Cost Engineering Terminology
| Term | Definition | Source |
| A Cost E | Association of Cost Engineers | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Acceleration | The execution of the planned scope of work in a shorter time than anticipated or the execution of an increased scope of work within the originally planned duration. | The Society of Construction Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Accepted Programme | The Protocol recommends that the Contractor be required to submit a draft programme for the whole of the works to the CA and that this draft programme be accepted by the CA. Once accepted by the CA, it is known in the Protocol as the Accepted Programme. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Account | Primary grouping of costs established for administrative and accounting purposes. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Account | Grouping of costs for administration and control purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Account Code | Alpha-numeric code used to identify an individual cost account. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Account Code | Unique identifier for a cost account the code can be alpha | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accountability | Defined level or point of budget authority and control responsibility | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Accountability | The point of budget authority and control responsibility – usually an individual will have authority for control within the defined scope | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accounts Payable | Value of goods and services for which payment has not yet been made. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Accounts Payable | Value of goods and services received and yet to be paid for | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accounts Receivable | Value of goods and services executed and for which payment is yet to be received | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accreditation (VQ) | The acceptance of qualification by QCA AND SQA as meeting the criteria specified for NVQs and SVQs. Organisations can also be accredited to carry out assessment. | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accrual | Cost incurred or income earned but not yet recorded in the books. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Accrual Basis | Accounting records for costs incurred and income earned | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accrued Cost | Total spends to date plus accruals | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accrued Income | Total recorded income plus income associated with accrued work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Accuracy Factor | Factor used in estimating to indicate the likely range or level of accuracy of an estimate. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Accuracy Factor | Factor expressing the range or the level of accuracy of an estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Activity | An operation or process with a defined duration. May have an associated cost number of these logic linked will underpin the lowest level in a Work Breakdown Structure | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Activity Float | The duration contingency directly related to a single activity built into the planned duration of that activity. Activity float is established simply by dictating an activity duration that is greater than the actual time needed to complete that activity. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Activity Sampling | A method of recording work activity in a statistical manner in order to allow an analysis of the total activity | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Activity-On-Arrow Network Diagram | A network presentation where the arrows represent network activities the nodes represent end events | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Activity-On-Node Network Precedence Diagram | A network presentation where the nodes symbolise the network activities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) | Recorded cost or value of work or service actually completed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Actuals | Recorded of actual achievements for cost/revenue/ time against planned elements | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Advanced Funding | Funds made available prior to formal funding/contract to cover payment for goods or services contracted or delivered prior to formal funding/contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| AFC | Approved for construction | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| AFD | Approved for design | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Ageing Rate | Pre-determined level of depreciation expense or capital cost for given unit of time | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Allowances | Provision made for work which it is known by experience will occur but for which there is no information at the time of estimate preparation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Ancillaries | Needed auxiliary items/materials usually unspecified | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| APL (VQ) | Accreditation of prior learning. A process which enables individuals to gain credit on the basis of past achievements learning and experience | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| APM | Association of Project Management | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Appropriation | Authorised allocation of funds for specific future work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Appropriation Estimate | Early cost estimate for budget purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Appropriation Request | Formal request for management approval of funding for a future project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Approved Centre (VQ) | An organisation accredited by an Awarding Body to carry out the assessment of candidates and to recommend the award of an NVQ or SVQ | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| As-built programme | The record of the history of the construction project in the form of a programme. The as-built programme does not necessarily have any logic links. It can be merely a bar-chart record of the start and end dates of every activity that actually took place. ‘As constructed programme’ has the same meaning. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| As-Sold Estimate | Final purchase or contract sales estimate inclusive of all pre-contract changes and adjustments to reflect the actual as sold of supply or sc | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| As-Sold Price | Actual value of purchase order or contract as sold inclusive of all escalation and other price variation conditions | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Assessment (VQ) | The judgement of performance and knowledge evidence to decide whether competence has been achieved | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Assessment Plan (VQ) | A plan detailing the methods and opportunities by which evidence covering each element of competence is to be generated collected and evaluated | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Assessor (VQ) | A person registered and approved as competent to assess candidates in a particular range of occupations | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Asset Reference Plan | Plan setting out the main elements of how an asset will be developed and operated from inception through to disposal | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Asset under construction register | List of the projects currently in progress where purchase has taken place | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Assets | Current value of property investments | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Audit | Independent verification of a projects current status against the target cost schedule and/or codes of practise | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Authorised Budget | Any budget duly approved by pre-defined level of authority | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Authorised Change | Approved change to a previously authorised cost/scope/time by the appropriate authority | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Authorised Cost | Any cost: actual estimated or budgeted | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Authorised Estimate | Estimate approved by the appropriate authority | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Authorised Man-hours | Estimate of budgeted man-hours approved by the appropriate authority | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Auxiliary Facilities | Non-productivity supporting elements particularly in factory or plant | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Available Capital | Value of funds available for capital investment purchase of goods or services | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Average Annual Card | Conversion of all capital and operating costs to a series of equivalent annual expenses | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Average Cost | Arithmetical mean cost = total expense divided by total quantity | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Average Investment Return | Summation of fixed and variable dividends or profile normally expressed as a percentage of the capital cost employed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Average Overhead Rate | Ratio of indirect to direct expenses normally expressed as a percentage per annum | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Awarding Body (VQ) | A body approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and/or the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) for the purpose of awarding an NVQ or SVQ | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Backcharge | Claim made against supplier contractor or subcontractor for remedial work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Backward Pass (Backward Plan) | Critical path calculation process which having calculated earliest date for activities on the network. Work backwards to find activities latest start and finish dates/float | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bar Chart | A chart on which activities and their durations are represented by lines to a time scale | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bar Chart schedule | Graphical representation of project activities or resources drawn as horizontal lines against a common time scale | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Cost | Cost (estimate or estimate item) established as a basis for calculating escalation changes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Date | Date set as a programme/estimate base for calculating price variations forward escalation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Estimate | An estimate generated against a defined scope of work and established as a basis for evaluating subsequent adjustments modifications or changes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Exchange Rate | A currency exchange rate used in preparation of a cost estimate or budget and established as a basis for calculating subsequent actual currency differentials or variances | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Line | A set of dates and costs frozen at the start of the project and used as a basis for comparison as the project progresses | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Base Rate | Rate used as a basis for evaluation of the effect of future changes in interest charges | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Basic Price | Standard rate or value adjustable by discount escalation or variation to suite specific circumstances applications and/or arrangements | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Basic Time | A term used in Work Study to define the time taken to achieve a task by a normally motivated and skilled operative net of all allowances for relaxation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Battery Limits | The boundary/maximum extent of a contract scope area or system often used to manage interfaces between contract or commissioning of systems | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Benchmark | A comparable standard for a generic group | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Benefit (R) | Assessed chance and impact of a potentially advantageous occurrence | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Benefit of Finance | Interest calculation based on the net cash flow and calculated on an average weekly basis | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Analysis (Tender Analysis) | Activity of analysing suppliers’ quotations or contractors’ tenders | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Bond | Sum provided by bidder as guarantee that the bid will be submitted and if accepted | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Check | Review of suppliers’ quotations or contractors’ tenders for compliance with the bid instructions | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Comparison | Document for comparison of suppliers’ quotations or contractors’ tenders as part of the selection process | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Quantities | Material or construction quantities issued to suppliers or contractors for bidding purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bid Tabulation | Process of summarising the results of Bid Analysis for comparison purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bill of Materials | List of materials quantities estimated or measured from drawings for estimating or procurement purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bill of Quantities | List of construction quantities estimated or measured from drawings for tender pricing and contract payment purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bill of Quantities Contract | Contract awarded against a Bill of Quantities for which payment is made in accordance with the unit prices contained in the bill of quantities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bond | Sum of money securities or a guarantee of a third party to guarantee completion of the work and/or recovery of s | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bonus | Incentive payment over and above agreed wage or contractual reimbursement usually relating to achievement targets | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bonus Incentive/ Bond Scheme | Payment framework agreement to increase output from work force | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bonus/ Penalty Clause | Contractual incentive placed on supplier or contractor to achieve certain completion targets for which a bonus payment is earned or a financial penalty incurred | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Book Value | Asset as recorded in the books of a business | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Brainstorming | Structural collection of ideas/solutions against a particular issue/topic. Often done in a workshop environment | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Brown Field Site | Sites on which buildings/structures exist or have previously existed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget | Authorised target for project achievement, usually expressed in terms of quantities, manhours or costs. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Budget | Authorised target for project achievement or part thereof usually expressed in terms of quantities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Centre | A financial centre that owns and controls its own budget | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Cost | The target cost for completion of the work package | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Cost of Work Performance (BCWP) | Budget value for work completed or services rendered at cut off date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS) | Budget value for work or service planned (scheduled) to be completed or rendered at the cut off date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Transfer | Authorised adjustment to budget targets which do not increase or decrease the total budget | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Unit Cost | Unit cost applied to budget item quantities to calculate the item budget cost | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budget Variance | Variance between budget and actual/forecast quantities man-hours or costs | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Budgetary Control | The continuous comparison of actual with the budget values in order to maintain costs in line with the budget or to provide a basis for its revision | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Building Services | Mechanical electrical or other specialised utilities within a building or plant | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bulk Factors (1) | Multipliers applied to manufactured equipment costs to calculate erected plant or total installation costs including associated bulk materials and ancillaries | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bulk Factors (2) | Index for granular and earthworks materials to allow for the increase in volume of an excavated material removed from its original state – need | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Bulk Materials | Any material purchased in bulk | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Burden | Overhead expenses distributed as an add-on cost to direct cost | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Buying Gain/Loss | The difference between the budget provisions for a material or service and the contracted cost paid by the contractor | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cancellation Charges | Contract charges submitted by a supplier or contractor in the event of cancellation of purchase order or termination of contract by client or others | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cancellation Costs | Costs incurred on a project due to cancellation or termination or an issued purchase order or contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capacity Factor | Term used in Estimating in respect of the capacity ratio between two similar plants | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capital | Money invested or available for investment against which earnings and dividends are assessed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capital Budgeting | Defined allocation of capital resources for approved future investment | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capital Cost Estimate | A proposed fixed asset cost estimate covering design | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capital Expenditure | Expenditure arising form the implementation of a fixed asset or improvement of an existing asset | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Capital Recovery | Recovery of capital invested in a project over its operating including allowed depreciation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cascade Chart | A bar chart where the vertical presentation shows each activity as dependent on activities higher in the list | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cash | Monies in hand or available for immediate use | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cash Basis | Method of recording cost and income data based on actual cash payments and receipts | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cash Call | Projection and request for future cash requirements at specific points in time | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cash