Charles Lyons-Burt
Gordian has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide construction cost data for the Department of Defense.
The construction information technology company said Thursday the contract requires Gordian to input data collected from its RSMeans software to the military’s Tri-Service Automated Cost Engineering System in order to ensure more precise estimates and legislative budgets for construction endeavors.
“We are thrilled to be part of the TRACES evolution and are embracing the opportunity to work with industry and government partners to continuously improve and enhance our data to meet the needs of the DOD cost engineering community,” said Bryan Walter, vice president and general manager of federal solutions at Gordian.
Walter, who came to the company from Accenture Federal Services last year, explained that the effort is an exchange of ideas between the cost engineers at USACE and Gordian. He also said the collaboration is aimed at alleviating the inherent problems that come with budgeting for large-scale construction projects, especially during times when costs may fluctuate due to inflation.
USACE and military engineers consult TRACES to inform decisions and purchases for defense, civil works, hazardous and radioactive toxic waste missions, among others. Under the contract, Gordian will be responsible for supplying cost data sets for TRACES and its estimation calculator, the Micro-Computer Aided Cost Estimating System Second Generation or MII.
After the work is complete, the DOD will have access to TRACES and MII, and firms in the architecture, engineering and construction industries will be able to purchase access through Gordian for use on DOD-related construction undertakings.
Gordian’s importation of RSMeans data intends to populate TRACES MII with the most up-to-date material, labor, equipment and productivity rates. The move is expected to benefit a wide array of federal agencies that utilize the service, including the DOD.
According to a November 2021 report published by Gordian, 93 percent of material, labor and equipment costs changed over the preceding year. Some equipment costs even grew over 50 percent of their previous price during that time. These statistics indicate why continuous updating of rates is vital.
