GETTING STARTED GUIDE DESIGNER EDITION STEEL estimator VERSION 1

GETTING STARTED GUIDE DESIGNER EDITION VERSION 1 Product 1905-GSD-1 www.ess.com.au TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT NOTICE 3 copy restrictions 3 disclaimer 3 INTRODUCTION 4 RCM 5 WHAT IS IT? 5 WHY IS RCM A BETTER METHOD? 5 WHAT ROLE DOES STEELestimator PLAY? 5 STEELestimator OVERVIEW 7 DESIGNER 7 FABRICATOR 7 FABRICATOR PRO 7 UPDATE & Registration 8 HOW STEELestimator WORKS 9 GETTING HELP 11 STARTING A PROJECT 12 STEP 1 - ENTER COMPANY DETAILS 12 STEP 2 - CREATE A NEW PROJECT 12 STEP 3 - PROJECT INFORMATION 12 STEP 4 - CREATE ZONE 12 STEP 5 - TAKEOFF USING FORMS 12 STEP 6 - VIEWING DATA 13 STEP 7 - REPORTING 13 TERMS 14 IS THE DESIGNER EDITION FOR ME? 15 BACKGROUND IMAGE 16 TRAINING 17 AISC TABLE REFERENCES 18 SIMPLE TUTORIAL 20 ADD CLIENT DETAILS 20 CREATING A NEW PROJECT 21 CREATING ZONE 23 DETAILING OUR PROJECT 24 VIEWING THE ACTIVITIES 26 REPORTING 27 Suggestions For Exploring Further 28 SOFTWARE LICENCE AGREEMENT FOR STEELESTIMATOR 30 COPYRIGHT NOTICE COPY RESTRICTIONS The software and the accompanying written materials are the subject of copyright. Unauthorised copying of the software including the software which has been modified, merged or included with other software or the written materials purchased with the software is expressly forbidden. You may be held legally responsible for any copyright infringement which is caused or encouraged by your failure to abide by the terms of this Licence Agreement. For more details on the conditions pertaining to STEELestimator, please refer to the appropriate licence agreement at the end of this document. DISCLAIMER The information contained within the data files of this software have been primarily derived from the AISC Journal 1 . The “Steel Supply Costs” (Appendix A1 of AISC Journal) has been updated to reflect the current availability and relative costs. This “Designer” Edition of STEELestimator is intended to provide users with a tool to produce a guide to the relative costs for various construction options. If absolute values are required then the “Fabricator” or “Fabricator Pro” edition should be used by a suitably qualified estimator to produce the cost estimate. Users of this version should note that: A) The values provided do not include any GST B) The values provided are averaged national values and therefore vary from region to region and from fabricator to fabricator. C) Attention must be given to the particular circumstances and conditions of the project for which the steelwork is being estimated. While every effort has been made to ensure that the accuracy of the information provided in this software, neither the software developers, its agents and distributors in any way accept the liability for the loss of any kind resulting from the use of such information. 1. Journal of the Australian Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 30, No.2, June 1996 - “Costing of Steelwork from Feasibility Through to Completion.” Engineering Software Solutions STEELestimator (Designer Edition) Page 3 INTRODUCTION To remain competitive in the global market, a business must use all the information it can to gain a competitive edge. STEELestimator is a computer based software package which will assist some segments of the steel industry to adopt IT systems which can dramatically streamline the costing of steelwork from feasibility through to completion. STEELestimator enables the end user to cost steelwork using a Rational Costing Method (RCM). This method involves the storage, retrieval and manipulation of a vast amount of detailed data at a higher level. By considering all the individual costs associated with the construction of the steel structure, STEELestimator is able to produce a rational and accurate estimate of the cost of steelwork. RCM WHAT IS IT? A Rational Costing Method (RCM) was developed and published by BHP, in conjunction with AISC in 1996 in response to the need to construct more economical steel structures. The publication called “Steel Construction - Costing of Steelwork From Feasibility Through to Completion” has been supplied by BHP on the STEELestimator CD ROM for your convenience. The Rational Costing Method addresses the following five key needs: • Simple to understand; • Reliable and more accurate; • Consistent in approach from initial project costing to fabricator’s detailed costing; • A clear focus on the elements which have a significant effect on the final cost; and • Able to determine and account for contract variations. The methodology divides the costs into four main components: • Steel supply • Fabrication (Shop) • Surface treatment • Erection (Field) For any steel member, each