Flow | Forecast cash balance against time based on the net flow of actual or anticipated cash payments i.e. | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cash Generation | Net increase in cash flow from an investment | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| CBS | Cost Break Down Structure – Generic coding hierarchy for companies cost code cost unit and cost items enabling compilation of norms and project estimating ratios | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| CEP | Capital Expenditure Proposal (generally a client document) and usually underpinned by a class II estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Alert | Advanced notice of potential change | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Control | The process of tracking and monitoring for early detection | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Estimate | Estimate evaluating a potential change to the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Impact | Effect of change on project code and schedule | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Management | The monitoring recording and assessment of changes to the scope and/or timing of a project and the management of t | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change of Scope | Change to the previously contracted scope of supply or work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Order | Authorised Change Order Request | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change Order Request | Request for authorisation to implement a change to the current project/contract scope | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Change/ variation | Any difference between the circumstances and/or content of the contract works as carried out, compared with the circumstances and/or content under which the works are described in the contract documents as required to be or intended to have been carried out. A change or variation may or may not carry with it a right to an extension of time and/or additional payment. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Charge Out-rate | Price charged for man-hours etc | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| CIF | Carriage, Insurance and Freight | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Claim | Demand made for compensation or additional remuneration for which one of the contracted parties considers he has a contractual right | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Class I Estimate | Detailed estimate prepared for control purposes from well-defined design data to an accuracy of +1/-5% (Also know as Definitive Estimate Detailed Estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Class II Estimate | Semi-detailed estimate prepared for initial budget purposes from preliminary but largely fixed design data to an accuracy +1%/-10% (Also known as Budget Estimate Sanction Estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Class III Estimate | Pre-budget estimate prepared from very preliminary design data to an accuracy of +1%/-10% (Also known as Evaluation Estimate Pre-Design Estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Clients | Those to whom a person or business has responsibility. That responsibility may be direct and defined contractually or it may be indirect and implied through the person’s accountability for achievements and resources. In some industry sectors other terms such as ‘customer’ | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Clocked Time | Total hours recorded by employees between clocking on and off | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Close-out Report (aka Project de-brief) | Final end of project or end of assignment report to capture lessons learnt and out-turns for project memory | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Code of Accounts | A complete set of Account Codes for collation analysis and allocation as part of cost control or for future estimating purposes (i.e. Project Mem | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Collapsed as-built | A method of delay analysis where the effects of events are ‘subtracted’ from the as-built programme to determine what would have occurred but for those events. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Collateral Warranty | A binding legal contract alongside of but separate from | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Commercial | Relating to trading activities and considerations | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Commissioning Phase | The period following completion of construction and installation work of an area/system when commissioning of some/all of the works takes place | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Community | The public in general and those that represent the public interest in particular | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Compensable event | Expression sometimes used to describe what in the Protocol is an Employer Risk Event in respect of which the Contractor is entitled to compensation. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Compensation | The recovery or payment of money for work done or time taken up whether by way of valuation, loss and/or expense or damages | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Competence (VQ) | The ability to perform work activities to the national standards required in employment | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Comply | Meet all the specified conditions | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Concurrency | True concurrent delay is the occurence of two or more delay events at the same time, one an Employer Risk Event, the other a Contractor Risk Event and the effects of which are felt at the same time. The term ‘concurrent delay’ is often used to describe the situation where two or more events arise at different times, but the effects of them are felt (in whole or in part) at the same time. To avoid confusion, this is more correctly termed the ‘concurrent effect’ of sequential delay events. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Condition Money | Additional money paid to site labour/staff to compensate for working in difficult or unusual conditions i.e. heights | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Conditions of Contract | Terms agreed by the parties to the contract for delivery and/or cessation of the contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Confidence Limit (R) | A project cost or schedule percentage probability of achievement or the value for a predefined maximum or acceptable limits (u | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Configuration Management | The technical and administrative activities concerned with the creation maintenance and controlled change of configuration data throughout the life of a product | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Construction Area | An area within a construction site allocated for construction purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Construction Indirects | Term commonly used to describe all indirect field expenses such as non-productive labour | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Construction Management Contract (CM) | A contract where the contractor will be reimbursed a defined fee and preliminaries for undertaking the works (or just the fee | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Construction Philosophy | Overall strategy for construction work defining proposed methods of execution | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Construction Quantities | Measured and quantified construction work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Constructive acceleration | Acceleration following failure by the Employer to recognise that the Contractor has encountered Employer Delay for which it is entitled to an EOT and which failure required the Contractor to accelerate its progress in order to complete the works by the prevailing contract completion date. This situation may be brought about by the Employer’s denial of a valid request for an EOT or by the Employer’s late granting of an EOT. Not(currently)a recognised concept under English law. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Consumables | Material consumed or construction aids permanently incorporated into a construction project including non-recoverable formwork | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contingency | Budgetary provision for unforeseeable occurrences within a defined project scope, commonly released or reduced by formula. | Association of Cost Engineers (UK) |
