For the second time, SPbGASU held a conference on the application of the resource-index method (RIM) for pricing the estimated cost of construction for government procurement projects.

RIM is a pioneer method for determining the estimated cost of construction. It involves the use of estimate standards - a list of resources required to carry out the work and their quantity, but without base prices. The cost of each resource is determined in current prices directly at the time of drawing up the estimate. Since the first quarter of 2024, 85 regions of the country have switched to RIM. To recall, a year ago, the Consortium of the Construction Industry of the Northwestern Federal District (includes the construction committees of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, the SRO Association of Builders of St Petersburg, SPbGASU, NP "Association of Manufacturers of Building Materials"), the IOO "Union of Estimating Engineers" and the National Association of Surveyors and Designers (NOPRIZ) held the first conference on the use of RIM. Then the professional community discussed the expected effectiveness of the innovation and the related problems in construction processes. This year, the organizers of the conference summed up some of the work.

"A year ago, the obligation to switch to RIM was an event that took many by surprise. Today, we intend to discuss ways to facilitate and increase the reliability of the work of estimators," emphasized Oleg Razgulyaev, Vice President of the Association of Construction Materials Manufacturers, moderator of the conference.

Aleksey Belousov, General Director of the Saint Petersburg Builders Association and Coordinator of the Northwestern Federal District Construction Industry Consortium, noted that today prices for construction materials are quite volatile, which requires better work, so the conference is of great importance. "RIM allows for more efficient work in the current conditions. In addition, the government has legislatively allowed for price adjustments during construction in the range of up to 30 percent. This is serious support for the industry," he said.

Digital aspects

Aleksandr Grimitlin

Vice President of NOPRIZ Aleksandr Grimitlin recalled that in light of geopolitical events, unprecedented pressure caused certain concerns, since many foreign software products were supplied from unfriendly countries. Risks arose that could have led to tragic consequences, but became less unpleasant and certainly not catastrophic.

"Until 2022, about 600 software products were used in 49 areas of the domestic construction industry, after the well-known events, almost half left the Russian market. But our activities have not undergone significant transformation. Since the beginning of this year, NOPRIZ has launched a program to stimulate software developers, to increase their own product, including with the help of government measures, because this task is not easy due to the financial situation of the developers themselves. If large companies are able to provide for themselves, then it is more difficult for small ones - they cannot organize the development of the new product they need.

Besides, I consider the assistance in training personnel within the TIM championships of SPbGASU to be significant. They also include costing, which is very useful for participants, since at the very beginning of their professional activity it gives them skills in working in the automated calculation system.

The digital modeling method in science is very important. It allows achieving greater efficiency and solving problems in an unconventional way. The introduction of calculation programs and price instability create serious difficulties for the industry, but you can’t choose your time. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to engage in qualified cost estimates,” says Aleksandr Grimitlin.

Introduction process

Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Construction of St Petersburg Evgeny Uskov noted that his department began analyzing the necessary data and issuing the relevant documentation practically from the moment the decree on the transition to RIM was signed.

"In 2024, 118 social facilities were built, 37 of which were financed from the city budget and 81 from investors. We managed to obtain permission using the new calculation method for two facilities. For 2025-2027, design survey work is planned for 124 facilities, of which two projects using RIM are undergoing examination and 19 have developed technical specifications. In 2025, it is planned to commission 112 social facilities, 42 of which are financed from the city budget. A large amount of funding is planned for the development of design documentation. Since 1 December, 2024, documentation has been submitted electronically in the information system of the Ministry of Construction of Russia. Digital technologies allow for more efficient and effective management of construction processes. RIM is considered a tool with a number of advantages, including increasing the accuracy and reliability of cost determination. The transition to it is gradual, but accompanied by difficulties," recalled Evgeny Uskov.

Among the difficulties, he named the low filling of the Federal State Information System of Pricing in Construction (FSISPC), the decrease in the final cost of construction projects, the lack of standard pilot projects in RIM and the experience of specialists. Many questions also arise regarding the procedure for developing estimates, in particular, the procedure for drawing up estimate documentation and the procedure for determining the cost of resources, the increase in the volume of the estimate itself, the form of which is cumbersome and inconvenient for analyzing interim results. A market analysis of transportation prices and the calculation of the time and cost of delivery is necessary.

Strategy of the Leningrad Region

First Deputy Chairman of the Leningrad Region Construction Committee Evgeny Enokaev recalled that, in accordance with the strategy for the development of the regional construction industry, the task of improving the pricing system has been implemented since 2016.

"The Leningrad Region switched to RIM a little earlier than St Petersburg - in 2023, due to which we have more facilities built and under construction using the new calculation method. In 2024, 125 positive conclusions were issued using RIM. One facility - the Prosthetics Center in Vsevolozhsk - has already been built, another one - a clinic in Kirovsk - is undergoing implementation.

We expected an increase in the reliability of cost estimates. Were they more reliable? It is difficult to say yet. But, in any case, the introduction of such innovations is associated with the need to improve them at the implementation stages, so RIM continues to develop: the Ministry of Construction of Russia is working to improve regulatory documents, involving the regions. Issues on improving software are being discussed.

