Chapter 11

Pricing Concrete Work

Objectives• Upon completion of this chapter,

you will be able to:– Describe the job factors and the labor

and management factors that influence the cost of concrete work

– Calculate and compare the costs of different concreting methods

Objectives (cont’d.)– Describe the factors that should be

considered when pricing concrete materials

– Identify the factors to consider when pricing formwork systems

– Calculate the price per unit area of form systems

– Describe the factors that influence the price of reinforcing steel

Objectives (cont’d.)– Price miscellaneous items associated

with concrete work– Complete the recap and pricing of

concrete work using manual methods– Use Excel spreadsheets to price

concrete work– Adjust prices and productivities in

MC2 ICE estimates

Cast-in-Place Concrete Work Generally

• Concreting activities categories:– Supply and placing concrete– Construction and removal of

formwork– Supply and placing reinforcing steel– Miscellaneous associated items

Supplying and Placing Concrete

• Costs include:– Cement– Sand– Aggregate– Water – Equipment to mix and transport

• Concrete mixing and batching plant• Ready mix concrete

Productivity Placing Concrete

• Cost of placing concrete in required position– Depends on a large number of factors

• Job factors• Labor and management factors

Job Factors• Method of placing concrete

– Pouring– Hand-operated or powered buggies– Concrete pumps– Conveyors– Combination of two or more methods

• Ready-mixed concrete– Delivery rate

Job Factors (cont’d.)• Properties of the concrete to be

placed– Higher-slump mixtures: sloppier– Lower-slump mixtures: flow more

easily– Superplasticizer additives: produce

high-slump– Fiber reinforced concrete: improves

tensile strength

Job Factors (cont’d.)• Size and shape of concrete structures

– Large volume concrete “pours” cost less– Placing concrete continuously is more

economical– Size and shape will impact placing method

• Amount of rebar in forms– Large amounts may call for high slump

Job Factors (cont’d.)• Concreting productivity rates

– Most contractors maintain a database of historic unit prices• Previous cost reports• Site observations of work in progress

– Refer to Figure 11.1

Concrete Materials• Prices for ready-mixed concrete

– Obtained from local supplier price list• Quotations usually have conditions and

extra charges attached• Several issues to consider

• Waste factors– Allowances for waste and spillage

• Increase takeoff quantities or raise price

Formwork• Wide range of methods

– Number of costs to consider:• Building and maintaining the form

system• Setting up the system• Removing the system • Other costs (e.g., transportation, storage,

etc.)

Formwork Productivity• Items that impact productivity and

cost:– Potential for reuse of a form system– Complexity of formwork design– Use of “fly forms” (“gang forms”)– Number of form ties required for a

system

• Formwork productivity rates:– Refer to Figure 11.3

Pricing Formwork Materials

• Material costs include:– Rental or purchase cost of all

components– Form hardware cost

• Total system price:– Expressed as a price per square foot or

square meter of formwork

• Calculating price:– Use of computer programs

Reinforcing Steel• Includes welded wire mesh and

reinforcing bars– Additional cost constituents:

• Rebar shop drawings• Raw steel bars• Handling, cutting, bending, and identifying

rebar• Transporting the bars to the site• Spacers, chairs, saddles, and ties used • Labor cost of installation

Reinforcing Steel (cont’d.)• Reinforcing steel—installation

productivity:– Affected by:

• Size and lengths of the reinforcing bars• Shapes of the bars• Complexity of the concrete design• Amount of tolerance allowed in spacing of

bars• Amount of tying required

Miscellaneous Concrete Work Items

• Concreting operations– Several associated items

• Pricing miscellaneous concrete materials– May not be exactly clear

• Example: items of setting slab screed

Wage Rates• Basic hourly wages

– Equipment operator: $40.00– Labor foreman: $33.00– Laborer: $30.00– Cement finisher: $37.00– Carpentry foreman: $41.00– Carpenter: $38.00– Rebar rodman: $43.00

Examples• Concrete Work Recap and Pricing

Notes Example 1—House– Refer to Figures 11.9 through Figure

11.11

• Concrete Work Pricing Notes Example 2—Office/Warehouse Building– Refer to Figure 11.12

Pricing Using MC2 ICE Software• Items measured in takeoff

– Automatically priced from the unit price catalogue

– Can be modified• Labor rates: refer to Figures 11.13 and

11.14• Material prices: refer to Figure 11.15

Using the Drill Down Navigation Bar

• Estimate Maintenance window– Values may be changed

• Set up to show all items measured in takeoff

– May be useful to focus on specific parts of the estimate• Refer to Figure 11.17

Summary• Main categories for pricing concrete:

– Supply and placing concrete– Construction and removal of formwork– Supply and placing reinforcing steel– Miscellaneous items associated with

concrete work

• Productivity:– Influenced by several factors