It deals in a practical and reasonable way with many of the estimating problems which can arise where building and civil engineering works are carried out and to include comprehensive estimating data within the guidelines of good practice. The early part of the book has been completely rewritten to contain chapters useful to students and practitioners alike for the development of the estimating process resulting in the presentation of a tender for construction works. The second and major part of the book contains estimating data fully updated for the major elements in building and civil engineering work, including a new chapter on piling, and a wealth of constants for practical use in estimating. The estimating examples are based on the current edition of the Standard Method of Measurement for Building Works (SMM7). The comprehensive information on basic principles of estimating found in 'Spence Geddes' are still as valid today as the first edition. In this edition the prevailing rates of labour and costs of materials are taken whenever possible as a round figure. Readers will appreciate in the construction industry that prices are continually changing, rise and fall, and that worked examples should therefore be used as a guide to method of calculation substituting in any specific case the current rates applicable to it. In the case of plant output dramatic increases have been experienced in productivity over recent years and again estimators with their own records should substitute values appropriate to their work.