| Contingency | Estimate provision to fund unforeseeable occurrences within the defined scope | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contingency Draw down | The transfer from contingency to authorised estimate in order to fund in deviations/risks that have arisen | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contingency Management | The monitoring and maintenance of remaining contingency in terms of fund transfers and remaining risk | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contingent Reserve | The current budgetary provisions to cover potential risk occurrences | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contract | Legal and binding agreement usually in writing between two or more parties defining scope of work or services to be delivered | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contract Administration (CA) | The person responsible for adminstration of the contract, including certifying what extensions of time are due, or what additional costs or loss and expense is to be compensated. Depending on the form of contract the person may be referred to by such tems as Employer’s Agent, Employer’s Representative, Contract Administrator, Project Manager or Supervising Officer or be specified as a particular professional, such as the Architect or the Engineer. The contract administrator may be one of the Employer’s employees. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contract Completion Date | The date by which the contractor is contractually obliged to complete the works. As well as an overall date for completion, may be the date for completion of a section of the works or a milestone date. The expression ‘completion date’ is sometimes used by Contractors to describe the date when they plan to complete the works (which may be earlier than the contract completion date). The protocol avoids this confusion by using the expression ‘contract completion date’. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contract Price Adjustment (CPA) | A provision in the contract to adjust the contract sum in respect of escalation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contract Programme | The agreed logic schedule for the contract showing the major deliverables and their relationships/key dates against which the contract report is prepared and any justification for extensions of time or acceleration are evaluated | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Contractor | The party responsible for carrying out the works is generally referred to as the ‘Contractor’. The Protocol is applicable to sub-contracts as well as main contracts, so when it is being applied to a sub-contract, it is the sub-contractor that is being referred to as the ‘Contractor’ in the Protocol. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contractor Delay | Expression commonly used to describe any delay caused by a Contractor Risk Event. The Protocol is distinguishes between: Contractor Delay to Progress which is a delay which will merely cause delay to the Contractor’s progress without causing a contract completion date not to be met; and Contractor Delay to Completion which is a delay which will cause a contract completion date not to be met. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contractor Risk Event | An event or cause of delay which under the contract is at the risk and responsibility of the Contractor. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contractor’s planned completion date | The date shown on the Contractor’s programme as being the date when the Contractor plans to complete the works under the contract. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Contractors Area | Area on a construction site set aside for contractors site establishments | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Control Budget | A budget used for high level control of the project/contract and against which actual performance is measured | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Control Estimate | An estimate as a reference estimate for cost control of the project/contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Control Programme | The agreed logic schedule for the contract showing the major deliverables and their relationships/key dates against which the contract report is prepared and any justification for extensions of time or acceleration are evaluated | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Control Tool | Any cost/schedule control aid e.g. An estimate programme budget | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Analysis | Systematic segregation and manipulation of cost data into elements or categories for detail examination | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Blackout | Prolonged absence of verified actual and forecast cost status this is often caused by failing to understand the impact of migration of internal scope arising dur | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) | Systematic breakdown of costs into pre-defined elements in order to summate cost to like items/develop ratios for comparison between projects memory estimating for future projects | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Budget | Cost target for completion | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Centre | A business area with authority to manage its cost within its authorised annual budget cost are collected against the centres budget items as part of the management/feedback process | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Classification – Application of Indices | Framework different types of costs into defined groups and sub-groups to develop norms for comparison between projects and input to project memory for estimating of future projects | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Code | A unique code within a hierarchy assigned to a specific cost item with an attribute (category) | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Control | Systematic monitor of expenditure to track/manage completion within pre-determined budgets and targets | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Deviation | Variance from the current control base or basis | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Element | Classified component of larger cost item | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Engineer | An engineer who as a consequence of his training and experience is competent in the use and development of the principles of cost engineering | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Engineering | The engineering practise devoted to the project cost management involving such activities as estimating | |
| Cost Estimate/ Forecast | Any considered prediction of future or final project costs | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost History | Record of previously incurred costs or cost movements against estimate items or areas of expenditure | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Impact (R) | The effect of some event often a risk occurrence or change | |
| Cost Index | Tabulation factors measured from a base date recording the cost movements for a particular category or item or unit or work over a series of time periods i.e annually | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Indices | Series of factored tabulations as defined above for Cost Index | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Journal | Accounts bookkeeping record of individual daily transactions in Cost Ledger may be within an IT system | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Ledger | Accounting book recording both cost and revenue may be within an IT system | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Model (Cost Schedule) | Plan of proposed or anticipated of expenditure phased over scheduled time periods in the case of a cost schedule costs will be attached to the activities on the network | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Monitoring | Continuous tracking of the costs of work in progress with against control estimate cost targets | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Movement | Any change in the previously recorded cost for an estimate item | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Norm | Established average or expected cost of defined item or unit of work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost of Capital | Expected return that is foregone by investing in a project rather than in comparable financial securities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost of Date | Costs committed incurred | |
| Cost Over-run | Any cost in excess of that budgeted | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Phasing | Term used to describe the distribution over time of planned or actual cost incurred | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Plus Contract (Cost Reimbursable) | Form of contract where reimbursement is based on actual costs incurred plus a mark-up or fee to cover overhead and profit | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Status | Current cost position expressed in terms of budgets commitments | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Study | Review/analysis of costs associated with a potential revision to strategy/options or a new project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Trend | Tracking/extrapolation of Actual cost performance data | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Cost Variance | Actual or forecast cost deviation from the previously forecast or budgeted values for the estimate item | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| CPA | Contract price adjustments | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| CPI | Cost Performance Index: the ratio of actual cost over budgeted cost for completed work | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Critical Activity | An activity on the critical path | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Critical Event | An event on the critical path | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Critical Evidence (VQ) | Evidence of work performance which candidates must provide for National Vocational Qualification assessment purposes | |
