Keep calculation precision in the working file
Store quantities, conversion factors, rates, and extensions at the precision required for the calculation. Display formatting may use fewer decimals, but the underlying value should remain available.
Avoid typing a rounded display value back into the cost build-up. Use the bid form estimate crosscheck as the related control and keep the record with the estimate revision under review.
Round at the reporting level
Choose where rounding occurs: item, assembly, trade, estimate summary, or bid form. Aggregate before rounding when many small items share a unit. Apply one documented rule consistently so separate reviewers can reproduce the total.
AACE recommended practices offer general estimating references. The project documents, contractor procedures, and approved estimate remain the controlling basis for the decision.
| Review field | Required record |
|---|---|
| Input | Stored calculation precision |
| Display | Visible decimal rule |
| Aggregation | Level where rounding occurs |
| Release | Reconciliation and approved adjustment |
Explain the final bid adjustment
Reconcile the unrounded estimate, rounded report, and submitted bid amount. If management makes a final commercial adjustment, record it as an approved adjustment rather than spreading it across cost lines.
The audit trail should distinguish arithmetic rounding from a pricing decision. Use the estimate quantity price reconciliation as the related control and keep the record with the estimate revision under review.
