11 November 2019 – AECOM, the world’s premier infrastructure firm has developed a construction cost database for the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE). The cost database enables Estates team within Universities to access the UK’s largest database of higher education projects and building types, while providing cost and design benchmark data, thereby enabling AUDE to make more informed decisions about capital projects.

With results available in a range of reporting methods, users of the database will be able to benchmark and quickly analyse any aspect of their projects to help with managing project and construction costs. Users will also have the ability to create scenario estimates by selecting and deselecting certain projects and adjusting key drivers, such as gross floor areas of a building or rates for each cost element.

This is the first cost database dedicated to University estate projects. The relevance and quality of data that is available through the system will better inform business cases for new projects and refurbishment schemes.

The database has been built around AECOM’s existing Global Unite system, which is a secure web-based platform that holds cost data, project information and key benchmark ratios for construction projects all over the world. The AUDE Capital Cost Database will have the same functionality as Global Unite, but with data specific to UK University estate projects.

Steven Jenkins, Director – Healthcare, Science and Tertiary Education, UK & Ireland, AECOM, said: “The AUDE Capital Cost Database will provide University estate teams with access to a wealth of previously untapped data about real life projects in their sector. The flexible system means that total project budgets can be determined early, with confidence, and data can be quickly analysed to help better plan and forecast project and construction costs, which will be an invaluable reservoir of knowledge for universities.”

Kenneth Kinsella, Chair of the AUDE Capital Group, said: “The implementation of this tool gives AUDE members more direct access to data that was only previously commercially held by 3rd parties. It now brings together the data of all its members into one combined place and gives it members the ability to quickly work with real data when planning its estates projects. The database is planned to grow over time and give members more detailed analytics it projects and trends about the data it gathers.”

AECOM have been working with AUDE to develop and the database over the last 12 months; the system was launched at AUDE in March 2019 and signalled the start of the data gathering phase of the project. The database goes live to AUDE members on Wednesday 13th November at the AUDE Capital Cost Database event.

Jane White, AUDE Executive Director, said: “In this initial phase, more than 30 universities have submitted over 150 projects to the database which means this new tool has begun in great style. We know AUDE members will continue to submit their projects – the more they do, the more helpful the database will be to all of us.”