Knowledge Bases
The heart
of ICE® is its Knowledge Bases. The Knowledge Bases consist of Construction Systems
that prompt you for dimensional information and material specifications.
Throughout our 40 years of construction industry experience, we are constantly developing
and improving the Construction Systems within ICE to meet current industry standards as well as your needs.
Construction Systems automatically pull estimate items out of your database and calculate
their quantities. All of the
estimate items in the database, which you maintain, are associated with material, labor, equipment
and subcontract pricing. ICE allows you to easily make job specific changes for any of the
prices. Construction Systems let you enter takeoff on the
fly without having to ever think about formulas or assembly logic saving you valuable time.
Along with Construction Systems, the use of
Models can help you dramatically speed up your time spent on takeoff. A model is a prepared line of takeoff that can free you from repeatedly entering all of the dimensions and specification selections of a frequently used detail. Models are written for particular Construction Systems. You can create job specific Models in seconds, and you can make
permanent Models to handle conceptual and budget estimating. You simply
move in and out of the Construction Systems, using libraries of Models
and record takeoff. This approach lets you quickly generate large amounts
of detail to help you prepare an accurate estimate early in a project's
budget development.
With our Construction System Toolkit, you have the ability to create your own Construction Systems to meet your individual company needs further enhancing and speeding up your takeoff.
Here are
the ICE Knowledge Bases available from MC². Click each module below to learn more.
Click here to see the Construction Systems contained in each Knowledge Base. You can also view all of the
dimensions and specification selections in each Construction System.
KNOWLEDGE
BASES
General
Contractor's Module
This Knowledge
Base assists in the takeoff and pricing of those items most commonly estimated
by Commercial General Contractors. Those trades typically self-performed
are heavily emphasized, notably Sitework, Concrete, and Masonry.
The General
Contractor Module gives you over 60 Construction Systems and dozens of
Estimating Wizards for generating a quantity survey with tremendous speed.
The use of Line Duplication and Models within the ICE Construction Systems
provides for the fastest takeoff on the planet. Also, the ability to enter
Miscellaneous Items allows you to address the "occasional" items very
quickly. The Assemblies in this module are great for things such as bathrooms,
hotel rooms, finishes, and more. The General Contractor Knowledge Base
addresses the CSI Divisions 1 through 14 in great detail.
The General
Contractor Module enables you to build-up labor unit prices from crews
or trades. You can also plug-in unit prices as needed. Use daily or hourly
production rates or crew man-hours per unit. For material items found
throughout the estimate, like 3000 PSI Concrete or framing lumber, simply
change the price in one place and it automatically changes throughout
the estimate. Various factors can be developed for the module so that
things like re-usage and waste can be accounted for in arriving at accurate
unit prices and material requirements.
Parametric
data, like total cubic yards of concrete or total square feet of closure,
helps you focus on the total project. The General Contractor Module automatically
tracks these types of quantities by the total job, or by parts of the
job - such as per building, per floor, or per phase. These types of breakouts
help you in analysis of your estimate and provide a way for you to compare
your estimate to similar jobs you have done in the past.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the General Contractor
Module.
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Construction
Manager's Module
This Knowledge
Base is designed for Conceptual Estimating. The Construction Manager Module
was developed for budget estimating by our in-house estimators, where
drawings and detail were not available. Competing for work in Design Build
and Negotiated markets requires performing many estimates on the same
project and working to a budget.
The Assemblies
contained in the Construction Manager Module walk the estimator methodically
through a project allowing the estimator to record assumptions made early
in the design stage. The Construction Manager Module addresses all 16
CSI Divisions of work. The estimator may takeoff concrete in the General
Contractor Module, which generates detail, and Drywall in the Construction
Manager Module, which generates "square ft. of Partition". The items generated
appear together in the ICE spreadsheet.
You can build-up
your labor unit costs from crews or trades, or you may plug-in unit prices
as desired with the Construction Manager Module. You may use daily or
hourly production rates, or crew man-hours per unit to determine labor
requirements similar to the General Contractor Module. Also like the General
Contractor Module, material pricing and labor rates are reflected globally
throughout ICE. Change a material price or labor rate in one place,
and it is automatically changed wherever needed in ICE. Waste and
reuse factors can be developed within this module. Since these factors
affect material unit prices and requirements, they need to be accurately
accounted for in the estimate values.
The Construction
Manager Module allows you to report the estimate in various break- downs
so that the estimate values may be examined in detail as well as in totality.
For example, individual floors or other geographical areas of a building
may be isolated for analysis, and project systems such as Interior Partitions
or Exterior Closure may be analyzed individually.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Construction Manager
Module.
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Residential Contractor's Module
The Residential
Contractor's Module is designed to assist the Contractor with takeoff
and pricing of houses, multi-family dwellings, garden apartments and light
commercial buildings. The module deals with wood construction for floors,
ceilings, and roofs.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Residential Contractor's
Module.
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Drywall Contractor's Module
The Drywall
Contractor's Module is designed for the specialty subcontractor involved
with furnishing and installing Fireproofing, Drywall Partitions, Furring,
Column Wraps, Drywall Ceilings, Acoustical Tile Ceilings, and Drywall
Soffits with their own forces as a subcontractor to a General Contractor
or Construction Manager.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Drywall Contractor's
Module.