Our committee interacts with construction organizations and understands the problems of the industry well. For example, there is a discrepancy in the cost of resources in remote areas of the region. We cannot make decisions at the local level based on situations that are contrary to the regulatory documents of the federal government, but we actively participate in the discussion of the pricing system. Thus, in early February, a round table was held in the Federal Assembly with the participation of the Ministry of Construction and representatives of the regions. We made proposals that were included in the recommendations for development and implementation for the relevant ministries," said Evgeny Enokaev.

He noted that one of the key points influencing the formation of a single price and index database in the FSISPC is the monitoring center, a subordinate body of the executive power of the regions. In the Leningrad Region, the tasks of monitoring the filling of the FSISPC, quarterly monitoring of resource prices, and annual calculation of the wages of a first-category worker are assigned to the pricing department in construction. According to him, over the past five years, the growth of industry wages has amounted to about 100 percent. However, today the standard wage is significantly underestimated relative to the actual one. It is expected that this year it will amount to 63,500 rubles and will exceed the figures for the previous year by 38 percent. The next area is providing data for calculating indices based on the current cost of resources in accordance with the nomenclature. Over the past five years, the volume of the nomenclature has increased by 85 percent, and indices are already being issued based on the results of this data.

"The FSISPC database remains low in volume; it has not been possible to increase its volume to 50 percent in five years. In the first quarter of this year, only 34 percent of 800 legal entities engaged in construction activities in the Leningrad Region submitted data. In our opinion, business entities do not have a strong motivation to provide prices for their products. We also made a proposal to strengthen this motivation in the Federation Council. The Ministry of Construction is considering various proposals to increase the database, including a possible expansion of the list of legal entities in the construction community that provide information for the formation of estimated prices. Self-regulatory organizations may be involved in this. The creation of an aggregated resource based on the Unified Information System for collecting prices in automatic mode is also being considered, on the basis of which data on price offers formed based on the results of procurement procedures, that is, from electronic trading platforms, will be collected," said Evgeny Enokaev.

In his opinion, in the conditions of price volatility, the discussed tasks for improving the pricing system may go beyond the RIM. For example, the introduction of a correct calculation of average industry salaries in the construction sector. In early February, the state announced that the methodology for calculating them would be revised, which is now quite strictly regulated so that the region cannot increase salaries, even if it considers it necessary. In addition, the development of a comprehensive forecast index-deflator by types of objects is being discussed, since the current procedure for determining the initial maximum contract price is based on the conditions of a fixed contract price taking into account the forecast inflation of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, and there is no mechanism for recalculating prices in the conditions of outstripping inflation. It turns out that the current procedure for determining prices in the terms of the contract does not allow contractors to compensate for the resulting difference. The development of a mechanism for automatic indexation of contract prices is also being discussed, that is, the introduction of a mechanism that provides for the possibility of adjusting the contract price in the event of a deviation of actual inflation from the forecast. Optimization of the processes of compensation of expenses not taken into account in the consolidated estimate calculation, which reasonably arose during the implementation of the contract, is also being discussed. For specific decisions, much is still to be done, summarized Evgeny Enokaev.

Using RIM is cheaper and more reliable

It is too early to draw conclusions, but there are some observations, and the main one shows that most government procurement projects using RIM are cheaper, and the calculations are more reliable, emphasized Pavel Goryachkin, President of the International Public Organization "Union of Estimating Engineers", Director of the Department of Pricing and Expert-Analytical Work of the Association of Builders of Russia. He emphasized that it is most correct to tie salary calculation not to the first category, but to the actual statistics of accrual of the minimum wage in the region and industry, taking into account the indexation coefficient. For example, in the Leningrad Region, the average minimum accrued salary for October 2024 was 93 thousand rubles, in St Petersburg - 90 thousand rubles.

"The filling of the FSISPC is not the main task. Over the year, the live price indicator in it for the Leningrad Region and St Petersburg has doubled. A year ago, at this conference, we talked about nearly 647 resources with live prices, today there are 1,200–1,300 of them. The situation is the same in other regions. Considering that there are 64–67 thousand resources in the industry, we will be doubling their number with live prices for more than a decade. Therefore, when drawing up estimates in the absence of a live price, we take the 2022 price and multiply it by the index. But an estimate that is too voluminous and requires a lot of analytical work is a problem," says Pavel Goryachkin.

He also spoke in detail about the problems of settlements for work performed under the RIM estimate and the changes introduced this year.

With the right approach, the job gets easier

Maksim Shibnev, Director of Development at Inter Group of Companies, expressed confidence that with a skillful approach and the ability to use digital tools, it is possible to significantly facilitate work, estimators included.