| Critical path | The sequence of activities through a project network from start to finish, the sum of whose durations determines the overall project duration. There may be more than one critical path depending on workflow logic. A delay to progress of any activity on the critical will, without acceleration or re-sequencing, cause the overall project duration to be extended, and is therefore referred to as a ‘critical delay’. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Critical path analysis (CPA) and Critical path method (CPM) | The critical path analysis or method is the process of deducting the critical activities in a programme by tracing the logical sequence of tasks that directly affect the date of project completion. It is a methodology or management technique that determines a project’s critical path. The resulting programme may be depicted in a number of different forms, including a Gantt or bar chart, line-of-balance diagram, time-scaled logic diagram or as a time-challenge diagram, depending on the nature of the works represented in the programme. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| CTR | Cost, Time and Resources – particular concept of project control based on assigning costs | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Culpable delay | Expression sometimes used to describe what the Protocol calls Contractor Delay | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Currency Differential | Cost variance arising from currency exchange rate fluctuations | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Current Budget | Original budget plus all approved budget changes and transfers | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Current Cost Variance | Current variance between Actual Cost of Work Performed and Budget cost of Work Performed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Current Costs | Based on current date cost position and derived from evaluation of current data | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Damages | Sums of money awarded as financial compensation for a tort or breach of contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Data Bank | Collection of project information norms | |
| Date for completion | The date by which the contractor is expected to complete the works, which may be earlier or later than the contract completion date. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Day Work | Work paid for on an hourly daily or weekly time basis | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Day Work Contract | Contract reimbursed against Day Work rates | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Day Work Rates | Hourly, daily or weekly rates for Day Work | |
| De-Escalation | Process of evaluating and removing actual escalation from spends to date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Debit | Charge to an account | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Deed of Warranty | A specific main contract obligation for the sub-contractor to provide the warranty under deed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Defective Work Charge (see Backcharge) | Contract may require defective work to be replaced | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Definition Estimate | Detailed estimate prepared for control purposes from well-defined engineering/design data | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Definition Phase | Initial period of a project when confirmation of scope and project strategy is developed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Delay event | An event or cause of delay, which may be either an Employer Risk Event or a Contractor Risk Event. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Delay to Completion | In common usage, this expression may mean either delay to the date when the contractor planned to complete its works, or a delay to the contract completion date. The Protocol uses the expressions Employer Delay to Completion and Contractor Delay to Completion, both of which mean delay to a contract completion date – see their definitions. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Delay to Progress | In the Protocol, this means a delay which will merely cause delay to the Contractor’s progress without causing a contract completion date not to be met. It is either an Employer Delay to Progress or a Contractor Delay to Progess. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Deliverables | Project measurable documents, materials and other physical commodities or outputs capable of being delivered/tracked against a sp | |
| Delivered Material Cost | All up cost of material delivered to site inclusive of freight | |
| Demobilisation | Term used to describe final project or contract termination close-out activity | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Demurrage | Charges payable for detention of a vessel vehicle or trailer | |
| Departmentalisation | The division of an organisation into departments cost centres or service units for budgetary cost control purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Depreciation | Drop in value of a capital asset due to use or ageing | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Depreciation Reserve | An account set up to receive credits to offset depreciation charges | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Design and Construct Contract | Contract based on a brief provided by the owner against which a contractor designs and constructs a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Design Basis | Formal front-end document defining project scope of work | anticipated execution philosophy required for engineering design activity |
| Design Cost | Cost of preparing a defined design inclusive of all fees | |
| Design Development | Nominal allowance in an estimate or forecast for anticipated additional costs arising from natural evolution of preliminary design data | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Design Management & Construct Contract (DMC) | A type of Design & Build which generally though not exclusively | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Designed Quantities | Quantities derived from take off from drawings with allowances for MUI (Miscellaneous and Unspecified Items) | etc. |
| Develop | Refine an initial idea or proposal to the point at which it holds together as a coherent and potentially viable proposition | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Direct Cost | Any cost directly allocatable to a productive account or cost centre | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Direct Labour | (1) Labour which can be directly related/allocated to output of a productive account or cost centre | compared with indirect labour which is not directly related to output |
| Direct Man-hours | Man-hours which are directly related to the output of a productive account or cost centre as opposed to indirect man-hours | |
| Direct Material | Purchased material which is directly used a part of the output of a productive account or cost centre | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Discounted Cash Flow | Overall cash flow on a project discounted to net present value or a specific year value | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Discounting | Application of compound interest to | adjust costs placed earlier in time |
| Disposal Cost | The cost incurred at the end of an assets working life which would include the cost of demolition scrap or resale value and labour cost | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Disruption | Disturbance, hindrance or interruption of a Contractor’s normal work progress, resulting in lower efficiency or lower productivity than would otherwise be achieved. Disruption does not necessarily result in a Delay to Progress or Delay to Completion. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Distributables | A category of costs which are spread or apportioned over other cost items | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Double Shift Work | Two separate labour teams operating in consecutive shifts | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Down Time | Period when equipment or plant is non-operational planned or unplanned | |
| Drawing Measure/Quantities | Construction or material quantities as measured from drawings | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Dummies | The logic linking activities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Duration | Elapsed time for work to be done underpinned by quantities or standard time | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Duration | Duration is the length of time needed to complete an activity. The time period can be determined inductively, by determining the start and finish date of an activity or deductively by calculation from the time necessary to expend the resources applied to the activity. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| E&OE | Errors and Omissions Excepted – a qualification clause commonly used to cover mistakes in quotations | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Earliest Event Time (EET) Early Complete | The earliest time an event can be completed within the logic and imposed targets in the network | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Early Start | The earliest time an event can start within the logic and imposed targets in the network | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Early Warning System (EWS) | System/process to give advance notice of a potential cost/time over-run of a deliverable/project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Earned Income | Actual income value to date for services rendered work performed or materials supplied | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Earned Man-hours | Budget man-hours for work completed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Earned Value | Budget value for work completed; the value of the useful work done at any given point in a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| ECGD | Export Credit Guarantee Department – an official UK Government office for insurance of payment on overseas sales or contracts | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Effective Date | Cut-off date for the data incorporated into a cost/progress report | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Element of Competence (VQ) | The smallest sub-division of a unit of competence | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Employer | The employer is the party under the contract who agrees to pay for the works. In some of the standard forms, the party who agrees to pay for the works is referred to as the Developer, the Owner, the Client or the Authority. The Procotol is applicable to sub-contracts as well as main contacts, so when it is being applied to a sub-contract, it is the main contractor that is being referred to as the Employer in the Protocol | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Employer Delay | Expression commonly used to describe any delay caused by an Employer Risk Event. The Protocol distinguishes between: Employer Delay to Progress which is a delay which will merely cause delay to the Contractor’s progress without causing a contract completion not to be met; and Employer Delay to Completion which is a delay which will cause a contract completion date not to be met. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Employer Risk Event | An event or cause of delay which under the contract is at the risk and responsibility of the Employer. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Engineers Order (EO) (aka Work Order-) | Order raised by an Engineer or his delegate | releasing a work package to be delivered to the required scope |
