RSMeans from The Gordian Group Sponsored National Solar Decathlon 2015

Greenville, SC-based  The Gordian Group, a leading provider of construction cost analytics and estimating information, pricing data and procurement solutions, announced today RSMeans’ industry-leading construction cost estimating tools were used by 14 college teams competing in the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2015.

Each college received ten complimentary user licenses for RSMeans Online Complete Library to aid in their planning efforts. The suite of online estimating tools helped students accurately estimate labor, equipment and material costs involved in construction of their solar-powered houses. The 2015 competition marks the third time RSMeans has sponsored the bi-annual event.

“The Solar Decathlon 2015 challenges college students to design homes around one of our most abundant renewable energy resources, solar power,” said Chris Anderson, Gordian’s Vice President of Data Strategy & Consulting. “We’re proud to offer the use of RSMeans Online to the students, which includes comprehensive materials and prices for solar and other renewable energy sources.”

The U.S. Dept. of Energy Solar Decathlon pits collegiate teams against each other to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive. The winning entry must demonstrate to judges the best blend of affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

Colleges built their houses at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. A public exhibition of the houses runs from Oct. 8 to 11 and Oct. 15 to 18, 2015. The overall winner will be announced Oct. 17, 2015.

Colleges competing in the DOE Solar Decathlon 2015 were:

• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• California State University, Sacramento
• Clemson University
• Crowder College and Drury University
• Missouri University of Science and Technology
• New York City College of Technology
• State University of New York at Alfred College of Technology and Alfred University
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• The University of Texas at Austin and Technische Universitaet Muenchen
• University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine; Saddleback College; Chapman University; and Irvine Valley College
• West Virginia University and University of Roma Tor Vergata
• Western New England University, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana.

RSMeans is North America’s leading supplier of construction cost information used by contractors, architects, engineers, facility managers and designers for their planning, budgeting, cost analysis and estimating needs.

About The Gordian Group
The Gordian Group (www.TheGordianGroup.com) is the leading provider of innovative construction data, software and services to organizations pursuing efficient and effective construction planning, estimating and procurement. As the pioneer of Job Order Contracting, Gordian’s ever-growing portfolio of procurement solutions leverages highly specialized cloud-based project management software to deliver rapid deployment and long-term cost savings for the nation’s facility and infrastructure owners. In 2014, Gordian acquired RSMeans, a leader in data, analytics and life cycle cost analysis for commercial and residential construction. Today, The Gordian Group draws on its highly specialized engineers, software and unique proprietary data sets to solve the construction information, planning and management needs of people in building construction, building products manufacturing, education, healthcare, retail, insurance, legal, and government.