The Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) is the leading provider of cost and carbon data to the UK built environment. Over 4,000 subscribing consultants, clients and contractors use BCIS products to control costs, manage budgets, mitigate risk and improve project performance. If you would like to speak with the team call us +44 0330 341 1000, email contactbcis@bcis.co.uk or fill in our demonstration form
Published: 11/04/2025
As a report from RICS has highlighted, the use of digital tools for cost estimating remains steady across the globe. Released at the end of last year, the ‘Digitalisation in construction report 2024’(1) revealed that 38% of global respondents use digitalisation on either all or most projects for ‘cost estimating, prediction, planning and control’ in 2023. This is a 1 percentage point (pp) increase on the year before, 2022, and a 3 pp increase on 2021, indicating a steady rise in the adoption of digital tools. The global report examined the adoption of digital tools across six different functions within the construction sector, with ‘cost estimation, prediction, planning and control’ just behind ‘enhancing progress monitoring and health, safety and well-being’ in top position; at 41% on either all or most projects in 2023.
As the demand for and use of these tools continues to grow, it’s important the quantity surveyors of tomorrow have access to such tools throughout their university education – to strengthen their ability to produce robust cost estimates and prepare them for the data-driven environments they’ll encounter in practice. This will become even more relevant as demand for whole life carbon assessments (WLCAs) grows, due to legislative, investment and reputational drivers; placing a greater emphasis on measuring and reporting carbon, as well as cost.
Here, we talk to Nii A. Ankrah, senior lecturer in quantity surveying at Aston University, to learn more about how BCIS construction data is helping to equip their students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the profession.
What challenges did Aston University initially face when training future quantity surveyors?
‘As a higher educational institution, we’re at the forefront of training the next generation of surveyors that are industry-ready and equipped with the necessary competencies to deliver accurate and reliable cost assessments for clients’ projects,’ explains Ankrah.
However, to prepare students sufficiently meant providing real-life projects and authentic, standardised data, which wasn’t easy to find.
‘We needed access to current rates (including elemental rates) to support early cost estimating, indices to adjust prices to accurately reflect project parameters, and also duration data for scheduling purposes.’
He adds: ‘As an educational institute, we’ve had challenges gaining access to up-to-date rates and prices for use in estimating projects due to commercial confidentiality.’
He also notes growing expectations around sustainability. ‘Our final year cohorts needed access to product life data and maintenance costs to estimate whole-life costs for projects and, more recently, data for carbon measuring and reporting. Data to support all these aspects was very patchy and lacked standardisation.’
What led you to choose BCIS as the solution?
Ankrah says: ‘We chose BCIS because it offers us access to a vast library of standardised project data that is very well curated in a way that offers flexibility in how we can apply it to student projects and coursework.’
He adds: ‘The modules built into the BCIS database enable students to extract reliable average rates and detailed elemental costs for approximate estimating and cost planning. It also provides a wide array of indices that enable refinement of estimates, as well as a duration calculator, daywork rates, maintenance costs and carbon costs.’
This variety of functionality makes BCIS an effective teaching tool. ‘BCIS offers us a one-stop shop for all our approximate estimating requirements, which is a much better solution than having to rely on a patchwork of multiple data sources; not always curated in a manner we require or readily accessible to students.’
The usability also plays a role. ‘The user interface is simple, which allows easy interaction with, and interrogation of, the data extracted from the system, and students just get it.’
As the university runs RICS-accredited programmes, it also makes sense to use industry-standard tools. ‘The use of this resource adds to the standing and credibility of our programmes.’
What impact has BCIS had on your work and the university as a whole?
‘Our use of BCIS’s services has enabled us to deliver confident graduates who are familiar with industry standards for quantification and costing, and tools for estimating,’ says Ankrah. ‘Many of our graduates are now occupying significant positions in industry and delivering landmark infrastructure projects.’
The platform has also played a key role in maintaining the institution’s high standards. ‘It’s helped us demonstrate to our accrediting bodies that we are using industry-standard resources, which has contributed to our ongoing accreditation status.’
He adds: ‘Both of these aspects have contributed to making Aston University an attractive destination for students.’
Has BCIS changed the way you teach or approach project-based learning?
Ankrah says: ‘Whereas in the past we had to rely on theoretical data to introduce students to estimating practice, we’re now able to offer students real-life data that reflects what they’re likely to encounter in their placements and graduate roles.’
He adds: ‘We are also now able to empower students by getting them to independently source costing data, which allows them to make informed decisions with confidence – unlike in the past, where we provided them with theoretical data for estimating and cost planning purposes.’
What aspects of the BCIS service do you value the most?
He says: ‘What we like most is the comprehensive, reliable, and up-to-date construction cost data we can readily access for whole-life costing of projects.’
He adds: ‘It offers us a one-stop shop for all our estimating requirements. The ability to undertake some analyses of cost data within the system itself is a bonus, and the ability to customise data to suit our requirements is also fantastic.’
He’s also enthusiastic about the services BCIS has developed to address the growing needs and demands of the industry; specifically, for measuring and reporting whole life carbon. ‘The Life Cycle Evaluator service will make a significant difference in standardising our approach to teaching carbon accounting.’
Would you recommend BCIS to other educators or institutions?
‘Yes. It will instil an understanding of real-world costing data and trends among their students. It will also empower their students to familiarise themselves with costing data and the factors that impact on costs and, therefore, improve their confidence.’
To keep up to date with the latest industry news and insights from BCIS, register for our newsletter here.
(1) RICS – Digitalisation in construction report 2024 – here
