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id, title, tags, daily
id title tags daily
2026-01-22T14:56:00-0500 2026-01-22 14:56:??
occupational
topic/estimating
2026-01-22

2026-01-22 14:56:??

Accurate Budget Vs. Accurate BOM

Quote

[!quote] joel-jansen 2026-01-15 13:27 (pp.) I'd rather have an accurate budget than an accurate BOM.

Context

Analysis

It may be counterintuitive to BOM-oriented estimators (typical of those with an electrical background), but deviating from organization standard practice to make an assembly "more accurate" (read: to make the estimate BOM more closely resemble the construction BOM), may make the budget less accurate.

The review and adjustment process is based on standard practice, so deviations may have unpredictable effects.

Our assemblies do not include screws. It would be more accurate to the BOM to add them, but we budget for that cost in the summary, so to do so would be double dipping.

Though not stated as such, we budget for takeoff-to-install deviations the same way.

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An organization's takeoff database ought to include exactly what is necessary for takeoff at the acceptable level of detail, and nothing else. It ought to be assumed by estimators that the previous is true, and that acceptable takeoff of any scope must be possible with the contents of the database.