Using Estimator with AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction

Estimator is a separate application that interacts with Preconstruction to more easily develop accurate detailed cost estimates for your highway construction projects and proposals. Estimator uses several estimation methods to determine the estimated price of project and proposal items.

When a new project is begun, agencies that use Estimator have a choice of creating the initial project record in Estimator or in Preconstruction.

Agencies can create the initial project header record in Estimator and then add locations, items, quantities, categories, and estimate information to the project record. From Estimator, the new project can be exported to an .xml file, which is then imported into Preconstruction for further development.

Agencies that create the initial project record in Preconstruction have a slightly different work flow. The project header is created in Preconstruction and then location, category and item information is added to the project before exporting to Estimator. In Estimator, the detailed cost estimate is developed and added to the project record. The updated project record is then exported to an .xml file. Preconstruction imports the project .xml file and updates the existing project record with the new estimate information from Estimator.

You can also export or check out proposals to Estimator to update estimated prices that might need to be changed for quantity savings or because of item prices that have changed over time.

Checking out a project or proposal locks that project or proposal within Preconstruction to prevent any changes from being made to the data while the project or proposal is being worked on in Estimator. Just exporting the project or proposal to Estimator will not lock the data in Preconstruction.

Caution: When interfacing with Estimator, make sure your Preconstruction metadata is set up to match (for example, field length restrictions or a zero fill setting with a length of four for line numbers).
Note: The interface to Estimator is also used for importing and exporting data to AASHTOWare Project Estimation, Project Worksheet, and applications that use aecXML format.