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Solar Construction Budgets

Learn how solar construction budgets are built, approved and controlled.

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A free Academy account is required. 25 lessons.

About Solar Construction Budgets

A solar construction budget has to survive bids, change orders and a lot of field reality. This course covers building and approving the baseline estimate, comparing bids, contingency and allowances, contract structures, cost control, change orders, cash flow and payment applications.

What You'll Learn

Build the estimate

Set and approve a baseline budget and compare bids on the same scope.

Plan for the unknown

Make contingency and allowance decisions that hold up.

Control cost

Track costs and manage change orders, RFIs and construction cash flow.

Review payments

Check payment applications and close out the budget.

Explore the Course Topics

25 lessons, grouped by topic. Open a topic to see its lessons.

01Industry and financial foundations6 lessons
  1. Industry Overview
  2. Project Lifecycle Overview
  3. Core Terminology
  4. Key Stakeholders
  5. Technology Overview
  6. Financial Fundamentals
02Building and approving the budget4 lessons
  1. Build the Estimate and Approve the Baseline
  2. Compare Bids on the Same Scope
  3. Contingency and Allowance Decisions
  4. Contract Structures
03NTP, coordination and scheduling4 lessons
  1. Notice to Proceed (NTP)
  2. EPC Coordination
  3. Permitting & Compliance
  4. Construction Scheduling
04Cost control and cash flow4 lessons
  1. Budget and Cost Control Tool
  2. Change Orders & RFIs
  3. Construction Cash Flow
  4. Review a Payment Application
05Risk and safety2 lessons
  1. Risk Management
  2. Safety Management
06Commissioning, closeout and capstone5 lessons
  1. Commissioning Process
  2. Commissioning Checklist
  3. Substantial Completion vs Final Completion
  4. Punch List & Closeout
  5. Budget Review Capstone and Course Wrap-Up