Construction glossary

An acceptance report records whether completed construction work meets the contract. It documents the result of the inspection, defects, reservations, responsibilities and deadlines.

A bill of quantities describes the work planned for a specific construction project in individual line items. Each item typically specifies the description of work, quantity, and unit; prices are added during tendering. It serves as a common basis for tendering, cost estimation, contract awarding, and billing.

A bill of quantities item is the smallest separately described, measurable and priceable unit in a bill of quantities. It combines a clear work description with a unit, quantity and rate, allowing the same piece of work to be tendered, agreed, measured and valued.

Bill of quantities preparation turns drawings, specifications and measured quantities into a structured list of clearly described work items. Contractors can then price the same scope on a comparable basis, and the resulting bill can support tender evaluation, valuation of completed work and variations.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a collaborative process for creating and managing structured information about a built asset throughout its life cycle.

Capacity planning compares available teams, labour and equipment with confirmed and expected work. It reveals bottlenecks early and supports realistic scheduling, order intake and start dates.

A Common Data Environment (CDE) is a controlled digital environment for collecting, managing, reviewing and sharing current project information and documents.

A construction foreman leads the site team and organises daily execution. They coordinate work, resources, quality, safety, progress and site reports.

Construction measurement records the actual quantities of work completed on site. Each quantity is assigned to the relevant quote or bill-of-quantities item, creating a clear basis for verification and billing. Depending on the work, quantities are determined from site measurements, plans, unit counts, or traceable calculations.

Project planning translates a construction project into concrete goals, tasks, deadlines, responsibilities, and required resources. It creates a reliable foundation for execution and monitoring. Throughout the project, it is continuously compared against actual progress and changing conditions.

Construction resource scheduling assigns employees, crews, plant and vehicles to specific projects and time periods. It turns orders and deadlines into an achievable daily or weekly plan by considering availability, skills, location, absences, dependencies and priorities.

A contract for work obliges a contractor to deliver an agreed result and the client to pay the agreed price. Scope, quality, price, deadlines and acceptance should be clear.

A daily site report documents what happened on a construction site on a specific workday. It summarises the work performed, staff involved, working hours, materials, deliveries, equipment, external services, weather, photos, and remarks. This ensures that the project progress remains traceable later on.

A defect report documents construction defects and outstanding work in a traceable way. It records the issue, evidence, responsibility, deadline and completion status.

A free-text quotation describes and prices work in the contractor’s own project-specific items rather than relying exclusively on a standard catalogue. It is well suited to smaller jobs, bespoke services and reusable company descriptions, provided scope, unit, quantity, assumptions and price remain clear.

Job costing compares the costs and quantities expected before a project begins with the values actually incurred. It reveals where time, material, or external costs deviate from the plan and what the actual result of a job was. These insights help improve future quotes and ongoing project management.

Piecework is a payment model based on an agreed quantity of work or result rather than only on the hours worked. The unit, quality and remuneration must be clearly defined.

Preliminary costing determines the estimated costs of a service before work begins. Factors taken into account include personnel, materials, vehicles, machinery, external services, overheads, and risks. This forms the basis for unit prices, the total quote, and the expected margin.

A site manager coordinates and monitors day-to-day construction work. They align teams, deadlines, materials, quality, safety and documentation so the project can be delivered as planned.

A subcontractor is engaged by a main contractor to perform a defined part of the construction work. The subcontract sets out scope, quality, deadlines and remuneration.

The Swiss Building Cost Classification, known by its German acronym BKP, is Swiss standard SN 506 500 for structuring project costs by execution trade. It supports cost estimates, procurement, cost control and final accounts. BKP classifies costs; it does not describe individual work items in the way the Swiss NPK catalogue does.

The Swiss Normpositionen-Katalog (NPK), known in English as the Catalogue of Standard Descriptions, provides standardised service descriptions for the Swiss construction industry. It organises services into chapters and items, facilitating clear tendering, comparable quotes, and structured data exchange.

A time-and-materials report documents work performed and billed based on actual effort. It records who did what and when, as well as the hours, materials, vehicles, or machinery used. This creates a transparent basis for review and invoicing.

Time-and-materials work is a service that is billed based on actual costs incurred rather than a fixed total price. The agreed-upon rates for labour, materials, vehicles, machinery, and other expenses are the basis for billing. These costs are typically documented in a time-and-materials report.

A variation quote describes and prices services that are added to or modified from the original contract. It provides clarity regarding scope, quantities, deadlines, and costs before work begins. This ensures that project changes are clearly distinguished from the existing contract.

A weekly work report consolidates the time and work allocation of one working week, usually by employee, project, activity and pay type. It supports payroll preparation, job costing and internal checks. It is not the same as a daily site report, and it is not a client-facing record of chargeable time-and-materials work.

Workforce scheduling assigns employees, teams, vehicles and equipment to specific jobs and sites. It makes availability visible, prevents double-bookings and keeps office and field teams on the same current plan.