| EPC | Engineering | Procurement and Construction – An integrated contract covering all these functions to manage/delive |
| Equipment Cost | (1) Delivered capital cost of permanent plant and equipment | |
| Equipment List/ Plant List | Design and progress document listing all items of major equipment/plant on a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Erected Cost | Total cost of erected equipment facilities | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Erection | Installation of equipment | materials |
| Escalated Cost | Costs which have been escalated from actual or estimated values | to equivalent values at a new date |
| Escalation | Cost increases arising from inflation or market forces resulting in a change in value against time | referenced to a base date |
| Estimate | Evaluation of expected quantities | time and man-hours |
| Estimate Authorisation | Estimate approval at the appropriate level of authority | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Estimate Basis | Document defining all conditions and assumptions used in the preparation of an estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Estimate Classification | Categorisation of an estimate based on levels of detail and accuracy (eg Class I | Class II |
| Estimate Reliability | Level of confidence in an estimated value and the quality of underpinning information | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Estimate to Complete | Estimate of remaining costs man-hours or quantities to completion | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Estimator | A specialist who maintains the generic project models and norms for the business and applies item or industry standards in the preparation of the various classes of estimate | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Event | The end or start of an activity | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Event Time | The time by which an event can be (or is to be) achieved | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Ex Quay (Duty of Buyer’s A/C) | All goods for which all import duties and taxes are routed through the buyer’s account | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Ex Quay (Duty Paid) | All goods for which unloading from ship | import duties |
| Ex Ship | All goods which unloading | documentation |
| Ex Works | Goods from the factory mill | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Excusable Delay | Expression sometimes used to describe what in the Protocol is an Employer Delay in respect of which the Contractors is entitled to an EOT. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Expenditure | Total value of all invoices and charges either paid or approved for payment | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Extension of Time | Contractual extension of time to reflect agreed claims/scope changes. Sometimes used to minimise the risk of invoking penalty clauses | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Facilities | Services to support the delivery and operation of a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Factored Estimate | (1) Front-end estimate created by factoring/modelling known costs from previous similar projects | or part projects |
| Factors (VQ) | Things that may affect the setting of objectives or their achievement | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| FAS | Free alongside ship – cost of goods and all charges up to placement alongside a vessel at a contracted port | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Feasibility Study | Assessment of the technical and/or commercial viability of a project (research/ investment) | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Feed-back | Out-turn data used to create norms and modelling data structured to underpin future estimate. It includes data on how a process or a product meets expectations. | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Feed-out | Term used for the analysed presentation of tender information | normally prepared by an estimator for used by the project execution team as a basis for cost contro |
| Field Administration and Supervision | Site administrative and supervisory staff | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Budget | Authorised target for field activities based on designed quantities and associated budget man-hours and infrastructure/construction plant costs. | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Change | Field-authorised change to overcome problems with the as-designed construction or erection drawing or specification | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Controllable Costs | Cost which can only be controlled on site | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Prorates | Field indirect cost distributed over direct construction cost accounts | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Purchase Order | Purchased Order raised and authorised at site | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Field Purchased Material | Permanent material purchased by site against a Field Purchase Order | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Final Account | Agreed final settlement of payment under a contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Final Measure | Agreed final measurement from as-built drawings or site construction | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Financial Model | Plan of proposed or anticipated income and expenditure against time for a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Finish-to-Finish | Activity B cannot finish until activity A has finished. It implies that B can finish at the same time as A, but not before it. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Finish-to-start | The normal sequential relationship of one activity following another. Activity B cannot start until activity A has finished. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Firm Price | Price fixed in all respects apart from an escalation clause in some contracts where additional payment may be made using an agreed formula against a base date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fixed Assets Register | List of the current asset value of all completed/operational projects. This may be sub-divided into main areas/facilities created by the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fixed Capital | Capital value of fixed assets land structures and equipment | |
| Fixed Fee | Contract for service for which there is no adjustment for escalation or other reasons within the contract period providing scope is unaltered | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fixed Lump Sum Price | Single price for specified scope of work not subject to adjustment for escalation or other reasons | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fixed Price | Price held for fixed duration for specified goods or services | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fixed Unit Price | Unit price held for fixed duration for specified goods or services | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Float | The duration an activity can move in time without effecting the critical path | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Float (Business/Stock) | A buffer level of cash goods or stock maintained for immediate use maintained at a predetermined level | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Float Erosion | The using up of available float | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Fluctuation Clause | Contractual clause covering the procedure for handling price adjustments due to cost of living increases during the contract period | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| FOB | Free On Board – cost of goods and all charges up to being placed on board a vessel at the named port | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| FOR | Free On Rail – cost of goods and all charges up to being placed on railway trucks at the contracted station | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Force-Majeure Clause | Contractual disaster clause specifying as a consequence of an Act of God | i.e. Earthquake |
| Form of Contract | Agreement document | legally binding and enforceable in law. Can be standard form of contract |
| Forward Cost Estimate | Forecast of outstanding costs usually to completion of a phase or the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Forward Escalation | Anticipated increases in costs arising from escalation | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Forward Labour Load (Resource Requirements) | Anticipated future manpower requirement | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Free Float | The duration an activity can move without moving the adjacent activities planned dates | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Free Issue Material | Fabrication or construction materials supplied | at no cost |
| Fringe Benefits | The non-projective employment cost to cover employee terms and conditions such as holidays sick leave | |