of the component costs can be determined from the cost data table and summed to provide the total erection cost. WHY IS RCM A BETTER METHOD? Traditional methods used to estimate the erection cost of steelwork for a project are usually calculated on a cost per tonne basis. Though measuring the quantity of steel and multiplying it by a rate is a simple way to estimate, it relies on the skill of the estimator and carries some risk. Steel supply costs are typically only forty percent of the total steelwork, while the remaining sixty percent is derived from shop detailing, fabricators, surface protection and erection which are more difficult to quantify. As a result contingencies have to be added which makes the price of steelwork less competitive. WHAT ROLE DOES STEELestimator PLAY? Although the philosophy of the RCM is both rational and simple, the amount of data requiring manipulation is considerable and this factor has greatly inhibited its adoption by the construction industry. Recent developments in IT have allowed large amounts of data to be stored, retrieved and manipulated quite routinely. STEELestimator utilises these developments to implement the philosophy of the RCM, making what was once a rigorous task of producing an accurate cost estimate, a fast and simple one. STEELestimator OVERVIEW STEELestimator comes in three editions to suit the end users needs. They include: • Designer • Fabricator • Fabricator Pro This document concentrates on the “Designer” version and does not explore the extensive depth of the Fabricator editions. In brief, the version contains the following features. DESIGNER Designer was developed to provide a useful tool to engineers, quantity surveyors and design professionals to obtain accurate costings based on industry average pricing as published by the AISC and BHP at various times. The Designer version is generally distributed freely throughout the industry to encourage the use of the RCM for improved costings. Cost of material and other resources are not editable within Designer restricting the end user to use predefined date tables when creating job costing. An extensive range of material and fabrication items are supplied with STEELestimator allowing you to be productive in minutes. FABRICATOR Fabricator is a fully featured edition of STEELestimator designed for a single user. You can create your own intelligent fabricated items formed from purchased items and actions driven by a resource. Enter in your prices and cost for every area of your business and manage access through a four level security system. FABRICATOR PRO The main difference is that Pro has been developed for use over a Wide Area Network or Local Area Network using a multi user SQL server. This product is well suited for large fabricators where more than one person is working on a project. UPDATE & REGISTRATION Over time the rates and prices incorporated in the Designer edition will become outdated. For this reason Engineering Software Solutions will make available through the internet updated data tables. To be advised of updates we recommend you register your software and check our website regularly. Visit www.ess.com.au for registration and updates. Alternatively you can print the registration form located in the “Docs” folder on the CD ROM. To minimise the problems with software being used after its use by date the Designer edition has a limited life of twelve months from date of installation. HOW STEELestimator WORKS STEELestimator can be thought of as a set of simple data entry dialog forms that sorts information into one of two main databases. These databases are called: Global - Contains your companies standard rates and prices along with a register of project and client information. In the case of the Designer version it contains the predefined average rates published by BHP and AISC. Project - The project database contains data that is relevant to a project. This may include a copy of the Global rates for modification at the project level only, along with the project estimate data called the Activity Table. The following illustration provides a systematic view of STEELestimator and how data is exchanged and manipulated. The rectangular box generally indicates a range of dialog boxes in the software to view or enter data from the database (cylindrical shapes). The oval symbols represent the logical process of combining data and generating calculations. The last items are the two report sections on the right side of the chart. Reports can be produced from the core data such as standard rates while the Activity Reports are created using the estimated takeoff date created in the Activity Table. All areas of the software are accessible from within STEELestimator except for Designer which has limited access to the Global database. This means that you will not be able to add or modify existing industry based rates. [...]