FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to system and method to ensure the quality of input to carry out a building life cycle cost analysis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Life cycle cost is an important economic assessment technique that is applied in the beginning of a project to provide useful cost information to the government, clients, cost estimators and researches in facilitating them to make better decision in the process of determining the most optimum total ownership costs of an asset or in comparing the most cost-effective of mutually exclusive alternatives.

Examples of life cycle cost estimation is found in CN 103678909 A which describes a submarine cable life cycle cost computing method and a submarine cable type selecting method based on the computing method. According to the computing method, the present value sum is computed according to the present value of the acquisition expenses, the present value of the laying expenses, the present value of the loss total expenses, the present value of the fault loss total expenses, the present value of the operation maintenance total expenses and the present value of recycling process net disbursement expenses of submarine cables in a full life cycle, and thus the submarine cable life cycle cost is obtained. According to the submarine cable type selecting method, the submarine cable life cycle cost of a plurality of submarine cable type selecting schemes is calculated according to the submarine cable life cycle cost computing method and is converted into equivalent annual values, and lastly the type selecting scheme with the minimum equivalent annual value is selected as the optimal scheme. Through the submarine cable life cycle cost computing method and the submarine cable type selecting method, total cost can be managed to achieve potential cost saving throughout life span of the submarine.

Prior art US 20070088584 Al discloses a method of managing life cycle costs for an asset inventory is provided. The method includes obtaining data related to assets for the asset inventory and analyzing the obtained data to generate a plurality of domain-dependent rules having parameters corresponding to assets of the asset inventory. The method also includes determining an optimal setting of the parameters to achieve an estimated least-cost value of owning the assets over a period of time and applying the optimal setting of the parameters to each asset to generate customized asset parameters.

Thus, a system that can facilitate the life cycle cost estimators to trace, define, collect and update cost data as inputs into the process of producing reliable life cycle cost output is necessary. The invention has been identified as the first and the newest invention to provide useful procedures and information to the Government agencies, client, researchers and estimators on how to identify, access, check and update the reliability of data before the data can be used as inputs into process of producing a comprehensive life cycle cost estimation for building works in construction industry. The invention can become potential benchmarks which could facilitate the clients, estimators and researchers to calculate life cycle cost.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a system for determining a building life cycle cost of comprising: a user module for acquiring from a user, a plurality of cost components including at least one initial capital costs, operation costs, maintenance and replacement costs, financial costs and salvage costs; an admin module for accessing a plurality of data of reference cost components of the building stored in a database; a search module for determining at least one preferred data with the cost components from the user that matching the reference cost components, wherein the search module able to deterrnine a state of availability, accessibility, currency and reliability of the cost components from the user; and an output module for output the life cycle cost based on the preferred data determined by the search module.

Further, the user module further comprising: a detail module for acquiring from the user, at least one purposes, details, scopes, mathematical cost models, study lives, discount rates and categorization of the building; an information module for acquiring from the user, whether the building is certified as a Green Building Index (GBI) or other construction industry accepted rating system and qualify to obtain at least one financial incentive; a study module for acquiring at least one level of study including strategic, system or detailed level for the life cycle cost analysis; a design process module for acquiring at least one level of design process including inception, feasibility, outline proposal, scheme design, detail design, production information or bill of quantities for the life cycle cost analysis.

Further, the admin module further comprises a cost data module for accessing at least one reference initial capital cost, financial cost, operation cost, maintenance and replacement, Salvage cost stored in the database.

Further, the search module further comprises a quality module for outputting the state of availability, accessibility, currency and reliability based the reference initial capital cost, financial cost, operation cost, maintenanceand replacement cost, and Salvage cost .

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for detennining a building life cycle cost of comprising steps of: acquiring from a user, a plurality of cost components including at least one initial capital costs, operation costs, maintenance and replacement costs, financial costs and salvage costs by a user module; accessing by an admin module a plurality of data of reference cost components of the building stored in a database; determining by a search module at least one preferred data with the cost components from the user that matching the reference cost components, wherein the search module able to determine a state of availability , accessibility currency and reliability of the cost components from the user; output by a output module the life cycle cost based on the preferred data determined by the search. module .

Further, the step of acquiring from the user by the user module further comprising steps of : acquiring from the user, at least one purposes, details, scopes , mathematical cost models , study lives , discount rates and categorization of the building by a detail module; acquiring from the user, whether the building is certified as a Green Building Index (GBI) or other construction industry accepted rating system and qualify to obtain at least one financial incentive by an information module by an information module; acquiring at least one level of study including strategic, system or detailed level for the life cycle cost analysis by a study module; acquiring at least one level of design process including inception, feasibility, outline proposal, scheme design, detail design, production information or bill of quantities for the life cycle cost analysis by a design process module.

Further, the step for accessing by the admin module the data of reference cost components further comprises a step of accessing by a cost data module for at least one reference initial capital cost, financial cost, operation cost, maintenance and replacement, Salvage cost from the database (103).

Further, the step for determining by the search module the preferred data further comprises a step output by a quality module for the state of availability, accessibility, currency and reliability based the reference initial capital cost, financial cost, operation cost, maintenance and replacement cost, and Salvage cost.

The present invention consists of features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify various aspects of some embodiments of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by references to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic that shows a network for data and processing to estimate a building life cycle cost.

Figure 2 is a flowchart of the procedures for estimating the building life cycle cost.

DETAILED DESCRD7TION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to system and method directed to carry out building life cycle cost analysis.

An embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 discloses a computer processor (100) compiles and calculates correlations based on input data related to a user's requirements. A database (103) supplies and stores information regarding a building, such as reference data of an initial capital cost, a financial cost; an operation cost; a maintenance and replacement cost and a Salvage cost. A server (101) receives a processed and stored data from the processor (100) and the database (103), respectively. A terminal (102) at the user's retail outlet can access the server (101). The user can manually provide an input data, or with particular selections, such as generic configurations, the input data can be provided automatically from the database (103).

Referring to figure 2, the procedures of the embodiment begin at start (200) and proceed to acquire at least one purpose of carrying out life cycle cost analysis of a building (201). The examples of the purposes are to determine the most optimum life cycle cost amongst mutually exclusive alternatives; to advise clients and building owners to emphasize on a total ownership costs and to help them to ascertain their financial capability in operating and mamtaining the building over an anticipated study life; to identify areas where the cost changes accordingly due to the adjustment in the building design, working practices, use of new plant, use of different maintenance analysis or to provide inputs to clients and buUding owners in constructing energy management strategies and sustainable management approaches to reduce building wastes and increase energy savings. Next, the procedure continues with states to state the building categorization and to provide building project information (202). In this step, the user also needs to indicate whether the building is certified as a Green Building Index (GBI) and qualified to obtain the GBI financial incentives from the Government. It should be understood that other construction industry accepted rating system such as GreenPass, pHJKR, GreenRe also can be used in the present invention.

The user is then deciding the scope (203) by choosing a level of life cycle cost study and a level of design process on which life cycle cost is decided to be based. The choices of the level of life cycle cost study are strategic level such as maintainability and internal environment, comfort and use; system level such as energy, wall, floors, ceiling finishes, roofing, roofing finishes; or detailed level such as steelwork, concrete, electrical, mechanical, paint type, lifts, escalators, plumbing, glazing. The level of design process is including inception, feasibility, outline proposal, scheme design, detailed design, production information and bill quantities.

A mathematical cost model, study life and discount rate is input at step (205, 206, 207). The user needs to decide an appropriate mathematical cost model such as Net Present Value model either in single present value or uniform present value to estimate the total cost of the building. The basic requirements of the Net Present Value model estimation are the study life and discount rate. Thus, the user should determine the most appropriate study life and discount rate that should be applied in the life cycle cost analysis after taking into account some determinant factors provided from the database (103).

A plurality of cost components of the building such as initial capital costs, operation costs, maintenance and replacement costs, financial costs and salvage costs is stated by the user at step (207) of determining the scope of costs. Examples of the initial capital costs are including land acquisition cost, construction works costs (i.e. substructure, superstructure, finishes, fittings, services installation, external works, preliminaries, contingency including risk allowances, and contractor's design fees,), other construction related costs (i.e. professional services fees, marketing costs, decanting, infrastructure charges, infrastructure adoption and maintenance cost, highway cost, utility charges, licenses and permits, planning application and building regulation fees, party wall cost, rights to light cost building regulation fees, party wall cost, rights to light cost, client's design development, financing cost, insurance, contingency including risk allowances), and client definable costs (e.g. cost incur to make value added on the building), landscaping cost. Examples of the operation costs are including utilities costs, insurance, service costs, administration costs, security costs, cleaning costs, local and statutory charges in connection with the building operation. Examples of the maintenance and replacement costs are the costs of regular custodial care and repair, annual maintenance contracts, maintenance management, adaptation or refurbishment, redecoration, and salaries of facility staff performing maintenance tasks, repairs and replacement of minor components. Examples of the financial costs are discount rates, inflation rates, interest rates and taxes. Examples of the salvage costs are a cost, or gain, of getting the rid of assets after use at the end of study life (residual value, demolition cost, transferring cost, disposal inspection cost). In addition, the user needs to state all the assumptions being made and the rationales of using them in the life cycle cost analysis.

Next, the procedure proceeds to determine preferred data of the cost components in terms of available, accessible, currency and reliable (208). The available degree is divided into highly available available and hmited. The data in highly available is freely published online and unrestricted for public use while the available data is available for life cycle cost analysis but need to subscribe from the subscriber-base information services provided library. For limited availability data, the data is confined by firms or organization in the library. The accessibility degree is divided into three: highly accessible, accessible and limited. The highly accessible data is freely published online and unrestricted for public use; accessible data is needed to subscribe from a subscribe-base information services provided; limited data is limited for public access. The current degree is divided into three: very current, current and less current. The very current data is very often updated either on weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly basis; current data is updated once in a couple years or more less than five years period; less current is data updated once in a period of more than five years. The reliability degree is divided into very reliable; reliable and less reliable. The very reliable data is the most structured data that are formed in detail completeness and adequate and compatible to be used as inputs into the process of generating life cycle cost analysis; reliable data is consistent and comparable to the actual value which arrived from similar and repetitive methods under _, the same research condition; less reliable data is incomplete, inadequate and incompatible which produce output which is not consistent overtime.

The step in (209) facilitates the user to identify available and accessible of the cost components based on reference cost component stored in the database (103). The step (210) facilitates the user to identify current level of the cost components based on updated reference cost component in current construction industry, which suitable to be used as inputs for life cycle cost analysis. The updated reference cost component is updated using either discount formulas or Interest table. A network can provide for the database (103) to keep updating its data. The step (211) provides several steps that can facilitate the user to check and improve cost data to ensure the reliability of input in the analysis can be achieved.

The step (212) is considered complete if the cost components which have gone through the previous steps are satisfactory (213) to be used as inputs for producing reliable outputs for the analysis. However, if the cost data is unsatisfactory to be used (214) as reliable inputs for life cycle cost, the user should restart the process and analyse feedbacks received as bases for further improvement on the quality data input requirements process (216).

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes, which come within the -meaning and range of equivalency of the claims, are to be embraced within their scope.