Project and ContractProject Cost Control and Estimating
Cost overruns are almost never discovered suddenly; they are visible in the data long before anybody reports them. This course covers making them visible early. Delegates work through estimate classes and the accuracy each carries, building an estimate from first principles and from benchmarks, and setting a budget and contingency that reflect real uncertainty rather than a percentage habit. Cost control follows: commitment and accrual, earned value and what its indices actually tell you, and forecasting a final cost that a steering committee can rely on. The course closes on change control, since uncontrolled scope is the most common route to an overrun.
Course objectives
- Apply estimate classes and state the accuracy an estimate carries
- Build an estimate from first principles and from benchmarks
- Set contingency against real uncertainty rather than habit
- Track commitment, accrual and actual cost correctly
- Apply earned value and interpret its indices honestly
- Forecast a final cost a steering committee can rely on
- Control change before it becomes an overrun
Who should attend
- Cost engineers and project controls staff
- Project and programme managers
- Quantity surveyors and estimators
- Finance staff supporting capital projects
- Sponsors reviewing project reporting
Course outline
- 01Estimate classes and their accuracy
- 02Estimating from first principles and from benchmarks
- 03Budget, contingency and management reserve
- 04Commitment, accrual and actual cost
- 05Earned value and what its indices really say
- 06Forecasting cost at completion
- 07Change control and scope creep
- 08Reporting that surfaces a problem early
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 9 October 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 26 to 30 October 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 18 to 22 January 2027 | Casablanca, Morocco | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | Register Now |
| 8 to 12 March 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | Register Now |