| Front End | Term commonly used to describe the initial design or definition phase of a project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Funding Estimate | Generally a class II estimate to underpin the funding case approval | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Gantt Chart | Time based activity chart showing logical links and key dates | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| General Reserves | Provision within a cost estimate for undefined risks | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Global Claim | A global claim is one in which the Contractor seeks compensatiopn for a group of Employer Risk Events but does not or cannot demonstrate a direct link between the loss incurred and the individual Employer Risk Risk Events. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Grass-Roots Plant | Development of a Greenfield site from site preparation to a completed facility | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Green Field Site | Virgin site where no prior structural development has occurred | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Gross Commitment | Total value of all orders placed to date including letters and telexes of intent | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Gross Margin/Profit | Operating profit | revenue |
| Growth | Increase costs arising from evolution of work scope from R&D | design development |
| Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) | Contractual conditions which limits reimbursement to a maximum payment and for which completion is guaranteed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Gulf Coast Man-hours | Contraction man-hours calculated using Gulf Coast norms | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Gulf Coast Norms | Standard construction man-hour norms developed from various US Gulf Coast projects data | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Hammock | An activity representating the period from the start of an activity to the completion of another. Sometimes used as a ways of summarising the duration of a number of acitivites in a programme as one single duration. | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Handling Cost | Costs of handling storing | |
| Handover | Completion of a project or area of a project and transfer to the client or next owner | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Hanging Activity | An activity not linked to any preceding or successor activities. Same as dangling activity. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Hard Target | The activity must not start before a set date and/or must complete by a set date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Head office Overhead formulae – Eichleay Formula | contract turnover x fixed overheads for contract period total turnover = contract contribution; contract contribution = weekly contribution from contract period; weekly contribution x delay = sum claimable |
The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Head office Overhead formulae – Emden Formula | O&P x contract sum x period of delay 100 contract sum O&P head office overheads and profit percentage (actual) |
The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Head office Overhead formulae – Hudson formula | O&P x contract sum x period of delay 100 contract period O&P head office overheads and profit percentage in tender. |
The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Height Money | Wage adjustment for working at heights or adjacent to holes | generally in accordance with trades union working agreements |
| Hierarchy of Programmes | The suite of programmes necessary to control the project/contract | generally at three levels though can go deeper |
| Histogram | Bar chart indicating estimated or actual resources over each period of the contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Historical Data/Analysis | Detailed and systematic analysis of recorded cost and performance data on a collection of completed projects/ project phases | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| ICEC | International Cost Engineering Council | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Impact | The effect that a change has on an activity or the effect that a change to one activity has on another activity. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Impact (R) | The effect of an occurrence on cost or time generally linked to rankings for magnitude at risk workshops for conversion to modelling values | |
| In-house | Company’s internal resource or information | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| In-house Estimate | Estimate underpinned by company’s own information | without use of vendor or contractor |
| In-Place Sub-Contracts | . | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Incentive Cost | The cost of bonus incentive payments on contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Incentive Payments | Additional payments to labour and or subs/contractors for incentive purposes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Incurred Cost | Actual cost to date of services rendered, work done or materials supplied | |
| Indefinite Schedule | Un-resourced schedule | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Indirect Costs | Cost for support/infrastructure | eg |
| Indirect Wages | Indirect labour wages | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Indirects | All labour material | |
| Inflated Cost | Artificially uplifted cost as a provision for unknowns | etc |
| Initial Approved Cost | Initial approved base cost against which subsequent cost movements are measured and reported | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Initial Objective (VQ) | Goals that are regarded as potentially achievable before a detailed analysis has been carried out | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Installed Cost | Closeout cost of installed equipment | materials and facilities |
| Installed Quantities | Quantities installed as measured from design drawings | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Intangibles | Cost items for non-deliverables (i.e. | not a commodity) eg Labour |
| Integrated Work Measurement | Progress payment structured around integrated cost schedule | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Interest Rate of Return | Discounted cash flow where the average outstanding investment and interest charges are repaid by revenue from the project over a defined write off period | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Interface | An event used to define the common point between one network and another to allow the relationship to be established. This can be within or across projects | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Interim Valuation | Interim payment on an account | using an agreed payment framework for work done to date |
| Internal Change (Internal Risk) | Internal evolution of scope | the costs of which are absorbed by the contractor or project |
| Internal Transfer | Transfer of quantities | man-hours or costs from one area of estimate to another |
| IPMA | International Project Management Association | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| ITP | Instruction To Proceed | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| ITS | Invitation to Bid | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| ITT | Invitation to Tender | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Job Card | Travelling document authorising a package of site work to be carried out in accordance with attached drawings/ specifications | etc |
| Key Date | Expression sometimes used to describe a date by which an identifiable accomplishment must be started or finished. Examples include ‘power on’,’weather-tight’ or the start or completion of phases of construction or of phases or sections of the contract, or completion of the works. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Key Event | Milestone event used to flag important targets/requirements on the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Knock-on Cost/Effect | Costs/time impact of a prior or anticipated occurrence | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Knowledge Evidence(VQ) | Evidence which demonstrates an individual’s underpinning knowledge and understanding required to support performance to the national standard. It is normally specified in the forms of:- | |
| Labour Mix | The distribution of trades in a labour force | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Labour Only Contract | Contract for supply of labour only | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Ladder | Where a number of activities require partial completion before their subsequent activity can start | and completion before the subsequent activity can be freed-up to complete its remaining work. The |
| Lag | The schedule lapse time on a logic link between the start or finish of one activity and the start or finish of an succeeding activity | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Lagged finish-to-finish | ‘d’ indicates a finish-to-finish relationship but with a delay, activity B cannot finish until ‘d’ days (or whatever time units have been used) have elasped after activity A has finished. This convention provides a second means of overlapping timing of activities. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Lagged finish-to-start | A normal lag relationship between activites A and B; that is, B cannot start until ‘d’ days have elasped after activity A has finished. An example of this might be the curing time of concrete between completion of the pour and the commencement of further work on the concrete. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Lagged start-to-finish | There may be occasions where a lag is required both on the start and finish of related activities. This is achieved by activity B cannot start intil ‘d’ days after activity A has started and activity B cannot finish until ‘t’ days after activity A has finished. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Lagged start-to-start | Indicates a start-to-start relationship with the delay imposed showing that activity B cannot start until the period ‘d’ days has elasped after activity A has started. This convention provides one of the facilities to overlap the execution of activities. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Lang Factors | Estimating factors used to convert the manufactured cost of plant into the erected or installed cost and ultimately the completed project cost. | |
