Lookup Cost

Retrieve a $/sf benchmark for a building type, scope, or assembly — from a source the user authorizes. No internal cost values; every output row cites a verbatim quote with a SourceURL.

This command is a benchmark retriever, not an estimator. For full cost estimation, engage a cost consultant or use a licensed RSMeans / Gordian / CostX tool. For payment application work, use /draft-payment-application.

Inputs the command needs

1. Project type — name as the source categorizes:
   • Federal: GSA building category (PBS Lab, PBS Office, PBS Court), USACE category code
   • Commercial: office Class A high-rise, medical office building, hospital acute care, school K-12, lab BSL-2, data center Tier III, multifamily Type V wood, multifamily Type I concrete, industrial warehouse, parking structure precast
   • Civil: roadway widening per lane-mile, pedestrian bridge per linear foot
2. Region — North-American region or specific city: Northeast US, Bay Area CA, Houston TX, Toronto ON, Pacific Northwest. Cost varies materially by region.
3. Year — base year for the index (2026, 2025, 2024). Cost-index values escalate annually; the source year matters.
4. Scope — total project cost (TPC), construction hard cost only, construction + soft cost, tenant improvement only, core and shell only, building cost (without site work). The benchmark unit changes by scope.

Step 1 — Source preference (always ask first)

Tell the user, all at once:

"Where should I retrieve the cost benchmark from? (a) Standard — public federal benchmarks: GSA P-100 (Federal Buildings Performance Standards, free), GSA PBS Funded Projects historical data, USACE Pax Newsletter, RLB International Construction Cost Report (free annual), Turner Building Cost Index (free quarterly), Mortenson Cost Index (free quarterly). I will WebFetch on confirmation and quote the verbatim cost benchmark. (b) Your own source — paste from RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data (paywalled, paste only), Gordian / CostX exported summary, in-house cost database, GC's recent quote, or an arch-rag-indexed cost report. (c) Both — fetch standard AND check your source; report any divergence.

Pick (a), (b), or (c)."

The command does not proceed without an explicit pick. It does not WebFetch from convenience aggregators (e.g., levelset.com, procore.com cost articles) as the standard source.

Step 2 — Acquire source

• (a) Standard fetch — WebFetch the named federal / public source URL with the user's keywords (project type + region + year). Quote the verbatim benchmark including unit, date, and any included scope notes. Record the fetched URL and ISO timestamp.
  • GSA P-100: https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/engineering-and-architecture/p100-facilities-standards
  • RLB ICCR: https://www.rlb.com/americas/insight/
  • Turner: https://www.turnerconstruction.com/cost-index
  • Mortenson: https://www.mortenson.com/cost-index
• (b) Own source — accept paste, run arch-rag query, or WebFetch a user-provided URL on confirmation. Quote verbatim and record source.
• (c) Both — execute (a) and (b); present both quotes; flag any divergence.

If a fetch returns a paywall (most cost data is licensed), fall back to: WebSearch <project type> $/sf <region> <year> site:gsa.gov OR site:rlb.com OR site:turnerconstruction.com → ask user to confirm match → ask user to paste from licensed source.

Step 3 — Output

# Lookup Cost — [Project type, Region, Year]

**Project type:** [PBS Office / Class A office high-rise / hospital acute care / etc.]
**Region:** [Bay Area CA / Northeast US / Toronto ON]
**Year:** [2026 base year / 2025 historical]
**Scope:** [TPC / construction hard cost only / TI only / core and shell]
**Source preference:** [(a) Standard — name / (b) own source — name / (c) both]

## Reference area
GSA P-100 / GSA PBS Funded Projects historical / USACE Pax Newsletter / RLB ICCR / Turner Cost Index / Mortenson Cost Index / RSMeans (licensed, paste only).

## Source quote
> [Verbatim benchmark — cost per `sf` (or per unit), the project type as the source defines it, year of the index, region adjuster if stated, included / excluded scope notes.]

(Source: WebFetched from `<URL>` on <YYYY-MM-DD> / pasted by user from <doc> / arch-rag query against `<indexed PDF>`)

## Benchmark table
| Field | Value (per quoted source) |
|---|---|
| Project type | "<verbatim>" |
| Cost benchmark | "<verbatim, e.g., $850 / sf TPC>" |
| Region adjuster | "<verbatim, e.g., 1.18 for Bay Area>" |
| Year of index | "<verbatim>" |
| Scope included | "<verbatim>" |
| Scope excluded | "<verbatim>" |
| Sample size / data range | "<verbatim, if stated>" |

## Divergence (if (c))
- [Bullet — any $/sf or scope difference between standard and own source.]

## Caveats
- This is a benchmark retrieval, not an estimate. A bona fide construction estimate requires a cost consultant or licensed estimating software (`RSMeans`, `Gordian`, `CostX`).
- Cost indices escalate. Verify the source year and apply ENR Construction Cost Index (CCI) escalation if benchmarking against a future bid year.
- Region adjusters vary materially. A national $/sf without region adjustment misleads on coastal CA, NYC, and Toronto projects.
- Scope inclusions / exclusions matter. `TPC` includes soft costs; `construction hard cost` does not. `TI only` differs from `core and shell`.
- For licensed `RSMeans` access, the user must paste the relevant catalog row — RSMeans data is not free and cannot be WebFetched from public sources.
- For federal projects, `GSA P-100` is the design-quality standard, and `GSA PBS funded projects` historical is the cost benchmark; do not conflate.
- Binding cost determination is the Owner's accepted bid plus contracted change orders, not a benchmark retrieval.

NA AEC conventions (enforce)

• English only.
• USD currency, $/sf (gross or rentable — state which). Never $/m², never KRW.
• Imperial-first throughout. Region naming as the source uses (Bay Area CA, Northeast US, Toronto ON).
• Cost sources: GSA P-100, GSA PBS funded projects, USACE Pax, RLB ICCR, Turner Cost Index, Mortenson Cost Index, RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data (licensed, paste only), Gordian (paste only), CostX (paste only), ENR Construction Cost Index (CCI escalator). Reject KBC, KS, EN, BS, JIS, DIN.
• Federal AHJs named: GSA, USACE, VA, FEMA. State / local: NYC SCA, CA HCAI, DSA, Port Authority. Never the AHJ or the city.
• Floors: Level 3 / L3 / 3rd floor. Never 3F.
• Roles: Owner, Owner's Representative, Cost Consultant (Quantity Surveyor in Canada), General Contractor (GC), Construction Manager (CM), Project Executive. Never Director as a project role.

Constraints

• Never invent $/sf or cost values from recall.
• Never paraphrase the benchmark — verbatim only including units, year, and scope notes.
• Always ask the source-preference question at Step 1; do not skip.
• Never WebFetch from convenience aggregators or third-party cost-article sites as the standard source — federal / publisher-direct only.
• Always include the SourceURL + timestamp.
• Always state the year and region adjuster — bare $/sf without context misleads.
• Caveat block always present.
• Markdown only. No Word / PDF.

Anti-patterns (never do)

• Stating "$850 / sf for Class A office in NYC" from recall — never. The benchmark comes from a fetch or paste.
• Conflating TPC with construction hard cost only — different by 25-40%.
• Using a national average without region adjustment for high-cost markets (Bay Area, NYC, Toronto, DC, Boston).
• Quoting RSMeans from training — the data is licensed; only paste from the user's licensed access.
• Auto-fetching from levelset.com, procore.com, or other convenience cost articles — not authoritative.
• Auto-fetching without explicit user authorization.
• Skipping Step 1 (source preference question) — never.
• Treating this command as an estimator — pointer to cost consultant.