Managing costs effectively with Allplan 2011 BCM

Munich – Minimum effort, maximum cost security: The new Allplan 2011 BCM version offers numerous optimizations for the efficient tendering, award and billing of construction projects, for example with integrated forms, unit price breakdowns or the fast price comparison list analysis for building work tenders.

"Thanks to the ongoing enhancement of our software, we can provide planners with tools that make their work easier, faster and more reliable," explains Peter Mehlstäubler, General Manager of Nemetschek Allplan GmbH. "With the new functions in Allplan 2011 BCM, planners are not only able to estimate and calculate prices more effectively, they also act as reliable cost managers for their clients."

Quick and easy tendering
In Allplan 2011 BCM, bills of quantity can be compiled easily with the revised "Search & Pick & Click" function. All the existing projects are available in the Allplan 2011 BCM dialog window for an item search. For a better overview, the existing items can be displayed in a hierarchy or a simple list. The selected items can be inserted in the current bill of quantity with just a mouse click.

Allplan 2011 BCM further increases in efficiency thanks with the integration of the most important Federal Government (VHB) forms from the manual of contract awarding for construction work. The available forms can now be filled out directly at the computer in PDF format, instead of by hand as was previously the case. Information on the project and bill of quantity available in Allplan BCM is automatically transferred.

With new functions for checking quotations and comparing prices, Allplan 2011 BCM also simplifies the creation of price comparison lists. Without switching the input schemas, the user can enter bidder prices on the "Dialog" tab or the "UP" (unit price) column. Bidders can be directly created and edited on the "Details" tab. A color-coded table display shows where entries are missing or where quoted and calculated total prices differ from each other. Printable notes are an enhancement to the documentation options.

In the cost control and forecast, new features in Allplan 2011 BCM provide the user with greater reliability: Quantity variances of more than 10 percent are explicitly highlighted and displayed. In addition, unit price variances between award and settlement can be identified at a glance.

Improved data exchange
The data exchange options have also been optimized further in Allplan 2011 BCM. For example, users can now import order bills of quantity from data exchange phase GAEB DA 86 for "Markup and Placing of Orders" directly to the "Award" phase. As a result, Allplan 2011 BCM provides a degree of integration that enables every planner to obtain a reliable and effective cost determination and tendering, award and billing process.

Allplan 2011 BCM also offers new functions for tenders. In addition to the bills of quantity, cover sheets and compiled information can be transferred to Microsoft Word. As a result, tender documents can now be freely formatted and individually adapted to the needs of the planning office.