Broadcast Project Cost Calculator

Enter project details

Example data

Formula used

Auto labor hours = Duration × Hours/Day × Crew Size

Auto labor cost = Auto Labor Hours × Hourly Rate

Direct Cost = Labor + Materials + Equipment + Permits + Travel + Subcontractors + Design + Integration + Testing + Training + Documentation

Overhead = Direct Cost × (Overhead % / 100)

Project Management = Direct Cost × (PM % / 100)

Contingency = (Direct Cost + Overhead + PM) × (Contingency % / 100)

Profit = (Direct Cost + Overhead + PM + Contingency) × (Profit % / 100)

Subtotal = Direct Cost + Overhead + PM + Contingency + Profit

Grand Total = Subtotal + (Subtotal × Tax % / 100)

How to use this calculator

1. Choose your currency and enter site area if you track unit rates.
2. Set duration, hours per day, crew size, and hourly rate for Auto labor.
3. If you already know labor cost, switch Labor mode to Manual.
4. Enter direct costs for materials, rentals, permits, logistics, and deliverables.
5. Apply overhead, management, contingency, profit, and tax percentages.
6. Click Calculate to view totals above the form instantly.
7. Use Download CSV or Download PDF to export the latest result.

Professional guide to broadcast project cost planning

Broadcast construction projects combine building works with technology-heavy deliverables. A cost plan separates direct costs, allowances, and statutory items, then checks the budget against schedule and integration risk. This calculator supports that workflow by combining schedule-driven labor, hard costs, and percentage-based adders into one estimate.

Start with scope clarity. Define spaces (studio, control room, racks, cable routes) and required interfaces (audio, video, IP, timing). Record access windows, security restrictions, shutdown requirements, and coordination with other trades. These constraints drive labor hours, shift premiums, and logistics more than material quantities do.

Build the direct-cost baseline. Use Auto labor when planning from the schedule: duration × hours/day × crew size × hourly rate. Switch to Manual labor when you already have a fixed labor quote. Then add materials (cable, containment, racks, terminations), equipment rentals (lifts, test gear), permits, travel, subcontractors, engineering, integration, testing, training, and documentation. Capturing these as separate lines improves forecasting, change control, and closeout reporting.

Apply allowances consistently. Overhead reflects site support, small tools, supervision overheads, and administrative load. Project management covers coordination, reporting, and stakeholder governance. Contingency protects against unknowns—especially late design changes, discovery conditions, and commissioning rework. Profit is optional for bid-level planning. Tax applies to the calculated subtotal when required by your contract or jurisdiction.

Example data walkthrough. Use the “Control room build” example: 15 days, 8 hours/day, crew 4, and a 35 hourly rate produces 480 labor hours and 16,800 labor cost. Add materials 18,000; equipment 6,500; permits 1,200; travel 900; subcontractors 5,500; design 4,200; integration 3,500; testing 2,400; training 900; documentation 600. Direct cost becomes 60,500. With overhead 10% (6,050) and management 8% (4,840), the base is 71,390. Apply contingency 12% (8,566.80) to reach 79,956.80. Add profit 5% (3,997.84) for a subtotal of 83,954.64. With tax 0%, grand total stays 83,954.64, or about 5,596.98 per day. Adjusting crew size or integration cost shows immediate budget sensitivity.

Good practice. Update the estimate at each design milestone, and keep notes on why assumptions changed. For high-risk sites, raise contingency early, then reduce it as unknowns close. Use exports to maintain a consistent audit trail.

Use results for decisions. Compare scenarios by adjusting crew size, duration, integration effort, or contingency. Watch “per day” and “per m²” to spot schedule inflation and scope creep early. Export CSV for estimating logs and PDF for approvals, then update inputs as design maturity improves.

FAQs

1) Should I use Auto or Manual labor mode?

Use Auto when your plan is schedule-driven and you want labor tied to days, hours, crew, and rate. Use Manual when you have a lump-sum labor quote or blended crew pricing from a contractor.

2) What costs belong in “Systems integration”?

Include configuration, interfacing, signal routing, control logic, addressing, timing, labeling strategy, and on-site technical coordination needed to make separate systems operate together during commissioning.

3) How should I choose contingency percentage?

Base it on uncertainty. Early design or complex integration often needs higher contingency. As drawings, access plans, and test procedures mature, reduce contingency while keeping a clear record of remaining risks.

4) Does overhead include project management?

Not necessarily. Overhead typically covers general support and indirect costs, while project management covers governance, reporting, and coordination. Keep them separate to understand what is driving increases.

5) When should I apply profit and tax?

Apply profit when preparing bids or internal markups. Apply tax when your contract requires it on the subtotal. If taxes vary by line item, set tax to zero and handle taxes outside.

6) Why do per-day and per-m² values matter?

They normalize cost for quick comparisons. Per-day highlights schedule inflation; per-m² supports benchmarking between facilities. Use them as indicators, then review the underlying cost drivers.

7) How do exports help during execution?

CSV supports estimate logs, revisions, and variance tracking. PDF creates a shareable snapshot for approvals. Export after each major assumption update so stakeholders can trace what changed and why.