Book excerpt: In today’s economic turmoil most materials costs are still rising but tender prices are falling sharply. So looking at price lists is not enough – you need Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book 2010 to find out what contractors are actually charging and to get for real price data. Compiled by Davis Langdon, Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book provides the most accurate, detailed and professionally relevant construction price information currently available for the UK. Its unique Tender Index, updated through the year, provides an ongoing reality check and adjustment for changing market conditions. This is the only price book which sets out a detailed cost base for Major Works contracts exceeding £3,500,000 in value. Major changes have been made to this 135th edition: Overheads and profits have been revised sharply downwards to 2.5% in line with actual levels. Preliminaries have also been dropped to 13%, on a lower cost base. And labour rates have been adjusted to reflect today’s economic conditions. As well as updating all prices, Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book 2010 includes about 150 new Measured Works items, including: Additional ACO drainage systems such as Qmax – a large capacity drainage channel and Kerbdrain made from recycled and recyclable material An overhauled Kalzip roofing section Plus, over 900 key Approximate Estimate items with high & low rate ranges And 13 elemental building cost models Buyers of this 2010 edition can make a free internet download of Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ price data, which will run to the end of 2010 and: – Access Spon’s new Approximate Estimates rate data, as well as the Measured Works data – Produce estimate and tender documents – Generate priced or unpriced schedules – Adjust rates and data and enter rogue items – Export schedules into Excel – Carry out an index search This year, for the first time, the download includes a versatile and powerful ebook. ...plus all the standard features you have come to expect from Spon’s Architects’ and Builders’ Price Book: – 20,000 prices for the most frequently specified items, the majority with labour constants and detailed build-ups – 600 pages of Major and Minor Works items – Hundreds of alternative materials prices, easily substituted into the build-up calculations, for the more unusual items – Detailed guidance on wage rates, daywork, cost limits and allowances, property insurance and professional fees, plus useful formulae, design criteria and trade association addresses – Updated, free of charge, every four months – see insider for registration details. Updates are available online at www.pricebooks.co.uk