| Late Complete | Latest complete date for an activity without affecting the target finish date for the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Late Start | Latest start date for an activity without affecting the target finish date for the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Latest Event Time (IET) | Latest time an event can occur without affecting the target finish date for the project | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Lead | Is a logic link with a duration specifying the advance between the proceeding activity and its successor | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Letter of Intent | A document issued by a party intending to enter into a contract that purpose to confer upon the opposite party a limited set of rights and conditions with the intention of them commencing their own obligations under the same contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Level 1 | Summary logic showing key activities dates and overall durations | |
| Level 1/Level 2/Level 3 Programmes | See Hierarchy of Programmes | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Level 2 strategic control programmes showing all strategic activities | logic and durations for the project and main areas and phases | i.e. |
| Level 3 | Detail programmes or schedules under pinning level 2 programme activities and durations | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Level of Confidence | Probability of achievability of the cost and schedule forecasts/base often linked to the risk control | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Level of effort Programmes | Where resources limits have been set for the different skills required and the planning package is allowed to set the elapsed duration for the project activities to stay | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Life Cycle Cost | The whole life cost of the asset including capital expenditure. | |
| Liquidated and Ascertained damages, liquidated damages, LADs, LDs | A fixed sum, usually per week or per day, written into the contract as being payable by the Contractor in the event that the works are not completed by the contract completion date (original or extended) | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Method Statement | A written description of the Contractor’s proposed manner of carrying out the works or parts thereof, setting out the assumptions underlying the programme, the reasoning behind the approach to the various phases of construction and listing all the work encapsulated in the programme activities. It may also contain the activity duration calculations and details of key resources and gang strengths. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Milestone | A key event selected for its importance in the project. Commonly used in relation to progress, a milestone is often used to signify a key date. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Mitigation | Mitigate means making less severe or less serious. In connection with Delay to Progress or Delay to Completion, it means minimising the impact of the Risk Event. In relation to disruption or inefficient working, it means minimising the disruption or inefficiency. Failure to mitigate is commonly pleaded as a defence or partial defence to a claim. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Must Start/ Must Finish | Most project management software allows the planner to specify that an activity must start or must finish on a specific date. Using the software in this way restricts the ability of the programme to react dynamically to change on the project. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Negative Lag | The arrangement or sequence in which the successor activity is allowed to start chronologically before the predecessor activity has been completed. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Negative total float | Expression sometimes used to describe the time by which the duration of an activity or path has to be reduced in order to permit a limiting imposed date to be achieved. Negative float only occurs when an activity on the critical path is behing programme. It is a programming concept, the manifestation of which is, of course, delay. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Non-compensable event | Expression sometimes used to describe what the Protocol calls a Contractor Risk Event. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Non-excusable delay | Expression sometimes used to describe what the Protocol calls Contractor Delay. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Outstanding Commitment | The current Gross commitment less payments plus accruals for work/services completed against the contracted scope | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Path | An activity or an unbroken sequence of activities in a project network. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| PERT | Programme Evaluation and Review Technique: a programming technique, similiar to critical path analysis, but whereby the probability of completing by the contract completion date is determined and monitored by way of a quantified risk assessment based on optimistic, pessimistic and most likely activity durations. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Practical Completion | The completion of all the construction work that has to be done, subject only to very minor items of work left incomplete. It is generally the date when the obligation to insure passes from the Contractor to the Employer and the date from whixh the defects liability period runs. This is the term used under the Joint Contract Tribunal (JCT) family of contracts. Under the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) froms and in the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) forms it is referred to as Substantial Completion. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Precedence diagram | A multiple dependency, activity-on-node network in which a sequence arrow represents one of four forms of precedence relationship, depending on the positioning of the head and the tail of the sequence now. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Programme | The programme illustrates the major sequencing and phasing requirements of the project. Otherwise known as the schedule. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Prolongation | Prolongation is the extended duration of the works during which costs are incurred as a result of a delay. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Resource | Expression used to describe any variable capable of definition that is required for the completion of an activity and may constrain the project. This may be a person, item of equipment, service or material that is used in accomplishing a project task. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Resource Levelling | Expression used to describe the process of amending a schedule to reduce the variation between maximum and minimum values of resource requirements. The process removes peaks, troughs and conflicts in resource demands by moving activities within their early and late dates and taking up float. Most project planning software offers an automated resource-levelling routine that will defer the performance of a task within the imposed logical constraints until the resources assigned to the tasks are available. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Schedule | Another name for the programme | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Slack | Another name for total float | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Start-to-start | Activity B cannot start until activity A has started or perhaps, more accurately, activity B can start at the same time as activity A but not before it. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Still to be Committed | The difference between current Gross Commitment and the total planned commitment to complete the Project/Contract | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Sub-Network | A group of activites or durations, logically linked. In the Protocol it is to be used to illustrate the work flowing directly from an Employer Risk Event. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Time Impact Analysis | Method of delay analysis where the impacts of particular delays are mapped out at the point in time at which they occur, allowing the discrete effect of individual events to be determined. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Total Float | The overall time available within a schedule or programme from the activities earliest start to its latest finish date without affecting the overall project end date | Provoc – Glossary of Common Project Control Terms |
| Total Float | The amount of time that an activity may be delayed beyond its early start/early finish dates without delaying the contract completion date | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Updated Programme | In the Protocol the Updated Programme is the Accepted Programme updated with all progress achieved. The final Updated Programme should depict the as-built programme. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
| Works | What the contractor is obligated to construct is referred to as the works. | The Society of Construction, Law, Delays and Disruption Protocol |
