Independent Cost Estimate Workbook

Dated cost inputs go in before the solicitation goes out, and a documented independent estimate comes out that every bid is checked against. You build labour, materials and other-direct-cost lines, escalate them to the performance midpoint, add your own contingency, and log the source and date behind every rate and unit cost. The workbook confirms the estimate is dated before bid or proposal receipt and reads the threshold band in force from a versioned reference table with citation and effective date. It then flags each bidder's variance from the estimate against tolerance bands you set. It contains no rate, unit cost, escalation, contingency or tolerance figure of its own, so every number is yours.