In the civil engineering and construction world, the CECA publishes several key documents: notably the Schedules of Dayworks and the Schedules of Contractors Equipment Rates (for plant and equipment) for use in contracts. These “rates” act as industry-benchmarks for incidental work (dayworks) or plant/equipment items when specific contract rates haven’t been pre-agreed. In other words: if a contract doesn’t fix a rate for a particular piece of plant, or a variation arises, the CECA schedule provides a widely used fallback.
Why do they Matter For Quantity Surveyor’s?
As a QS, the CECA rates matter for a number of reasons:
- Pricing Variation / Compensation Events: In NEC contracts you often need to assess ‘Defined Cost’ or quantify the cost of additional/omitted work. The CECA equipment or plant rates often provide the baseline that contractors or clients use. For example, the CECA equipment rates may already include head-office charges and profit, which affects whether you also add a “fee”.
- Contract Data Part 2 Adjustments: You may need to specify a percentage adjustment (positive or negative) to the CECA rates depending on the region, your own plant fleet, your efficiency, etc.
- Benchmarking: For tendering or variation negotiations, you need to know whether your plant rates, labour arrangements etc are in line with industry norms. Using CECA gives you a credible baseline.
- Contractual clarity: If the contract data lists “CECA Schedule of Equipment Rates” then the rates apply; if not, you might negotiate an alternative method (supplier invoices + uplift, etc).
Recent Changes & Trends
The CECA itself has commented on cost escalation pressures. For example, a press release dated 24 May 2022 notes that in light of rapid cost increases (e.g., the removal of the red diesel rebate) the CECA published new dayworks rates less than 2.5 years after the last revision (2019) — much faster than the typical ~7-year update cycle. This signals to QS professionals that rate bases can shift rapidly and that building in contingency or contractual mechanisms is wise.
Practical Tips
- When you’re drafting or reviewing Contract Data (Part 2 in NEC), check whether the CECA rates are referenced for equipment/plant. If so, consider whether you need to apply an adjustment to reflect your specific fleet or region
- Where a compensation event (CE) arises and the plant/plant hire part refers to CECA, clarify whether the CECA rate already includes profit/head office etc (it often does). This avoids double-counting.
- If your contract doesn’t reference CECA, you’ll need to agree how plant rates will be assessed: supplier invoices, actual cost-plus uplift, or some other schedule. Be clear in your contract data or Schedules of Cost Components.
- Monitor when CECA issues updated schedules (e.g., April 2022 update) because using outdated rates may leave you exposed to cost escalation.
Summary
In short: “CECA Rates” = industry-benchmark rates used for plant/equipment and dayworks where contract rates are not fixed. For a QS operating in civil engineering or infrastructure, they are a critical reference – especially under NEC/ECC-type contracts, in variation/CE assessment, and when benchmarking cost and risk.
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