cwicr-comparison-tool
The CWICR Comparison Tool enables structured analysis of construction cost estimates across different versions, design alternatives, projects, and actual versus budgeted costs. Use it to identify cost variances, benchmark estimates against industry standards, track estimate evolution over time, and generate documented comparison reports that support objective decision-making for project stakeholders evaluating design options or cost performance.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/DDC_Skills_for_AI_Agents_in_Construction /tmp/cwicr-comparison-tool && cp -r /tmp/cwicr-comparison-tool/1_DDC_Toolkit/CWICR-Database/cwicr-comparison-tool ~/.claude/skills/cwicr-comparison-toolSKILL.md
# CWICR Comparison Tool
## Business Case
### Problem Statement
Project stakeholders need to compare:
- Alternative design options
- Estimate versions over time
- Projects against benchmarks
- Actual vs estimated costs
### Solution
Structured comparison of CWICR-based estimates with variance analysis, benchmarking, and visual reporting.
### Business Value
- **Decision support** - Compare alternatives objectively
- **Version control** - Track estimate evolution
- **Benchmarking** - Compare against standards
- **Audit** - Document estimate changes
## Technical Implementation
```python
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from typing import Dict, Any, List, Optional, Tuple
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from datetime import datetime
from enum import Enum
class ComparisonType(Enum):
"""Types of comparisons."""
VERSION = "version" # Same project, different versions
ALTERNATIVE = "alternative" # Same project, design alternatives
BENCHMARK = "benchmark" # Project vs standard/benchmark
ACTUAL = "actual" # Estimate vs actual costs
PROJECT = "project" # Different projects
class VarianceSignificance(Enum):
"""Significance level of variance."""
CRITICAL = "critical" # >20% variance
HIGH = "high" # 10-20%
MEDIUM = "medium" # 5-10%
LOW = "low" # <5%
NONE = "none" # No variance
@dataclass
class ComparisonItem:
"""Single item comparison."""
work_item_code: str
description: str
base_quantity: float
base_cost: float
compare_quantity: float
compare_cost: float
quantity_variance: float
quantity_variance_pct: float
cost_variance: float
cost_variance_pct: float
significance: VarianceSignificance
@dataclass
class ComparisonResult:
"""Complete comparison result."""
comparison_type: ComparisonType
base_name: str
compare_name: str
base_total: float
compare_total: float
total_variance: float
total_variance_pct: float
items: List[ComparisonItem]
summary_by_category: Dict[str, Dict[str, float]]
created_at: datetime
class CWICRComparisonTool:
"""Compare CWICR-based estimates."""
SIGNIFICANCE_THRESHOLDS = {
VarianceSignificance.CRITICAL: 0.20,
VarianceSignificance.HIGH: 0.10,
VarianceSignificance.MEDIUM: 0.05,
VarianceSignificance.LOW: 0.01
}
def __init__(self):
pass
def _get_significance(self, variance_pct: float) -> VarianceSignificance:
"""Determine variance significance."""
abs_var = abs(variance_pct) / 100
if abs_var >= self.SIGNIFICANCE_THRESHOLDS[VarianceSignificance.CRITICAL]:
return VarianceSignificance.CRITICAL
elif abs_var >= self.SIGNIFICANCE_THRESHOLDS[VarianceSignificance.HIGH]:
return VarianceSignificance.HIGH
elif abs_var >= self.SIGNIFICANCE_THRESHOLDS[VarianceSignificance.MEDIUM]:
return VarianceSignificance.MEDIUM
elif abs_var >= self.SIGNIFICANCE_THRESHOLDS[VarianceSignificance.LOW]:
return VarianceSignificance.LOW
else:
return VarianceSignificance.NONE
def compare_estimates(self,
base_df: pd.DataFrame,
compare_df: pd.DataFrame,
base_name: str = "Base",
compare_name: str = "Compare",
comparison_type: ComparisonType = ComparisonType.VERSION,
code_column: str = 'work_item_code',
quantity_column: str = 'quantity',
cost_column: str = 'total_cost') -> ComparisonResult:
"""Compare two estimates."""
# Merge on code
merged = base_df.merge(
compare_df,
on=code_column,
how='outer',
suffixes=('_base', '_compare')
)
items = []
for _, row in merged.iterrows():
base_qty = float(row.get(f'{quantity_column}_base', 0) or 0)
base_cost = float(row.get(f'{cost_column}_base', 0) or 0)
compare_qty = float(row.get(f'{quantity_column}_compare', 0) or 0)
compare_cost = float(row.get(f'{cost_column}_compare', 0) or 0)
qty_variance = compare_qty - base_qty
qty_variance_pct = (qty_variance / base_qty * 100) if base_qty > 0 else (100 if compare_qty > 0 else 0)
cost_variance = compare_cost - base_cost
cost_variance_pct = (cost_variance / base_cost * 100) if base_cost > 0 else (100 if compare_cost > 0 else 0)
items.append(ComparisonItem(
work_item_code=str(row.get(code_column, '')),
description=str(row.get('description_base', row.get('description_compare', ''))),
base_quantity=base_qty,
base_cost=base_cost,
compare_quantity=compare_qty,
compare_cost=compare_cost,
quantity_variance=round(qty_variance, 2),
quantity_variance_pct=round(qty_variance_pct, 1),
cost_variance=round(cost_variance, 2),
cost_variance_pct=round(cost_variance_pct, 1),
significance=self._get_significance(cost_variance_pct)
))
# Totals
base_total = sum(i.base_cost for i in items)
compare_total = sum(i.compare_cost for i in items)
total_variance = compare_total - base_total
total_variance_pct = (total_variance / base_total * 100) if base_total > 0 else 0
# Summary by category
summary_by_category = self._summarize_by_category(items, merged)
return ComparisonResult(
comparison_type=comparison_type,
base_name=base_name,
compare_name=compare_name,
base_total=round(base_total, 2),
compare_total=round(compare_total, 2),Analyze 5000+ IFC and Revit projects at scale for patterns, benchmarks, and insights. Big data analysis for construction.
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