ICMS Explained – A User’s Guide

A User Guide for the International Cost Management Standard 3 (ICMS 3)

Contents include:

1. Introduction:
   • Cost Reporting Standards
   • Purpose
   • Intended audience
2. Design principles and philosophy
   • Objectives
   • Why is it important?
   • Addressing both buildings and civil engineering
   • Projects and sub-projects
3. Structure, framework, hierarchical levels, attributes and values
   • Structure
   • Cost and carbon framework and hierarchical levels
   • Project attributes and values
4. Life cycle cost considerations
5. Carbon emissions considerations
6. Other ICMS appendices
7. Uses
   • Early conversations
   • Benchmarking and reporting
   • Cost and carbon emissions classification and analysis
   • Claims analysis and forensics
   • Work breakdown structures
   • Digital tools
8. Limitations
   • Level of detail
   • Currency and specification
   • Extent of coverage – civil engineering
   • Availability of life cycle data
9. Differences from elemental cost planning
   • Classification principles
   • Substructure and structure delineation
   • Loadbearing and non-loadbearing delineation
   • Alignment to design disciplines
10. Appendix 1a: ICMS cost example
11. Appendix 1b: ICMS carbon emissions example
12. Appendix 2: ICMS codes for buildings and civil engineering projects
13. Appendix 3: ICMS and other construction information and cost classification
14. Appendix 4: Survey detail accuracy band table
15. Appendix 5: Further information
16. Appendix 6: Introduction to IPMS: All Buildings