, design, and project management.

Generally, the training was a success. The feedback from the participants were very good, and a WhatsApp support group was created to enable the cohort access help beyond the training.