Cost estimating practices in Australian construction

The aim of the paper is to examine attitudes of general contractors operating in the Sydney region to the potential use of probability estimating and databases in cost estimating. A sample of 10 large general contractors with a turnover over $100m was selected for the study, which took place in 1993. Responses of the contractors to a standard questionnaire were obtained using face to face interviews. The research described in this paper confirmed the popularity of traditional single value estimating and highlighted the lack of use of probability cost estimating by the general contractors surveyed. The limited availability of client‐prepared bills of quantities for tendering has neither diminished their popularity among bidding contractors nor increased the use of elemental cost planning. Although databases are generally available, subjective judgements of estimators are of greater value in cost estimating. The research has concluded that a change in the estimating paradigm towards probability cost estimating, and the use of databases, are unlikely to occur in the near future.