Beginner-Friendly Costing Agent

Problem

Cost engineering workflows often break down because rules are fragmented, versions and regions are easy to mix, and local data is missing. A 2013 and 2024 bill of quantities can use different fee rules, provinces may have different coefficients, Excel BOQ files may contain inconsistent fields, and users may lack a local quota database, material price library, or feature rule dictionary. This agent is not a pricing engine. It is a compliance-aware assistant for cost engineers that first checks version and regional scope, then gives traceable answers, and stops when rules, prices, or data are missing.

How It Works

• Standards and rule routing: routes questions to pricing systems, version rules, regional adaptation, compliance checks, and BOQ validation; answers should include standard numbers and clause numbers when available.
• Pricing system explanation: explains unit price composition, fee procedures, measure items, price adjustment, version differences, and tax treatment.
• BOQ cleaning: can ask first before normalizing Excel / CSV files, including locating the sheet, identifying fields, filtering valid rows, cleaning values, adding source tracking, and merging files with a processing log.
• Memory growth: uses local SQLite hooks such as session_brief(), log_gap(), and add_asset() to store user profile, asset gaps, workflow context, and skill usage across sessions.
• Gap guidance: checks missing quota items, material prices, feature rules, and fee templates, then produces remediation prompts instead of fabricating data.
• Skill discovery: the built-in skill-radar module can search and recommend costing-related skills based on user profile, without installing them automatically.

Boundaries

• The shared version does not include a full national clause library or complete quota database; those must be mounted separately.
• It does not make high-risk decisions automatically; it pauses for unconfirmed version, region, missing price, major conversion, or ambiguous scope.
• Regional isolation matters: local quota libraries are not intended for cross-province reuse, and unit conversions must be checked and confirmed by the user.