conceptual-budget

/conceptual-budget — Stage 2 Conceptual Budget

Generate a structured conceptual budget from an actual plan set (SD, DD, or CD). The bridge between ROM alignment and formal bidding — the client has plans, you have scope, you need a defensible budget that's been scope-checked against master discipline checklists.

The canonical use case: "Scope the project per CSI division and discipline, check against cost books, and produce a structured budget broken out by division. Act as a scope checker — catch things like: 'Did you forget the emergency power because this is a hospital? You need a generator.'"

When to Use This

• Plans exist (SD, DD, or CD phase)
• Client has agreed the ROM is in the ballpark, now wants a real budget
• Still pre-formal-bid, pre-sub-pricing
• Output is still a range, but tighter than ROM — ±10-20%

What This Produces

HTML + XLSX — always. DOCX is opt-in only.

1. Conceptual Budget HTML (primary) — Same structure as ROM but with:

   • Cover tag updated to "Conceptual Budget"
   • Expanded Scope of Work section (6-10 scope items)
   • Expanded CSI table with sub-items per division and narrower cost ranges
   • New section: Scope Check Findings — after totals, hairline grid listing gaps flagged by severity (Critical / High / Medium / Low)
   • Detailed Assumptions & Exclusions grid
   • Week-by-week Gantt (CD phase) or month-by-month (SD/DD)
   • Mandatory: @page { margin: 0 } print CSS block

   Save as contractor_conceptual_budget_[project-slug]_[YYYY-MM].html.

2. Excel exclusions/inclusions workbook — Per-discipline, filtered to this project's divisions. A raw master list freaks people out — the output needs to be contextual to the project's divisions. Save as contractor_exclusions_[project-slug]_[YYYY-MM].xlsx.

3. DOCX (opt-in only) — Generate via contractor-docs only if the client explicitly requests an editable version. Save as contractor_conceptual_budget_[project-slug]_[YYYY-MM].docx.

Inputs Needed

Same as ROM, plus:

• Plan set — drawing files or descriptions (SD / DD / CD)
• Design phase — determines contingency band
• Scope narrative — any written scope from the architect
• Known constraints — site conditions, client requirements, schedule drivers

Pipeline

Invoke the estimating-workflow skill for Phases 1-5 with scope-check emphasis:

• Phase 1 — Plan Analysis & Division Scoping
• Phase 2 — Written Scope by Division — FULL detail, not ROM brief
• Phase 3 — Sub Identification & Trade Mapping
• Phase 4 — Quantity Takeoff (from plans if available, ratios if not)
• Phase 5 — Hard Cost Estimation (with show-your-math reasoning)

Skip Phases 6-8 (formal exclusions list, sub bid packages, formal proposal generation). Those come in /formal-bid.

Scope Check — The Value-Add

For each applicable discipline, cross-reference against master checklists and call out gaps:

Process:

1. Read references/clarifications-master.md and references/exclusions-master.md
2. Filter to CSI divisions applicable to this project
3. For each filtered item, ask: is this explicitly addressed in the plan set?
4. If not addressed, flag as a scope gap in the output

Flag categories:

• Missing discipline — e.g., hospital needs generator, no emergency power on plans
• Missing clarification — e.g., plans show HVAC but no specs/capacity
• Missing coordination — e.g., MEP sections don't show coordination with structural
• Missing allowance — e.g., owner-furnished items not called out
• Code gap — e.g., seismic detailing absent for essential service building

Cost Data Sources

• references/rs-means-reference.md — Unit cost workflow with local market multiplier
• references/cost-reference.md — SF benchmarks for sanity check
• references/fee-reference.md — A&E fee buildup if combined scope
• Your company's historical ratios via contractor-brand examples folder

Outputs

1. Conceptual Budget HTML

Structure expanded from ROM:

1. Hero cover — "Conceptual Budget" tag
2. Scope of Work — full scope grid (6-10 cards)
3. Notice block — scope-check findings summary (how many gaps, categorized)
4. Budget by CSI Division — detailed table with sub-line items, quantities + unit rates, narrower cost ranges
5. NEW: Scope Check section — bulleted list of flagged gaps per discipline with severity
6. Totals block — tighter contingency (10-15% at DD, 5-10% at CD)
7. Assumptions & Exclusions — detailed grid
8. Timeline Gantt — week-by-week (CD) or month-by-month (SD/DD)
9. Print CTA + footer

File: contractor_conceptual_budget_[project-slug]_[YYYY-MM].html

2. Excel Exclusions Workbook

Per-discipline filtered exclusions/inclusions as XLSX.

Workbook structure:

• Sheet 1: Summary — project info, disciplines in scope, total exclusion count, total inclusion/clarification count
• Sheet 2: Exclusions by Division — CSI division | Item # | Exclusion description | Category
• Sheet 3: Inclusions & Clarifications by Division — CSI division | Item # | Clarification | Type (Assumption / Standard of Work / Coordination)
• Sheet 4: Scope Check Findings — Severity | Discipline | Finding | Recommended action

Generated via openpyxl. File: contractor_exclusions_[project-slug]_[YYYY-MM].xlsx.

Transition to Stage 3

At delivery, end with:

Conceptual Budget delivered with [N] scope-check findings flagged.

Review the findings, coordinate with the architect/engineer to close
any gaps, then run /formal-bid when you're ready to send packages
to subcontractors for pricing.