Document downloads - BCIS Standard form of cost analysis

BCIS Standard form of cost analysis: Section 7 Analysis forms

Code of measuring practice

Published: September 2007
Reinstated: 23 January 2018
Effective from: 23 January 2018

Code of measuring practice, 6th edition was reinstated on 23 January 2018 after publication of RICS property measurement, 2nd edition.

New rules of measurement

Published October 2021
Effective from 1 December 2021
Reissued October 2022

New rules of measurement (NRM) provides a standard set of measurement rules and essential guidance for the cost management of construction projects and maintenance works.

For the first time, all three volumes of the NRM suite have been published at the same time. The updated suite consists of three separate volumes:

- NRM 1: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for capital building works
- NRM 2: Detailed measurement for building works
- NRM 3: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for building maintenance works

The primary development in recent years has been the publication of the International Cost Management Standard (ICMS) (formerly known as International Construction Measurement Standards). Together with the Cost prediction professional standard, there now exists a hierarchy of cost management standards and tools from the high-level and global ICMS, through the more detailed principles of all aspects of cost prediction in the professional standard, to the detailed rules and guidance in the NRM suite.

Other recent developments that have resulted in the need for a revised edition include the publication of a new RIBA Plan of Work (2020), which provides a framework for the analysis of construction costs.

A mapping tool between NRM and ICMS will be provided here shortly, mapping the new NRM with ICMS 3, launched in November 2021. While NRM is based on UK practice, it provides a framework for a common set of rules and guidance with global application.

A number of other supporting documents are also being provided alongside the new NRM suite, which are designed to assist users with their understanding and use of the new NRM suite. These will be available from, or shortly after, launch.

BCIS Elemental standard form of cost analysis

Published April 2012

Accurate cost analysis is essential as new procurement practices are making a targeted cost plan central to the entire construction process. Cost analysis provides data to allow comparisons between the costs of various building functions with equivalent functions in other projects so that information from existing projects can inform the budgeting and benchmarking of future projects.

The principles, instructions and definitions of the 4th edition clarify the definitions and rules of previous editions in light of modern building design and construction techniques and take into account some practical issues arising from RICS' new rules of measurement (NRM1) and (NRM2).

The 4th edition sets out:
- the principles of analysis
- instructions on the information required to complete a costs analysis
- general definitions
- definitions of the elements and sub-elements and
- element unit quantities.