"There is no shortage of software developers now, but there is a crisis in understanding the subject area, that is, in what a specific specialist who will use the software really needs. For example, it is needed by a designer who must correctly allocate resources. Correctly allocated resources are the basis for correctly allocated production, construction management, material quality assessment, and logistics. There is a lot of different documentation during construction, and the information system operates with this metadata. Titanic efforts are currently being made at the state level to collect a large amount of metadata. They are accumulating, but it is not yet clear how they will be used. If automation tools are installed on the basis of this metadata, including estimated cost, then it is possible to significantly facilitate work with routine tasks, while leaving creative expert work to specialists," said Maksim Shibnev.

He recalled that currently departments of one enterprise cannot exchange information in the information system due to the lack of uniform requirements and classification, a uniform approach. If the same object in the system is called differently, then nothing can be done automatically, especially if you work separately from designers and testing laboratories. Estimators are now starting to enter the digital circuit, but there are still subcontractors without the appropriate competencies.

"As long as there are gaps in the overall information system, bureaucracy, expenses, and dissatisfaction with technology will multiply. Now, together with the Digitalization and Robotization of the Construction Industry consortium, we are developing an approach for a single bus of interaction between participants in the construction process, which will be based on the regulatory requirements of SMART standards, developed by the Codex consortium. In addition, colleagues from JSC IndigoSoft CT have their own developments in the Project Technical Committee (PTC) 711 "Smart Standards", which can become a link in this interaction bus. It is necessary to ensure universal circulation, exchange and processing of data, manage knowledge, simplify and reduce the cost of access to automation systems. Without comprehensive solutions, it is difficult for individual companies to solve this problem," said Maksim Shibnev.

Successful automation requires good data

Vitaly Shchukin, General Director for Development of JSC IndigoSoft CT, believes that RIM is a great idea, it combines the need for material and supplier prices. This combination leads to automation.

"Our company has invested a lot of resources to automate various processes, including interaction with suppliers. But this does not work, because high-quality data is needed. How can a neural network help an estimator? To quickly select a product with an up-to-date price. Correctly built automation is the basis for training a neural network. The task of automation is to organize data. But there is no single standardization methodology yet, and this is a problem that companies are trying to cope with as best they can: they create working catalogs, describing materials at their own discretion. In this regard, they cannot interact with the market, where these products are described differently," explained Vitaly Shchukin.

Problems in product descriptions include incomplete names, missing characteristics, spelling and punctuation errors, noted Vitaly Teplov, product manager at IndigoSoft CT.

"We offer a standard - a unique record according to a template with a set of pricing characteristics. This allows to get a specific product at current prices in automatic mode by pressing one button, save time on checks and form a high-quality pool of materials. It turns out to be an ideal life cycle: the designer adds this standard at the beginning of the design, the estimator selects what is needed, and the buyer knows exactly what he needs to purchase. The catalog is constantly updated," Vitaly Teplov clarified.

Nikolay Samopal, Deputy General Director for Development at ZAO WizardSOFT, used specific examples to talk about options for automating the receipt of a statement and an estimate based on it, and passing a state examination.

SPbGASU is ready to provide the necessary personnel

SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Continuing Education Viktoria Vinogradova noted that the mass transition to RIM is complicated by changes in the regulatory framework, the need to use information modeling and obtain additional professional competencies.

"Our university trains personnel capable of solving issues related to pricing in the construction industry. The university development program for 2023-2032 meets the specified vectors. It includes, among other things, an ecosystem approach to the implementation of educational activities, digital transformation of curricula, the formation of digital and professional competencies of graduates, an individual educational trajectory, and a flexible learning system. 108 basic educational programs are being implemented in 14 large groups of specialties and fields of study. They have state accreditation, most of them also have professional and public accreditation. Most curricula include the discipline "Estimating in Construction," the Vice-Rector said.

According to Viktoria Vinogradova, more than 70 percent of graduates find employment in the industry, and the university aims to eliminate the gap between the requirements of educational programs and the needs of the labor market. This is assisted by the expert council at the SPbGASU Curriculum Development Council, which includes both graduates and representatives of the real sector of the economy. The Vice-Rector named the practice of targeted training, project-based training, and the implementation of corporate and network programs, within which the educational organization combines its resources with the employer, as a good way to interact with employers.

"We work within the concept of continuous education, where the industrial partner is considered as the customer, and the educational organization is considered as the performer. Moreover, this is possible already at the initial stages - in career guidance work in schools and colleges. Considering the continuous education and the digital transformation, we are implementing a number of projects related to information modeling technologies. In 13 schools in St Petersburg and one school in Ekaterinburg, we are implementing TIM classes, holding a TIM elective for colleges. We attract industrial partners to work with students as part of the TIM championship.

The complex TIM diploma projects is the unique story. Students of different specialties, including estimators, jointly complete a diploma project. In addition, the university is conducting scientific research on the formation of a methodology for determining the estimated cost, taking into account the use of digital information models.

Today, any specialist understands that in the course of their professional activity they need to acquire additional competencies. Therefore, we implement additional education. In the field of economics and management, we currently have six additional retraining programs and several advanced training programs. Among the latter is a program that examines RIM issues.

I would like to thank all the conference participants. I am sure that our discussion will significantly help in resolving issues related to the transition to this method," concluded Viktoria Vinogradova.