4 - January 2010

New Decade Brings New Generation of Cost Management Software for Clients and Consultants

Causeway Technologies today announced the release of their next generation Cost Consultants Suite (CCS), powered by CATO.  Already used by many leading cost consultants around the world, including EC Harris, Davis Langdon, Faithful & Gould, the new product version raises the bar further still, redefining how software will help Clients (Developers), Programme Managers and Cost Consultants in the new decade.

The release of this new version boasts greater functionality to manage, report and control project costs, from Cost Planning through to actual Cost Management linked to Cash Flow forecasting. These advancements are set to help at a time when Cost and Programme Management has never been more vital.  The current economic climate demands that Clients and their Consultants have an accurate understanding of the true cost involved in designing, developing and managing their portfolios and Causeway has made it their mission to deliver the software tools required.

CCS provides a range of applications designed to assist in the delivery of accurate and reliable cost advice. Used individually, or, more effectively, in combination, each component supports a fundamental part of the business process, reducing the risk of error, whilst minimising the effort required to deliver accurate information.  Causeway has helped consultants throughout the world, including Cyril Sweett and Turner & Townsend, to deliver effective and robust cost advice to their clients, and CEO, Phil Brown, believes the new generation of software can go further still.  Mr Brown said “We’re aware of the role our software can play in helping businesses work more effectively during this difficult period. We’ve worked hard to release this new version of our Cost Consultants Suite in the hope that users and their clients will see the benefits very quickly”.

Enhancements to the suite were conceived to enable management teams to make strategic decisions faster than ever before. The software also enables clients to create their own cost management platform so that their data can be managed both for them and by them, in turn allowing Rates and Cost databases to be created based on the true cost of developments.

Causeway’s unrivalled expertise in delivering comprehensive cost management software will also play an invaluable role for users of the new Cost Consultants Suite. The company prides itself on the quality of its people and the advice and management they are able to provide throughout the design and construction life cycle. The Causeway solution frees businesses from their traditional reliance on multiple spreadsheets and non-integrated systems, instead introducing the structure and control needed to deliver accurate and reliable cost advice with confidence.

New features in the Causeway Cost Consultants Suite include:

• Cost and Programme Management for tracking, reporting and managing changes against budgets on packaged based contracts. Highly flexible reporting capability to accommodate and create a range of cost reports to suit the requirements of Developers and Client organisations alike. Replacing many laborious spreadsheets with a consistent and accurate platform so as to capture and report cost on a development from initial budget to cost planning and Cashflow projection

• Cost Planning supports a key phase of the cost cycle as the design develops and there is a need to track and report changes against the original budget. Providing for different versions and revisions as the design evolves with the ability to compare, audit and report changes as well as the ability to search previous estimates for rates.   The new Generic Report option supports comprehensive cost reporting and a new library has been added to support the recently released RICS New Rules of Measurement
  

• Rates and Cost Database adds functionality to the Cost Planning module in order that a consistent cost database of resourced rates can be established and used from project to project. Sensitivity analysis can be performed by altering resource costs to establish the likely change in the cost of a development

• CADMeasure provides fast and accurate measurement from all forms of electronic drawings – the “green” solution to modern measurement. Whether 2D or 3D, CADMeasure allows direct interrogation of the relevant design information at all stages of the cost life cycle. The version supports the latest AutoCAD drawing file format and with a dynamic link to Cost Planning, can automatically reflect design changes.  CADMeasure supports dynamic integration with Building Information Models (BIM)

• QuickEst provides a fast and effective method of advising on early feasibility based on historical cost information. QuickEst, has the ability to transfer estimates from Cost Planning to historic cost database and allows you to view historic projects without the need to create a new estimate.

• NEW Advanced Earthworks now includes added functionality to include libraries of materials and material build-ups for cut and fill calculations allowing the automatic scheduling of construction quantities.

• Whole Life Costing delivering reports on replacement, FM and operational costs over the life cycle of an asset. As the costs of maintenance will far outweigh construction costs, this is a vital and valuable tool for anyone looking to provide advice on the Whole Life Cost of a project.

Further information contact:

t: +44 (0) 1628 552000

e: marketing@causeway.com