TECHNICAL REFERENCE · ENGLISH AND MEXICAN SPANISH

Construction estimating glossary

Use this reference when reviewing an estimate prepared for a project in Mexico. The English terms below describe the estimating function; contract wording and local payroll rules may require a more specific translation.

Bill of quantities (BOQ) — catálogo de conceptos

A structured list of work items, descriptions, units and measured quantities. A priced BOQ also includes unit prices and item amounts. Check whether the document includes complete resource analyses or only quantities and prices. Follow the estimate preparation workflow.

Unit price analysis — análisis de precios unitarios (APU)

The calculation of the resources and costs needed for one unit of work. Resource consumption multiplied by resource rates gives cost contributions; the applicable pricing structure determines which additional charges are included. Check a worked unit price calculation.

Resource consumption factor — consumo unitario

The quantity of a resource required per unit of completed work, such as litres per square metre. It is different from a production rate, such as square metres per crew-day. Always retain the units when converting between them.

Resource breakdown — explosión de insumos

The aggregation of resource quantities across the work items in an estimate. Multiply each item quantity by its resource consumption and combine matching resources. Purchase requirements also depend on inventory, packaging and delivery needs. Review a resource breakdown example.

Labor crew — cuadrilla

A defined combination of workers assigned to a task. A crew-day represents one day of that crew under the stated working-time assumptions; it is not interchangeable with one worker-day.

Labor burden and FSR — factor de salario real

Labor burden describes costs beyond the base wage. For U.S. estimating, use the fully burdened labor rate calculator to spread annual employment costs across productive hours. In Mexican estimating, FSR converts the base daily wage into the labor cost calculated from selected paid days, worked days and employer charges. These methods use different assumptions. Use the English FSR calculator for Mexican projects.

Equipment hourly cost — costo horario de maquinaria

The cost of using equipment for one hour under defined ownership and operating assumptions. Check utilization, fuel, maintenance and whether an operator is included before comparing rates. Review the equipment cost guide.

Overhead — costos indirectos

Costs allocated to a project that are not assigned directly to an individual work item. State the allocation base and distinguish site overhead from head-office overhead. Review overhead, financing and profit.

Markup and margin — recargo y margen

A markup is measured against cost; a margin is measured against selling price. They use different denominators, so the same percentage does not produce the same selling price. State the basis before applying profit percentages.

Progress payment statement — estimación de obra

A statement of work executed during a reporting period for valuation and payment. In this contractual context, estimación is different from the preconstruction cost estimate. Review progress payments, advance payment recovery and retention.

Change order — cambio de alcance

A documented change to the agreed scope, price or time, subject to the contract's approval process. A new work item may require a separate price analysis and supporting records. Review extra work and scope changes.

Earned value — valor ganado

The budgeted value of completed work, measured using the project's agreed progress rules. Comparing earned value, planned value and actual cost helps assess performance; payment received is a different measure. Explore S-curves and earned value.

Apply these terms to an estimate

Explore KOSAN for Windows, inspect the sample PDF and Excel reports (Spanish), or browse all English technical articles. Sample rates in educational articles are assumptions, not supplier quotations.