MATERIAL  ESTIMATES MATERIAL ESTIMATES consist of a listing and description of the various materials and the quantities required   to   construct   a   given   project.   Obtain   the information   you   will   need   to   prepare   material estimates  from  the  activity  estimates,  drawings,  and specifications.  A  material  estimate  is  sometimes referred to as a “Bill of Material (BM)” or a “Material Takeoff (MTO)” sheet. (We will cover the BM and the MTO a little later in this chapter.) EQUIPMENT ESTIMATES EQUIPMENT  ESTIMATES  are  listings  of  the various types of equipment, the amount of time, and the number of pieces of equipment required for you to construct  a  given  project.  Information,  such  as  that obtained   from   activity   estimates,   drawings, specifications, and an inspection of the site, provides the basis for preparing the equipment estimates. LABOR  ESTIMATES The LABOR ESTIMATES consist of a listing of the number of direct labor man-days required to complete the   various   activities   of   a   specific   project.   These estimates  may  show  only  the  man-days  for  each  activity, or they may be in sufficient detail to list the number of man-days  for  each  rating  in  each  activity—Builder (BU),   Construction   Electrician   (CE),   Equipment Operator  (EO),  Steelworker  (SW),  and  Utilitiesman (UT). Man-day estimates are used for determining the number  of  personnel  and  the  ratings  required  on  a deployment. They also provide the basis for scheduling labor in relation to construction progress. When  the  Seabee   Planner’s   and   Estimator’s Handbook, NAVFAC P-405, is used, a man-day is a unit of work performed by one person in one 8-hour day. Battalions set their own schedules, as needed, to complete  their  assigned  tasks.  In  general,  the  work schedule of the battalions based on an average of 55 hours per person per week The duration of the workday is 10 hours per day, which starts and ends at the jobsite. Direct labor includes all labor expended directly on assigned construction tasks (either in the field or in the  shop)  that  contributes  directly  to  the  completion  of the   end   product.   Direct   labor   must   be   reported separately  for  each  assigned  construction  item.  In addition to direct labor, the estimator must also consider indirect  labor  and  readiness  and  training.  Indirect  labor includes  labor  required  to  support  construction  operations but does not, in itself, produce an end product. Refer to the COMSECONDNCB/COMTHIRDNCBINST 5312.1 for more information on labor. ESTIMATOR An  ESTIMATOR  is  a  person  who  evaluates  the requirements of a task. A construction estimator must be able to picture the separate operations of the job mentally, as the work progresses through the various stages of construction and be able to read and obtain accurate measurements from drawings. The estimator must   have   an   understanding   of   math,   previous construction experience, and a working knowledge of all branches of construction. The estimator must use good  judgment  to  determine  what  effect  numerous factors  and  conditions  have  on  project  construction and what allowances should be made for each of them. The estimator must be able to do careful and accurate work. A Seabee estimator must have ready access to information about the material, equipment, and labor required  to  perform  various  types  of  work  under conditions  encountered  in  Seabee  deployments.  The collection   of   such   information   on   construction performance is part of estimating. Since this kind of reference information may change from time to time, the estimator should review it frequently. The tables and diagrams in the  Seabee Planner 3 and Estimator’s Handbook,  NAVFAC P-405, will save you  time  in  preparing  estimates,  and  when  understood and used properly, provide you with accurate results. Whenever possible, the tables and the diagrams used were  based  on  Seabee  experience.  Where  suitable information   was   not   available,   construction experience  was  adjusted  to  represent  production  under the   range   of   conditions   encountered   in   Seabee construction.  A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  project drawings  and  specifications  makes  you  alert  to  the various areas in which errors may occur. Need  for  Accuracy QUANTITY   ESTIMATES   are   the   basis   for purchasing   materials,   determining   equipment,   and determining  manpower  requirements.  They  are  also the basis for scheduling in terms of material deliveries, equipment,  and  manpower.  Accuracy  in  preparing quantity estimates is extremely important since these estimates  have  widespread  uses,  and  errors  can  be multiplied many times. Say, for example, a concrete slab is to measure 100 feet by 800 feet. If you misread the dimension for the 800-foot side as 300 feet, the computed area of the slab will be 30,000 square feet, when it should actually be 80,000 square feet. Since area is the basis for ordering materials, there will be 2-25