Accurate Estimates – From Day One.
PMWEB's estimating module gives capital works teams the tools to set program budgets, resource estimates, and contingency at every level of the Work Breakdown Structure — before a contract is signed and throughout the entire delivery lifecycle.
The Foundation of Every Capital Works Program
Poor estimates are the leading cause of cost overruns on capital works programs. PMWEB's estimating capability gives owners and program managers a structured, auditable approach to building budgets — from conceptual order-of-magnitude through to detailed funded estimates — with full traceability to the WBS, procurement plan, and eventual contract costs.
Explore the Plan phase
Work Breakdown Structure Cost Budgeting
Set budgets at every level of the WBS — from program to sub-project to individual work package. PMWEB's hierarchical cost model rolls values upward automatically, so program-level budget visibility is always current without manual consolidation.
Resource Rates and Unit Cost Libraries
PMWEB supports configurable resource rate libraries and unit cost schedules that can be applied consistently across all projects in a program. This ensures estimating consistency, reduces manual re-keying, and provides a defensible basis for cost submissions to funding bodies.
Contingency Allowances and Risk-Based Estimating
Capital works estimates require explicit contingency management. PMWEB allows contingency to be applied at the work package, project, or program level — and linked directly to the risk register so that contingency drawdown is tied to identified risk events, not discretionary spend.
Estimate Approval and Budget Authorisation Workflows
PMWEB's workflow engine connects directly to the estimating module — so budget baselines and estimate approvals follow a controlled, documented process. For government agencies subject to Treasury approval gates or Cabinet endorsement thresholds, this provides the traceability that financial delegations require.
Estimate-to-Actuals Tracking and Cost Forecasting
An estimate is only useful if it remains connected to reality throughout delivery. PMWEB tracks actuals against the approved estimate at every WBS level in real time — feeding the cost control and forecasting modules so that Estimate at Completion (EAC) is always visible to program managers.
The PMWEB Estimating Process
PMWEB structures the estimating process into four disciplined stages — from initial concept through to a funded, approved baseline that feeds directly into procurement and cost control.
Establish the Work Breakdown Structure and cost account coding that will govern all estimating, procurement, and reporting on the program.
Populate each WBS element with quantities, unit rates, and resource estimates. Apply contingency and escalation allowances at the appropriate level.
Route the estimate through the configured approval workflow. Once approved, the budget is baselined — all future changes require a formal variation process.
Actuals, commitments, and forecasts are tracked against the baseline in real time. Dashboards, reports, and AI-assisted forecasting keep the program visible.
Estimating Works Alongside Every PMWEB Module
The estimate you build in the Plan phase flows through to procurement, contracts, cost controls, and reporting — all within the same platform. No re-keying. No data gaps between phases.
Before PMWEB, our program budgets lived in spreadsheets that were out of date the moment they were saved. Now our executive team has a live view of estimate versus actuals across every project in the portfolio — and the contingency drawdown process finally has the governance structure our funding body requires.
Ready to Strengthen Your Estimating Process?
Talk to our team about how PMWEB's estimating module can be configured to match your WBS structure, procurement framework, and financial delegation requirements.