Shuhada Shamsudin, 14/10/2014

Quantity Surveying, IIUM

Discussion on PDA, ATDA, ACDA, and ECA.

Cost Planning and Cost Control.
A cost plan is prepared to include all construction costs, all other items of project cost including
professional fees and contingency. All costs included in the cost plan will also be included in the
development budget in addition to the developers returns and other extraneous items such as project
insurance, surveys and agents or other specialist advisers fees.
The purpose of the cost plan is to allocate the budget to the main elements of the project to provide a
basis for cost control. The cost plan should, therefore, include the best possible estimate of the cash
flow for the project and should also set targets for future running costs. The cost plan should cover all
stages of the project and will be the essential reference against which the project costs are managed.
The aim of cost control is to produce the best possible building within the budget and its objective of
cost control is to manage the delivery of the project within the approved budget.

ECA: Elemental Cost Analysis

Elemental Cost Analysis is prepared through contract document and analysis information and they are
used to make cost plan, preparation of initial estimates, analysis of the distribution of costs between
the elements, and as reference of cost database. The information provided are as follows:

Cost analysis of each element.

Cost analysis/ Gross floor area.
Analysis of concrete component, steel reinforcement and formwork.

At early stage, Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA) is used to provide cost information especially during
the process of cost planning.

PDA: Preliminary Detailed Abstract

Preliminary Detailed Abstract (PDA) An assessment of activities and processes needed to be carried
out before construction begins. Such assessment may involve discussions between contractor and
quantity surveyors several times until it is deemed complete. Preliminary detailed abstract is a process
where initial cost estimate begin. This process can be done by one or both of the method:

Unit of End Product Method

This method are using unit of end product method obtain from project summary or work obtained
through measurement of the initial design and layout of site. This unit end product will then be
multiplied to the unit rate of the product to get the cost estimate. The unit rate of certain product is
obtained from the ECA of same project.

Shuhada Shamsudin, 14/10/2014

Quantity Surveying, IIUM

Approximate Quantity

This method is using approximate quantities of the work to obtain the initial cost estimate. This is
usually based on provisional measurement of the initial design and layout plan. The quantities will
then be multiplied to the unit rate.
The method used for cost plan are based on type of works and cost information given. If the cost
information cannot be applied to unit end method, then approximate quantity method will be used.

ATDA: As Tender Detail Abstract

As tender detail abstract based on contract cost before the construction. It show the fraction of the
contract cost and total estimate that needed. Total Provision shall be the Total Provision as stated in
the latest approved PDA or the latest amount approved for the project by the Client Department at the
time of preparing this form.
The information on this Detailed Abstract is for Government use only. This Detailed Abstract shall be
prepared upon receipt of tender for main works or on completion of negotiation in case of negotiated
tender. Type of Tender refers to whether it is open, international, confined to Bumiputera, selected,
negotiated etc.
Contractual Arrangement refers to the contractual arrangements between the Government and the
Contractor such as Conventional, Turnkey, Cost-Plus etc. The Current Project Cost shall be the sum
of latest estimate, or as tendered cost, or as designed estimate as completed cost, as the case may be of
every package of project, including the cost of the package for which the Detailed Abstract is
prepared.
Besides that, where a Quantity Surveyor is employed on the project, this Detailed Abstract shall be
prepared by him. Then, this Detailed Abstract shall be submitted to Economic Planning Unit for the
information or approval of additional funds (if required).
The function of the As Tender Detail Abstract are to give the contract period, to state the description
of the building, to know total amount of the main tender and their class of the contractor, and to
identify detail in cost of preliminaries.

ACDA: As Complete Detailed Abstract

The assessment was done after a project is completed. It includes works that are not available in the
plan. It include the cost and the management, overtime, documentation and so on. This form shows
the breakdown of the final cost and the actual completion cost of the entire project. It also consists of
various price changes in the contract for example current material rate and changes of works on site.
Its function is getting the actual cost of completed project, including job changes in construction, price
fluctuations and other which are not included in tender document. It is a reference cost data.
Content of related cost included:
Preliminaries
Works

Shuhada Shamsudin, 14/10/2014

Quantity Surveying, IIUM

Provisional sums
Miscellaneous (land acquisition , documentation cost , advertisement , site investigation)
Variation of price
Contribution fee to local and utility authority
Supervision
Professional fees
Fluctuation of price

ECA: Elemental Cost Analysis.

Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA) is a systematic division actually done to be used by the designer and
the client for future project and therefore, comparison between two or more buildings can be made.
This is brief project cost information gathered from bills of quantities.
Apart from the cost analysis, information such a brief project specifications and the overall project
information are also included in the Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA).
The main functions and usage of Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA) is to identify the cost needed for
each element, to help in achieving balanced cost distribution among all building element, provide cost
comparison for the same element in different buildings and to provide cost data which are useful for
other project plans.
Other than that, Elemental Cost Analysis (ECA) is to show the cost relationships between several
sections/ parts of the building, if there are any.
Moreover, it is to allow comparisons of cost with other different projects.
The cost that is obtained from the cost analysis is insufficient to determine the actual price. It has to
take into account the conditions and the details of the project and the quality and quantity of work
involved. The cost analysis has been introduced to provide cost information especially for the process
of cost planning.
The cost analysis is prepared by examining the information of a project which has been planned or
constructed in which the bills of quantities have been priced. Therefore, the cost analysis is prepared
based on the data received from the successful tender and is not based on the actual sum of the
project. However, there are several reasons as to why the cost analysis is not prepared based on the
actual cost.

References : Buku Panduan dan Pentadbiran Kontrak and related websites and links.
This was a group assignment discussion (AQS 2151- Pre-contract Administration for
Quantity Surveyor) and publish for education purposed only.