SRV speeds up construction cost estimation with Admicom Estima

Founded in 1987,  SRV is a Finnish construction developer and pioneer known for its diverse and innovative projects. The company’s goal is to create sustainable and responsible urban environments, guided by a life-cycle wise approach.

“For us, life-cycle wisdom means promoting the wellbeing of people and the environment, while also ensuring economic sustainability. The customer is always at the centre, and we work closely with them from the cost estimation stage onwards. True to our promise, we build wisely and in dialogue with the client,” says Virve Kuurne, Head of Cost Estimation at SRV.

SRV has also built its business wisely on several foundations: housing, commercial and office construction, infrastructure, energy and life-cycle services, and building services. Thanks to its diverse business, SRV is a stable and reliable partner for both customers and stakeholders, even in challenging market conditions.

Responding to changes in society and construction

Operating in a cyclical industry, SRV closely monitors developments in society and markets to anticipate changes.

“Together with procurement, we follow the market closely, especially cost trends. Global events can quickly create pressure, and it is clear that they also affect the construction market here in Finland.”

Sustainability is another major theme shaping the industry. New construction legislation and EU sustainability directives (such as CSRD reporting requirements) have strong impacts on subcontracting chains. SRV strives to be a forrunner in sustainability, embedding it into all processes starting from cost estimation.

“Our tendering process is always handled jointly by estimation and production, with a strong emphasis on life-cycle aspects and sustainability in materials and design management. We also have dedicated sustainability specialists. I believe all construction companies should genuinely integrate sustainability into daily operations.”

Browser-based software speeds up cost estimation

With a turnover of nearly €746 million in 2024, SRV is one of Finland’s largest construction companies. It employs around 800 people directly and a partner network of 3,200. Kuurne, who started at SRV as a cost engineer in 2008, has led cost estimation for more than five years.

SRV’s long-standing tool for cost estimation has been Admicom Estima Premium, and at the beginning of 2024, the company adopted its new browser-based version.

“The new software offers modern estimation tables, multiple ways to access and group data, and a reliable, agile platform for multi-level estimation. From my perspective, user management has also become much smoother, as I can flexibly manage access rights within our licences.”

According to Kuurne, the biggest benefit of the new version is speed:

“Speed is the most significant difference. Of course, the estimator plays a role, but the software itself no longer creates any limitations – it enables highly versatile estimation.”

Reference projects and ready-made components support the process

At SRV, the entire cost estimation process is managed in Estima. While quantities for new builds are often purchased externally, estimation is also done in-house when needed.

“For example, we carry out quantity take-offs ourselves in early-phase development projects. I tested the new take-off features and found them much more agile than before. I liked the ability to easily examine quantities by location and section, with a clear visual overview of what has been estimated.”

Reference projects play a central role in SRV’s cost estimation. The company has built a reference library in Estima, which enables faster and more reliable cost estimates.

“Estimation is much quicker when you have a reference project with our verified pricing in the background. We’ve created components for these projects, so it’s easy to select the right ones and then calculate quantities. Quantities are half the work in estimation – without them, you can’t get far. For us, components are essential, and many aspects are managed through them.”

Estima also includes a cost database of thousands of building parts, tasks and resources. At SRV, it supports pricing, but experience and reference projects remain key.

“The cost database supports our work in the background, but pricing is based strongly on experience and realised costs. Even so, it’s important to keep old estimates as references and be able to return to them – that also helps us develop our processes further.”

A professional tool developed in collaboration

Estima Premium is designed to meet the needs of demanding professionals, with comprehensive functionalities for managing the entire cost estimation process.

“For professionals, the ability to work at different levels is essential – from building elements and tasks down to individual resources. Other important features include price lists, reference libraries, grouping options and clear key figures. Nowadays, we increasingly need functionalities to quickly extract cost data for a specific floor or sub-section from a large estimate.”

Continuous development together with customers ensures that Estima keeps up with the changing needs of the industry.

“Our collaboration has worked very well. We have regular meetings with the software developers to go through upcoming updates and our needs. It’s a fast and interactive way to make progress.”

Accurate construction cost estimation is critical for every company’s success, and SRV is pleased with how Estima supports its needs.

“Cost estimation is at the very core of any construction company, and Estima serves our needs extremely well. I can confidently recommend Estima to other companies in the industry. Our estimators have also given feedback that the new version is faster and more convenient, and no one wants to go back to the old one.”

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