The engineering pricing model in the United States differs significantly from that in China. Unlike China, the US government does not establish a nationwide engineering pricing basis or standard. Instead, pricing standards are primarily developed by large consulting firms across the country, tailored to regional conditions. These firms mainly determine consumption rates and base prices per unit area. Additionally, the US government collects relevant engineering cost data as needed, which serves as a reference for pricing government projects.
In the US engineering pricing system, the standard project subdivision and cost coding system—known as the UNIFORM or MASTERFORMAT coding system—is developed and published by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). These systems break down projects into subcategories based on process characteristics and assign specific codes to each subproject. This coding system facilitates construction management and cost accounting and is widely used in residential construction. However, it differs greatly from China’s quantity list valuation rules.
Due to the absence of unified measurement rules and government-issued engineering quotas in the United States, standardized methods for measuring labor and materials do not exist. Typically, bidding documents do not provide uniform quantities. Instead, American contractors calculate prices based on their own labor costs, material prices, equipment usage, management fees, and profit margins. Each contractor measures quantities according to the project drawings and requires subcontractors to measure their portion of the work and submit a summary of subcontracted quotations for bid preparation.
Regarding BIM-based engineering pricing, mature cost estimation software has been developed abroad. Examples include Innovaya Visual Estimating and U.S. Cost Success Design Exchange software from Innovaya Corporation, USA. These software tools are built on the US engineering pricing standards and classify and code quantities according to the UNIFORM or MASTERFORMAT systems. Therefore, they are not directly applicable to the Chinese market.
Taking Innovaya Visual Estimation as an example, this software platform integrates engineering measurement and pricing functions. The process begins by converting CAD and other design files into Innovaya’s INV format using the Innovaya Composer platform, enabling data sharing and exchange across different platforms. Innovaya Visual Estimation can automatically identify and extract building component types, geometric data, and other relevant information from the INV files. Users then calculate engineering quantities using the software’s quantity measurement platform. Finally, cost data entries from MC2 ICE or Sage Timberline can be automatically applied based on the attributes of building components to complete the pricing process.
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