The landscape
| Family | Nature | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Regional databases | Published or promoted by regional administrations, the reference in their territory and frequent in local public works | Projects in the corresponding region; public works |
| Professional reference databases | Produced by the sector's technical bodies, nationally distributed, with parametric prices and regular updates | Building work in general, parametric budgeting at early stages |
| In-house databases | The office's or developer's own history of contracted prices | Final calibration and cross-check of all the others |
The primary choice is geographic and by works type: the usual database of the project's territory is the one local contractors know, which reduces friction in offers and certificates. In public works, the tender documents usually designate the applicable database and close the question.
The three rules of use
Declare. The project's reference database is declared (name and version), because it carries codes, descriptions and measurement rules that become contractual by reference. Changing databases mid-project is changing dictionaries.
Adapt. The database publishes average conditions; the project has its own. The minimum adaptation touches three points: material prices checked against the local market at the time, outputs adjusted to execution conditions (the database's assume a clear site and normal series), and hourly costs consistent with the applicable provincial collective agreement.
Cross-check. The final price is validated against the best available reference: the in-house history of prices actually contracted on comparable projects. The database builds; the history calibrates.
The dominant usage error
Copying the database without adapting it produces the generic budget: correct in structure, uncalibrated in level. The symptom appears at tender, when all offers arrive systematically above (a database optimistic for the area or moment) or below (a conservative one) the budget: uniform divergence signals not anomalous offers but an unadapted reference. Reading offers is developed in comparing contractors' offers.
The exchange: the sector's standard
Spanish databases and budgeting tools share an exchange standard, the BC3 format of the FIEBDC standard, which moves complete budgets (structure, quantities, breakdowns, texts) between programs without rekeying. It is the silent infrastructure that keeps the system circulating: it is developed in the BC3 format (FIEBDC).
The essentials
The price database is a calibrated starting point, not an automatic budget: it is chosen by territory and works type, declared with its version, adapted in materials, outputs and hourly costs, and cross-checked against the in-house history. With those four disciplines, the Spanish database ecosystem is a real competitive advantage of the trade.
Note: overview and usual practices in Spain in 2026; in public works, the applicable database is the one the tender documents designate.