Tag
Feature Data
A fuel price adjustment pays for estimated gallons at the change in a diesel index. This example prices 160,000 cubic yards of earthwork.
6.29 September 2026 · +15.2% on the month · +67.8% on the year
Diesel averaged $6.29 a gallon in September 2026
U.S. on-highway No. 2 diesel retail price, monthly average, dollars per gallon, all taxes included
Data
BLS OEWS wages let an estimator scale a home-market crew rate to another metro. In this example a $26 Houston carpenter rate becomes $42 to $45 in Chicago.
Data
The Eichleay formula prices home office overhead lost during a federal suspension. This example turns a 60-day suspension into a $2,000 daily rate.
AI
NetSuite's planned construction product uses AI agents to turn estimates into schedules of values and job budgets, and to draft monthly pay applications.
Data
FAR and FHWA rules set liquidated damages from the owner's daily costs. This example adds a contractor's field overhead and tests Saturday shifts.
Data
The IRS business mileage rate is 76 cents for July through December 2026. This example prices a diesel crew truck's miles against $6.29 fuel.
Data
GSA's FY 2027 standard per diem is $113 for lodging and $68 for meals. This example prices a four-person crew on a three-week out-of-town job.
| Date | Trend | Category | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | How to adjust a crew wage rate to another metro with BLS OEWS data, from $26 in Houston to $42 in Chicago | BLS OEWS wages let an estimator scale a home-market crew rate to another metro. In this example a $26 Houston carpenter rate becomes $42 to $45 in Chicago. | ||
| Data | How to compute unabsorbed home office overhead with the Eichleay formula, with a 60-day suspension example | The Eichleay formula prices home office overhead lost during a federal suspension. This example turns a 60-day suspension into a $2,000 daily rate. | ||
| AI | NetSuite plans AI agents that turn estimates into job budgets and draft pay applications | NetSuite's planned construction product uses AI agents to turn estimates into schedules of values and job budgets, and to draft monthly pay applications. | ||
| Data | How to tie a fuel price adjustment to EIA diesel prices, with a 160,000-cubic-yard earthwork example Feature | A fuel price adjustment pays for estimated gallons at the change in a diesel index. This example prices 160,000 cubic yards of earthwork. | ||
| Data | How to price delay cost from the liquidated damages daily rate and your own field overhead | FAR and FHWA rules set liquidated damages from the owner's daily costs. This example adds a contractor's field overhead and tests Saturday shifts. | ||
| Data | How to price crew vehicle mileage with the IRS rate, which rose to 76 cents a mile in July | The IRS business mileage rate is 76 cents for July through December 2026. This example prices a diesel crew truck's miles against $6.29 fuel. | ||
| Data | How to price per diem for a traveling crew with the FY 2027 GSA rates, $181 a day in most of the US | GSA's FY 2027 standard per diem is $113 for lodging and $68 for meals. This example prices a four-person crew on a three-week out-of-town job. | ||
| Data | How to compute overtime premium on a 50-hour week, with a $40 wage that averages $44 | Overtime premium is the extra half-rate on hours past 40. This example turns a $40 wage into $44 per hour worked on a 50-hour week. | ||
| Data | How to annualize Davis-Bacon fringe benefit credit, with a $1,200 health premium worth $7.50 an hour | Davis-Bacon fringe credit divides benefit cost by all hours worked. In this example a $1,200 monthly health premium earns $7.50 an hour of credit. | ||
| Data | How to compute an hourly rate for owned equipment with the Corps of Engineers method, with a $400,000 excavator example | A worked example of the Corps of Engineers equipment rate method prices a $400,000 excavator at $93.99 an hour and $21.59 on standby. | ||
| AI | Punch raises $2 million for spoken daily reports that one drywall superintendent says take 3 minutes instead of 30 | Punch turns a superintendent's spoken jobsite updates and photos into a daily report, follow-up tasks and purchase orders under the contractor's own rules. | ||
| Data | How to compute labor burden per hour worked, with a $50 wage that costs $70.86 | Labor burden adds payroll taxes, insurance and benefits to wages. This example turns a $50 wage into $70.86 per hour worked and checks it against BLS. | ||
| Data | How to tie a steel escalation clause to a BLS producer price index, with a $1.2 million example | An escalation clause moves a fixed price with a named BLS index. This example adjusts $1.2 million of steel with a 3% trigger and a 10% cap. | ||
| Data | How to track retainage aging by job and by owner, with a $1.35 million example Feature | Retainage aging starts when the release comes due. This example sorts $1.35 million of retainage on six jobs by job, by owner and by days past due. | ||
| AI | Speedchain says its AI Receipt Agent cut one contractor's month-end close time 95% | Speedchain's AI Receipt Agent collects card receipts by text, reads the vendor and amount, and suggests the job and cost code for approval. | ||
| Data | How to measure labor productivity from daily logs and timecards, with a drywall example | Units installed per labor hour come from the daily log and the timecards. This example tracks a drywall crew for 10 days against its estimate. | ||
| Data | How to compute SPI and CPI from pay application data, with a $12 million example Feature | SPI and CPI compare earned value from the pay application to the baseline plan and to job cost. This example works both for a 12-month job at month six. | ||
| Data | How to measure change orders as a percent of original contract by cause, with a $100 million example | Change order rate divides approved change orders by the original contract. This example splits it by job and by cause across six jobs. | ||
| Data | How to measure gross margin fade across a portfolio of jobs | Fade compares each job's bid margin with its current estimate. Here is how to measure it by job, by estimator and across the portfolio. | ||
| Data | How to build a work-in-progress schedule from job cost data, column by column | A WIP schedule needs four inputs per job. Here is how each column is calculated and what it tells a CFO, with a four-job worked example. |