CEM FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Phases in a Project Cycle - ANSWER Need, Programming, Schematic Design, Detailed Design,
Construction Documents, Bid, Construction, Operation & Maintenance, Decommission
Sectors of the Construction Industry - ANSWER Industrial, Heavy civil, Building, Residential
Industrial Construction - ANSWER 5-10% ex: gasoline
Heavy Construction - ANSWER 20-25% ex: roads, I-85
Building Construction - ANSWER 35-40% ex: hospitals, schools
Residential Construction - ANSWER 30-30% ex: apartment, house, farm
Major Players in Construction - ANSWER Owners & Developers, Designers, Builders, Consultants
Construction Management - ANSWER Money, Materials, Machines and Manpower
LEED - ANSWER Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.
Principles: Choose a sustainable site, maximize water efficiency, save energy, make smart material &
resource decisions and improve indoor air quality.
Level of Influence vs Cost Curves - ANSWER Influence of cost is greater at the beginning of the
construction process and decreases over time while cost increases over time.
What happened in the Hyatt collapse? - ANSWER Under-designed Box-Beam did not meet building
codes, constructability changes did not account for design intent and doubled load on an under-designed
box-beam, poor coordination/communication
,Types of Estimating - ANSWER AACE, RS Means, Bid Estimates, Control Estimates, and Halpin's et al.
AACE estimate - ANSWER Order of Magnitude: -30% to +50%
Budget: -15% to +30%
Definitive: -5% to 15%
RS Means Estimate - ANSWER Order of Magnitude: +-20%
Square Foot & Cubic Foot: +-15%
System: +-10%
Unit Price: +-5%
Bid Estimates - ANSWER Subcontractor quotations, Quantity takeoffs and construction procedures
Control Estimates - ANSWER a non-binding estimate of construction costs which can be used not only to
satisfy the Owner's need for requisitioning funds, but also as a control over the builder during trade
procurement.
Halpin's et al. - ANSWER conceptual estimate, preliminary estimate, engineer's estimate and bid
estimate; accuracy increases with each step.
Information available vs accuracy of bid - ANSWER as information increases accuracy increases
BCI - ANSWER Building Cost Index: takes into account skilled labor
CCI - ANSWER Construction Cost Index: takes into account common labor
Programming Phase - ANSWER Defines the owner's new construction needs, forms the basis for the
owner's expectations, the primary design reference for the development of the project. Program report
is developed.
, Schematic Design - ANSWER Demonstrate basic spaces, scale and relationship of components. Along
with a graphic illustration the designer also needs to explain in writing a narrative. Simple designs and a
project narrative are produced.
Detailed Design - ANSWER Detailed drawings produced, Code compliance, construction cost, project
schedule , LEED compliance report if applicable. Goal is to achieve a really polished product.
Construction Documents - ANSWER 100% submission is a complete, coordinated set of contract
documents composed of: Drawings and project scope.
Contract method of award - ANSWER competitive or negotiated
Contract method of pricing - ANSWER Fixed price or Cost type
Competitive Contracts - ANSWER Based upon qualifications, price, price+ time, price+ quality, price+
time + quality
Fixed Price Contracts - ANSWER Lump sum or Unit price
Reimbursable Contracts - ANSWER Cost plus or Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
Contract Types - ANSWER Lump Sum, Unit Price, Cost Plus, Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
Lump Sum Contract - ANSWER Contractor Assumes all of the risk.
Contractor quotes a single price for all work and services necessary for a project.
Advantage: Price Fixed in advance.
Disadvantage: Quality, contingencies, scope fully defined
Unit Price - ANSWER Owner assumes all of the risk
Breaks down the project into work items that are defined by units such as cubic yards, square feet, etc.
and prices are provided for these individual items.
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Phases in a Project Cycle - ANSWER Need, Programming, Schematic Design, Detailed Design,
Construction Documents, Bid, Construction, Operation & Maintenance, Decommission
Sectors of the Construction Industry - ANSWER Industrial, Heavy civil, Building, Residential
Industrial Construction - ANSWER 5-10% ex: gasoline
Heavy Construction - ANSWER 20-25% ex: roads, I-85
Building Construction - ANSWER 35-40% ex: hospitals, schools
Residential Construction - ANSWER 30-30% ex: apartment, house, farm
Major Players in Construction - ANSWER Owners & Developers, Designers, Builders, Consultants
Construction Management - ANSWER Money, Materials, Machines and Manpower
LEED - ANSWER Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.
Principles: Choose a sustainable site, maximize water efficiency, save energy, make smart material &
resource decisions and improve indoor air quality.
Level of Influence vs Cost Curves - ANSWER Influence of cost is greater at the beginning of the
construction process and decreases over time while cost increases over time.
What happened in the Hyatt collapse? - ANSWER Under-designed Box-Beam did not meet building
codes, constructability changes did not account for design intent and doubled load on an under-designed
box-beam, poor coordination/communication
,Types of Estimating - ANSWER AACE, RS Means, Bid Estimates, Control Estimates, and Halpin's et al.
AACE estimate - ANSWER Order of Magnitude: -30% to +50%
Budget: -15% to +30%
Definitive: -5% to 15%
RS Means Estimate - ANSWER Order of Magnitude: +-20%
Square Foot & Cubic Foot: +-15%
System: +-10%
Unit Price: +-5%
Bid Estimates - ANSWER Subcontractor quotations, Quantity takeoffs and construction procedures
Control Estimates - ANSWER a non-binding estimate of construction costs which can be used not only to
satisfy the Owner's need for requisitioning funds, but also as a control over the builder during trade
procurement.
Halpin's et al. - ANSWER conceptual estimate, preliminary estimate, engineer's estimate and bid
estimate; accuracy increases with each step.
Information available vs accuracy of bid - ANSWER as information increases accuracy increases
BCI - ANSWER Building Cost Index: takes into account skilled labor
CCI - ANSWER Construction Cost Index: takes into account common labor
Programming Phase - ANSWER Defines the owner's new construction needs, forms the basis for the
owner's expectations, the primary design reference for the development of the project. Program report
is developed.
, Schematic Design - ANSWER Demonstrate basic spaces, scale and relationship of components. Along
with a graphic illustration the designer also needs to explain in writing a narrative. Simple designs and a
project narrative are produced.
Detailed Design - ANSWER Detailed drawings produced, Code compliance, construction cost, project
schedule , LEED compliance report if applicable. Goal is to achieve a really polished product.
Construction Documents - ANSWER 100% submission is a complete, coordinated set of contract
documents composed of: Drawings and project scope.
Contract method of award - ANSWER competitive or negotiated
Contract method of pricing - ANSWER Fixed price or Cost type
Competitive Contracts - ANSWER Based upon qualifications, price, price+ time, price+ quality, price+
time + quality
Fixed Price Contracts - ANSWER Lump sum or Unit price
Reimbursable Contracts - ANSWER Cost plus or Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
Contract Types - ANSWER Lump Sum, Unit Price, Cost Plus, Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
Lump Sum Contract - ANSWER Contractor Assumes all of the risk.
Contractor quotes a single price for all work and services necessary for a project.
Advantage: Price Fixed in advance.
Disadvantage: Quality, contingencies, scope fully defined
Unit Price - ANSWER Owner assumes all of the risk
Breaks down the project into work items that are defined by units such as cubic yards, square feet, etc.
and prices are provided for these individual items.
