Anchor escalation to the schedule
Identify the pricing date, expected procurement date, construction midpoint, and any long-lead release dates. Different packages may face different exposure. Structural steel ordered early does not share the same timing as finishes purchased near project closeout.
Record the schedule source and revision. If dates are conceptual, show the assumed timing and the event that will trigger an update. Use the equipment rate review as a related estimate control.
Separate cost categories
Review labor, material, equipment, and subcontract exposure separately. Some quotes may include a validity period while other costs need an explicit allowance. Use the estimate equipment rate basis review to keep equipment assumptions from being blended into material escalation.
The BLS producer price data can provide historical context for selected cost categories. It does not predict a project price, so document any judgment used to translate public data into the estimate.
| Review field | Required record |
|---|---|
| Timing | Price and purchase dates |
| Category | Labor, material, equipment, subcontract |
| Method | Factor and calculation |
| Control | Owner and update trigger |
Show the calculation and ownership
State the base amount, period, rate or factor, compounding convention, and resulting allowance. Identify exclusions and avoid applying escalation twice to supplier quotes that already include it.
A reviewer should be able to reproduce the number from the saved record. Carry unresolved timing into the estimate handoff open items register with an owner and required decision date.
