Construction Economics Course

Lesson 1 • Construction Market Structures

Examines competitive, oligopolistic, and fragmented market conditions in contracting. Explains how market structure influences pricing and firm behaviour.

Lesson 2 • Construction Industry Overview

Defines the construction sector's scope, subsectors, and economic significance. Establishes context for all subsequent cost and market analysis.

Lesson 3 • Cost Behaviour in Construction

Distinguishes fixed, variable, and semi-variable costs unique to construction operations. Lays the groundwork for cost estimation and control chapters.

Lesson 1 • Estimate Review and Validation

Introduces peer review, benchmarking, and sensitivity checks to improve estimate reliability. Prepares learners to defend estimates to clients and stakeholders.

Lesson 2 • Overhead, Profit, and Markup

Explains how contractors calculate and apply overhead recovery and profit margins. Ensures learners understand the full cost-to-price conversion process.

Lesson 3 • Quantity Takeoff Methods

Teaches systematic measurement of materials, labour, and equipment from drawings. Accurate takeoff is the foundation of all unit-rate and bill-of-quantities pricing.

Lesson 4 • Unit Rate and Parametric Pricing

Applies historical unit costs and parametric models to price work items efficiently. Bridges raw quantity data to a priced bill of quantities.

Lesson 1 • Client Budget Establishment

Guides clients from investment appraisal through initial budget setting. Connects financial feasibility to realistic project scope definition.

Lesson 2 • Cost Plan Reporting and Communication

Structures cost plan reports for different audiences including clients, designers, and lenders. Develops professional communication skills for cost advice.

Lesson 3 • Contingency and Risk Allowances

Differentiates design development contingency from risk allowances and management reserves. Teaches quantitative methods for sizing contingency budgets.

Lesson 4 • Elemental Cost Planning

Distributes the project budget across building elements using standard elemental frameworks. Enables cost control through design by setting elemental targets.

Lesson 1 • Contract Price Mechanisms

Analyses lump-sum, remeasured, cost-plus, and target-cost contract types. Explains how price mechanism choice shifts financial risk between parties.

Lesson 2 • Tender Evaluation and Award

Covers multi-criteria evaluation frameworks balancing price, quality, and risk. Connects evaluation methodology to value-for-money outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Procurement Route Selection

Compares traditional, design-build, management, and collaborative procurement models. Links route choice to risk allocation, cost certainty, and project complexity.

Lesson 1 • Payment Mechanisms and Interim Valuations

Covers interim payment certification, milestone payments, and payment dispute resolution. Links payment timing to cash flow forecasting accuracy.

Lesson 2 • Project Finance Structures

Introduces debt, equity, and hybrid financing structures used in large construction projects. Explains how financing costs are incorporated into project economics.

Lesson 3 • Contractor Working Capital Management

Analyses how contractors finance the gap between spending and receiving payment. Covers retention, advance payments, and supply chain payment terms.

Lesson 4 • Time Value of Money in Construction

Applies discounting and compounding to evaluate construction investment decisions. Provides the mathematical foundation for investment appraisal in the next chapter.

Lesson 1 • Feasibility Study Framework

Structures a comprehensive feasibility study covering market, technical, financial, and risk dimensions. Establishes the sequence of analysis leading to an investment recommendation.

Lesson 2 • Development Appraisal Techniques

Applies residual land value and development profit analysis to real estate construction projects. Connects construction cost to development viability.

Lesson 3 • Whole-Life Cost Analysis

Extends appraisal beyond construction cost to include operation, maintenance, and disposal costs. Demonstrates how design choices affect total asset ownership cost.

Lesson 4 • Discounted Cash Flow Appraisal

Applies NPV and IRR analysis to construction development and infrastructure projects. Builds on time-value concepts to produce investment decision metrics.

Lesson 1 • Cost Control Systems and Processes

Establishes the organisational systems, coding structures, and reporting cycles for project cost control. Provides the operational framework for all subsequent control techniques.

Lesson 2 • Performance Indices and Forecasting

Uses CPI and SPI to forecast final project cost and completion date. Translates current performance data into actionable cost-at-completion predictions.

Lesson 3 • Change Management and Cost Impact

Evaluates the cost impact of scope changes, variations, and design development. Maintains budget integrity through disciplined change control processes.

Lesson 4 • Cost Recovery and Corrective Action

Develops strategies to recover cost overruns through productivity improvement and scope management. Closes the control loop by linking analysis to management action.

Lesson 1 • Claims, Disputes, and Economic Impact

Quantifies the economic impact of contractor claims for delay, disruption, and loss of productivity. Prepares learners to prepare and evaluate claim submissions.

Lesson 2 • Construction Firm Cost Strategy

Analyses how contractors use cost leadership, differentiation, and niche strategies to compete. Links firm-level economics to project pricing and portfolio selection.

Lesson 3 • Sustainability and Green Cost Economics

Evaluates the cost premium and long-term economic benefits of sustainable construction. Integrates environmental value into investment and procurement decisions.

Lesson 4 • Digital Transformation and Cost Economics

Assesses the economic impact of BIM, digital twins, and construction technology on project costs. Positions learners to evaluate technology investment decisions strategically.