Project distribution across Australia's core infrastructure sectors — civil, rail, energy, water, marine and mining — built up across 15 years of delivery.
Civil
14projects
Rail
7projects
Energy
6projects
Water
4projects
Marine
2projects
Mining
2projects
About Cenex
Engineering expertise you can count on.
Cenex is a professional engineering consulting firm specialising in infrastructure project delivery. Over $16 billion of projects delivered, grounded in TMR PCEM and AACE standards.
RPEQ-registered engineers, CE1 pre-qualification with TMR, and third-party accreditations across all service lines.
02
Reliable Delivery
On-time, on-budget outcomes across 35+ projects — backed by P90-verified QRA contingencies and robust scheduling.
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Transparent Communication
Clear reporting cadence, auditable assumptions, and open collaboration with client, designer, and contractor teams.
Our Track Record
Proven Results
Fifteen years of delivering critical infrastructure cost intelligence — from the Bruce Highway to CopperString to Brisbane's growing transport network.
Strategic cost planning using historical benchmarks and parametric models.
AACE Class 5 EquivalentParametric / Analogous
Accuracy Convergence
−30%/+50%
Cenex PCEM rangeAACE benchmark envelope
The band is the estimate’s accuracy range at each phase — it narrows from −30% / +50% at Planning to actuals at Finalisation as design definition increases.
Estimate accuracy range by phase (deviation from final cost)
Phase
Cenex PCEM range
AACE benchmark envelope
1 — Planning
−30% to +50%
−50% to +100%
2 — Concept
−20% to +30%
−30% to +50%
3 — S1D
−20% to +20%
−20% to +30%
4 — S2D
−10% to +10%
−15% to +20%
5 — Implementation
−5% to +10%
−5% to +15%
6 — Finalisation
Actuals
Actuals
0 – 2%defined
Confidence38%P50 estimate certainty
Cost of Change$1×vs late-stage rebaseline
Cumulative Spend5%of TIC committed
Method
Parametric and analogous estimating using historical project data and benchmarks from similar infrastructure projects.
Key Activities
Desktop review of project scope
Benchmark analysis from historical data
Order-of-magnitude cost modelling
Initial risk identification
Typical Outputs
Strategic Cost Estimate (SCE)
Preliminary risk register
High-level cost breakdown
Purpose
Establish initial budget expectations and inform go/no-go decisions at the earliest project stage.
PCEM ↔ AACE Crosswalk
PCEM phase to AACE class crosswalk
PCEM phase
Deliverable
AACE class
AACE stage
1 — Planning
Strategic Cost Estimate
Class 5
Concept Screening
2 — Concept
Preliminary Cost Estimate
Class 4
Study / Feasibility
3 — S1D
Stage 1 Design Estimate
Class 3
Budget / Authorization
4 — S2D
Stage 2 Design Estimate
Class 2
Control / Bid
5 — Implementation
Control Estimate
Class 1
Check / Definitive
6 — Finalisation
Final Account
N/A — no AACE class
Project Close-out
Phase 1 — PlanningStrategic Cost Estimate
→
Class 5Concept Screening
Accuracy vs AACE Benchmark
Cenex band 80 pts wide vs the Class 5 benchmark’s 150 pts — 47% narrower, and contained entirely within it.
Definition Range
0%25%50%75%100%
Contractor's Contingency
2 – 5%
Covers contractor-held risks within their pricing and delivery scope.
Estimate Contingency (QRA)
QRA-based
Quantitative Risk Assessment driven; largest contingency element at early phases.
Scope Contingency
Judgment-based
Accounts for undefined or emerging scope, assessed through expert judgment.
Program Risk
Portfolio level
Portfolio-level risks managed at program level, covering systemic and market factors.
P90 Methodology: All QRA-based contingencies target the P90 confidence level — a 90% probability that actual costs will fall within the estimated range.