TechModal's CostBuilder

We have combined our experience in semantic technology and cost engineering to develop our own enterprise cost modelling application: CostBuilder. This application utilises key aspects from the leading technology that we sell. CostBuilder is a server based estimating application that describes product structures and processes in an ontological manner. The application uses semantic technology to allow access to data from dispersed legacy systems allowing various data sources to be referenced to define a project or product. A key benefit of the tool is that it captures industry knowledge which prevents the loss of expertise when employees leave a company.

Our framework is based on the relationship between structures and processes to develop cost estimates. For example, in the manufacturing industry the ‘structure’ could be a bike and the ‘processes’ are the various manufacturing operations required to build that bike. Conversely, in the health care industry the ‘structure’, to which cost can be attached, is the patient's ailments and the ‘processes’, in which costs are incurred, are the medical procedures required to make the patient better.

We understand that ‘structures’ cannot be anticipated for each client; however, our tool provides the framework to allow users to build up their structure from first principles within their domain. However, ‘processes’ can be anticipated and captured for each client so the tool can provide the processes as knowledge bases. The rules generated to estimate cost are expressed and controlled in a discrete rules engine for optimal re-use and sharing across organisation. For more information about CostBuilder please contact us.