... for you convenience The Fabricator edition of STEELestimator allows the user to define their own coding structure that best fits their needs AISC Table A1 .1 A1 .1 A1.2 A1.2 A1.3 A1.4 A1.5 A1.6 A1.7 A1.8 A1.8 A1.9 A1 .10 A1 .11 A1 .12 A1 .13 A1 .14 A1 .15 A1 .16 A1 .17 A1 .18 A1 .19 A1 .19 A1 .19 A1.20 A1. 21 A1.22 A2 .1. 1 A2 .1. 1 A2 .1. 1 A2 .1. 1 A2 .1. 1 A2 .1. 2 A2 .1. 2 A2 .1. 2 A2 .1. 2 A2 .1. 2 Table Name Universal Beams & Welded... Connections Costs Splice Connections Costs STEELestimator Code UB WB UC WC PFC TFB EA UA FB PL5G250 PL5G350 PL8G250L15 FPL CHSC250LO CHSC350LO SHS RHS Z or C10 010 SSD SS SP150 PROSIN0.42CB PROTRAP0.42CB PROCTRAP0.48CB RB M12X30G4.6ASSY M16X50G8.8ASSY WSP60 FEP60 MH60 M60 BP60 SCW/B6050% SCFB6050% SCW/B6 010 0% SCFB6 010 0% SCWSP60 AISC Table A2 .1. 3 A2 .1. 3 A2 .1. 3 A2 .1. 4 Table Name Notch End of Beam & Cope... to detailing ratio Discover the filtering capability in the activity reports (eg filter by zone) 1- 5 Hawke Street, Albert Park South Australia 5 014 P.O Box 215 0, Port Adelaide South Australia 5 015 Phone (+ 61) 8 82 41 0575 Facsimile (+ 61) 8 82 41 0070 (ACN 063 969 059) SOFTWARE LICENCE AGREEMENT FOR STEELESTIMATOR This is a legal document and represents an agreement between you, the end user, and Engineering... Australia, 5 014 Phone 08 82 41 0575, Fax 08 82 41 0070 or Email ess@ess.com.au However, if you only need to perform accurate estimates using average industry rates the Designer version will generally meet your needs BACKGROUND IMAGE You can change the background image of STEELestimator to suit your personal preference Simply create a BITMAP file called “logo.bmp” and copy it to the STEELestimator directory... with STEELestimator you’re able to review your project in more details than ever before TERMS To gain a sound understanding of STEELestimator it is important that you begin to understand how data is used and the meaning of the terms For this reason we recommend that you enter the online help and read the various parts associated with “Using STEELestimator” IS THE DESIGNER EDITION FOR ME? The Designer. .. A2 .1. 5 A2.2 .1 A2.2 .1 A2.2 .1 A2.2 .1 A2.2 .1 A2.2 .1 A2.2.2 Bracing Connection Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Truss Web Member Fabrication Costs Stiffeners Fabrication Costs A2.2.3 Penetrations Fabrication Costs A2.2.4 A2.2.5 A2.2.6 A2.2.7 A2.2.8 A2.3 .1 A2.3.2.. .GETTING HELP Throughout STEELestimator you will find a help button located in the bottom right corner of each dialog box or from the pull down menu Help is sensitive to your current task and will provide help on that task when launched from a dialog box The online help covers every section of STEELestimator and in addition, support and estimating concepts STARTING A PROJECT As a user of the STEELestimator... The Designer edition of STEELestimator has some very limiting features with the most obvious being the capability to modify, add or delete stock items, resource and action If you are from an organisation that needs to price steelwork up using your own standard processes then you need the Fabricator edition You can place an order by simply contacting Engineering Software Solutions at: 1- 5 Hawke Street,... this agreement or this warranty or if you desire to contact Engineering Software Solutions Pty Ltd for any reason, please phone (+ 61) 8 82 41 0575, fax (+ 61) 8 82 41 0070, email ess@ess.com.au or write to: Engineering Software Solutions Pty Ltd PO Box 215 0 Port Adelaide 5 015 South Australia ... quickly using the basic command sets within STEELestimator Project details: •Project Code = •Title = •Client = Simple 01 Simple Project First Company Pty Ltd We shall assume that this project has two clearly defined scope of work (Zones) begin: •Warehouse building with a Zinc Silicate surface treatment and shop detailing work based on a fabrication time (Ratio 5 to 1) •Office building with a Zinc Silicate . CHSC250LO A1 .12 Circular Hollow Sections CHSC350LO A1 .13 Square Hollow Sections SHS A1 .14 Rectangular Hollow Sections RHS A1 .15 Purlins & Girts Z or C10 010 A1 .16 Structural Steel Decking SSD A1 .17 . Taper Flange Beams TFB A1.5 Equal Angles EA A1.6 Unequal Angles UA A1.7 Flats FB A1.8 Plate PL5G250 A1.8 Plate PL5G350 A1.9 Grade L15 Plate PL8G250L15 A1 .10 Floor Plate FPL A1 .11 Circular Hollow Sections. PROJECT 12 STEP 3 - PROJECT INFORMATION 12 STEP 4 - CREATE ZONE 12 STEP 5 - TAKEOFF USING FORMS 12 STEP 6 - VIEWING DATA 13 STEP 7 - REPORTING 13 TERMS 14 IS THE DESIGNER EDITION FOR ME? 15 BACKGROUND