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Sitework Module
This Knowledge
Base is designed to assist Contractors in the takeoff and pricing of Sitework
construction. Areas such as Basement Excavation, Drainage, Paving, Pipe
Excavation, Site Demolition, Utilities, and Lighting are covered in the
Sitework Module.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Sitework Module.
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Steel Fabrication Module
The Steel
Fabrication Module is oriented toward the fabricator (versus the erector
or the general contractor) and allows detailed takeoff of steel members
providing the output a fabricator needs to put together an accurate estimate.
The fabricator provides member shape, size, usage category and painting
information and receives priced weight, coating and labeled pieces in
estimate form.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Steel Fabrication
Module.
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Steel Erection Module
The Structural
Steel Module contains construction systems that provide for the preparation
of estimates focusing on structural steel members (such as wide flange
columns and beams, bars, tees, bent plate, channels, angles and structural
tubing), bar joists, decks, joist girders, base plates, anchor bolts and
steel stairs. This module contains a set of wizards that guide you easily
and comprehensively through the process.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Steel Erection Module.
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Wastewater Tanks Module
The Wastewater
Tanks Module provides the public works contractor with tools to work with
circular concrete wastewater tanks. This includes construction systems
for foundations, excavation, bottom slabs, troughs, hubs, walkways and
hoppers. The module addresses formwork, concrete, backfill, finishes,
placement, reinforcing and joints, among many other tank items.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Wastewater Tanks
Module.
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Industrial Equipment Module
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Industrial Equipment
Module.
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Plumbing Module
The Plumbing
Module assists in the takeoff and pricing of those items normally included
in the work of the Plumbing/Mechanical Contractors. The Plumbing Knowledge
Base consists of equipment, accessories, pipe and fixtures needed.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Plumbing Module.
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Fire Protection Module
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Fire Protection Module.
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HVAC Module
The Assemblies
with this Knowledge Base help you estimate faster with increased accuracy
by allowing you to tag items on the fly. Based only on the number of chiller
connections, ICE generates takeoff for pipe, fittings, bolt and gasket
sets, and insulation. With the Estimating Wizards, you can answer basic
questions about a heat exchanger and instantly generate dozens of detailed
estimate line items drawn from several different Construction Systems.
Other wizards lead you through the takeoff of a duct system from start
to finish, generating items for sheet metal, turning vanes, connections,
hangers and more.
Labor values
in man-hours of productivity are stored in a database, and each database
item has the option to contain five separate labor values. These productivity
values can represent differing installation configurations or pricing
methods. ICE keeps these things straight for you. Material prices
are also stored in your database reflecting your buying level. Prices
can be updated through the use of a pricing service, and you can maintain
the same or different prices on similar items, which may be used differently.
You can also let ICE manage the prices so that a price update in
one place updates the price in all places for that item.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the HVAC Module.
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Electrical Module
The Electrical
Module assists you in the takeoff and pricing of those items normally
included in the work of an Electrical Contractor. The Electrical Knowledge
Base consists of over 10,000 ready to use material and labor items for
both industrial and commercial work. This Knowledge Base gives you a complete
set of 46 Construction Systems including wiring devices, panel boards,
and light fixtures which can be easily modified to meet your specific
needs.
With the
Electrical Module's Assemblies, ICE generates takeoff for conduit,
wire, hangers, junction boxes, fixtures, and switches based only on the
number of switches and fixtures needed. The Electrical Estimating Wizards
will automatically generate a detailed electrical estimate based on basic
building parameters: length, width, lighting loads, heating conditions,
and power.
The Electrical
Module allows you to develop and store computerized rules-of-thumb, ratios,
averages, decision tables and formulas in Conceptual Assemblies. You can
then provide gross project information such as building size and type,
average receptacle and lighting loads, and system voltage to produce detailed
estimates your way. You get better numbers to work with at an early stage
in the project.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Electrical Module.
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Instrumentation Module
The Instrumentation
Module is designed for the Contractor who is engaged in estimating and
pricing the various components, which make up process instrumentation
work.
Takeoff through
the specialized Construction Systems in this module is always in the language
of the Instrumentation Contractor. Takeoff is inclusive. Components, which
are associated with an item, may be taken off at the same time. For instance,
with a control loop, you have up to nine choices of Elements in up to
nine choices of sizes with multiple choices for Transmitters, Element
and Transmitter Material, Indicators or Controllers, multiple types of
Control Valves, Valve Activators, Valve Material, and Pressure Range choices.
You also have the choice of directing the system to provide a Bill of
Material for standard installation details. This can be customized to
your standard or to the requirements of your customers.
The Instrumentation
Module provides help to quantify and price control panel enclosures including
back panels, enclosure painting, graphics, graphic devices, and control
panel devices. The system also helps you quantify multiplexer configurations
to include control units, input/output files, input/output signal units,
cable, mounting hardware, and enclosures.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Instrumentation
Module.
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Process Pipe Module
This Knowledge
Base is designed to assist in the takeoff and pricing of pipe, fittings,
valves and other items usually associated with process industries such
as Petrochemical, Food, or Pharmaceutical.
Click
here to view the Construction Systems within the Process Pipe Module.
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