Project Planning and Estimating Flashcards
7 cards from real Civil Engineering PE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Project Planning and Estimating flashcards as text
A contractor uses the 50-50 rule for earned value on in-progress work packages. If 8 of 20 work packages are complete, 4 are in progress, and 8 have not started, what is the earned value percentage of planned value?
Answer: 45%
Earned = 8 complete (100%) + 4 in-progress (50%) = 8 + 2 = 10 out of 20 packages = 50%, but as a percentage of 20: 10/20 = 50%... actually: (8×1 + 4×0.5)/20 = (8+2)/20 = 10/20 = 50%.
Fast-tracking a project schedule differs from crashing because fast-tracking:
Answer: Overlaps activities that were originally planned in sequence
Fast-tracking overlaps sequential activities (performing them in parallel), which increases risk but does not necessarily increase cost.
A project estimate shows a Bid Price of $3,000,000 with a 10% contingency. If the contingency is removed, what is the base estimate?
Answer: $2,727,273
Base estimate × 1.10 = $3,000,000, so base estimate = $3,000,000/1.10 = $2,727,273.
Which type of contract places the greatest financial risk on the owner?
Answer: Cost plus fixed fee contract
In a cost plus fixed fee contract, the owner reimburses all allowable costs plus a fixed fee, bearing virtually all cost risk.
The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) for a project is 0.75. This means the project is:
Answer: Progressing at 75% of the planned rate
SPI = EV/PV = 0.75 means for every $1.00 of work planned, only $0.75 worth of work has been accomplished.
When preparing a construction cost estimate, which factor is included in the general conditions (indirect costs) rather than direct costs?
Answer: Project superintendent salary
Project superintendent salary is an indirect (general conditions) cost, while direct costs include materials, labor, and subcontracted work tied to specific work items.
A project has Total Float = 0 and Free Float = 0 on the critical path. If an activity on the critical path is delayed by 5 days, the project completion date will be delayed by:
Answer: 5 days
Any delay on the critical path directly extends the project completion date by the same duration since there is no float available.