BaniEstimations Software

Regions

This is a setup component that before the software starts for the first time after installation, allows users to select the regions in which they operate. Users can also switch from region to region afterwards and anytime without it affecting saved data in a particular region. This allows a user to be able to use the software to handle different or multiple projects in different regions at the same time.

1. Main Menu:

Contains list of all items in BaniEstimations Software.

2. Introduction:

Highlights the about, components & features, the team, terms & conditions, Partners & sponsors, contacts information and the developers of BaniEstimations.

3. Market Data:

This is where the Software is fed with genuine prices of materials, labour rates and plant hiring rates from the market of your area of operation. Specifically, the prices must be the market prices of the locality of the project(s) to tender. The “Market Data” is paramount to the software just as the fuel tank of any vehicle and the data you fill in is very paramount as the fuel in a vehicle’s tank. The accuracy and the credibility of the software’s output in giving responsive tender rates, costs of work items, estimates from the Estimator etc. are wholly dependents of the entered market data from the locations where you operate or you intent to tender for projects.

4. Estimations:

This component generates automated estimates by detailing the inputs and their respective cost required for every possible work item as in:

• Materials: the estimated quantities of all the materials required to be used and their fractional costs are specified and estimated.

• Labour: the estimated man and/or gang hours required by a labourer or gang of labourers to use the materials and/or plant to carry out a work are specified and estimated.

• Plant: the estimated hours to involve any equipment and/or plant if required to carry out a work are also specified with the cost involved.

This is a workstation that feeds other components with inputs required for their estimation processes.

5. Unit Rates:

All the Unit Rates generated in the estimations component are transferred here giving users the choices to decide and adjust percentages of profits and overheads to make them tendering rates. These tendering rates, depending on the inputs in the “Market Data”, are then considered responsive and ready for pricing tender documents or construction works. Users would always have their Units Rates readily available to tender to avoid stampeding during tendering of projects.

6. Cost Analysis:

a. Cost Components: This is used to determine the cost breakdowns of various quantities. For instance, given a bill quantity of 95m3 of concrete you simply select concrete works and enter the quantity against the specific concrete work item as specified and then it gives you the breakdowns in terms of material cost, labour cost and plant cost.

b. Rate Components: This helps you to determine the rate breakdowns of various All-In Rates. For instance, given a bill rate of GH¢40.00 of plastering you simply select finishing works and enter the rate against the specific plastering work item as specified and then it gives you the proportionate breakdowns in terms of material rate, labour rate and plant rate. It doesn’t matter whether the rate was built with this application or not, it’s able to give you those breakdowns supposed to have used at the time of building up the rate.

7. Extractions:

This can be used to extract commercial materials from individual work items. For instance, extracting the bags of cement, trips of sand and aggregates, labour and plant days required for a specified quantity of concrete, 1:2:4/18mm aggregates. It tells you the actual quantities or resources you need to buy or use for an item of work. Substantially, it can be used to extract commercial materials from any given BOQ. For instance, extracting all materials for the substructure, superstructure, and external works separately or all at the same time. It prepares materials schedule for internal and external BOQs. It automatically prepares a complete materials budget for an entire project. It also supports materials reconciliation.

8. BOQs & MSs:

This is the component that is used to automatically prepare a complete priced (with all-in rates and labour rates) or unpriced Bills of Quantities (BOQ) and Materials Schedules for:

a. Non-storey buildings (sliding windows or louvre blade windows types)

b. Storey buildings (sliding windows or louvre blade windows types).

All a user needs to do is to simply fill a designed Specifications Form that requires certain key specifications from architectural drawings for a particular building type and it gives an automated BOQ with the total estimated cost with a complete Materials Schedule.

9. Project Management: in preparing:

a. Programme of works

b. Budgets

c. Production Reports:

    i. All-In/General Production

    ii. Material Production

    iii. Labour Production

    iv. Plant Production

    v. Production Targets and Production Performance Report (PPR).

d. Reconciliations:

     i. Financial reconciliation

     ii. Materials reconciliation

e. Valuations and IPCs

10. Store:

BaniEstimations brings the Ghanaian construction market to the hands of all users where they get access to construction related goods/products and services in their areas of operations for all the regions. Upon entering the STORE, a user can either select GOOD/PRODUCTS and there he/she gets list of all companies selling construction materials or select SERVICES to get list of all the popular and recognized Artisans categorized in various trades in the particular region in which the user signs in.