U.S. COST offers an array of special services to facility owners, architects and engineers. Using our expert in-house and consultant personnel, our Special Services Group (SSG) provides:
Criteria Development
Facility criteria development, guidance and policies and procedures manuals on A/E services, facility types, and architectural/ engineering disciplines. Training and training aids in focused areas of expertise (e.g., sustainable design; anti-terrorism)
Market Analysis
Expert analyses of market and geophysical conditions impacting construction cost and schedule, including general economic trends and specific conditions relative to a given geographic area, vertical market or project type
Trend analysis and emerging technologies assessment. Conducts studies and counsels clients on appropriate utilization choices among alternative approaches, processes and tools (including commercial off-the-shelf software selection and adaptation/ use) for project controls
Life Cycle Cost Assessment
Performs due diligence studies on the economic viability of alternative approaches to facility planning and programming. Includes life cycle cost assessment and analysis, facility initial quality and long-term viability surveys.
If it involves a facility, our Special Services Group (SSG) can evaluate its economic viability, its life cycle and initial construction costs, and determine its design and construction parameters.
U.S. COST SSG uses state-of-the-art software, techniques and resources in executing assignments for clients such as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, and the New York City Office of Management and Budget, among others.
Parametric Modeling
U.S. COST is expert in the development of benchmark costs for, and the full execution of, cost models. In 1998, U.S. COST was tasked to develop the Parametric Cost Estimating Models (PCEM) application by converting previously developed Air Force models to work in a stand-alone application in the Windows environment using SuccessEstimator as the calculation/database engine. The Parametric Cost Estimating Models (PCEM) are used to prepare estimates for commonly constructed facilities including Administration, Communications, Dining, Hangar, Dormitories, Maintenance, Medical, Storage, and other facilities such as Child Care Centers and Temporary Lodging. The task included updating discrete functional space areas (FSA) to current military standards (level of finish, space allocations, features and amenities) as well as re-pricing of the FSA and base building shell elements to reflect baseline benchmark costs for a given geographic area.
Model Basis of Design. To execute the parametric modeling task, U.S. COST prepares a detailed basis of design narrative outlining the relationships between the various systems subsystems and assemblies (SSA) (e.g., structural elements, major building systems) and the large scale parameters, driving characteristics and each other.
Cost Ranges and Model Parameters. Once the baseline costs are established for the SSA associated with the functional space areas, the model building team assessed the upper and lower range of costs based on user selected parameters. This information becomes the basis for models costing.
Model Execution. In order to make those parameters and costs usable, the U.S. COST cost modeling team exercises the full power of the SuccessEstimator computation and data analysis engine. They prepare the user input forms, parameters, and algorithms for developing fully detailed (labor, material, equipment) based parametric estimates.
Additional cost database building and cost modeling tasks have been completed by the U.S. COST estimating/model building teams for
- Merck Pharmaceuticals (Laboratory Model)
- NASA
- Proctor & Gamble
- NAVFAC (Additional PCEM Models)
