1. Tips to Improve your Cost Report

2. Purpose of the Cost Report
The cost report is your chance to accurately portray the cost of the vehicle you expect to design, build and race at competition.
Vehicle is not complete at the time of the report,
Use the cost report as a (BOM) bill of material.
Items still being designed should be estimated as accurately as possible.
Unforeseen changes should be shown on a cost adjustment form.
For example the selection of tires. Every car needs them and they must be included in the cost report at submission.
Estimate what size you will be racing, at a minimum
Estimate a brand that you have a high confidence on using.
Leaving tires off completely is not acceptable.
Utilize the cost adjustment to reflect a change from the original estimate.

3. 2011 Baja SAE Cost Adjustment Form
Cost adjustment forms should be used to reflect changes that were made post submission of the cost report.
The form should not be used to submit entire subsystems or significant components of a car (i.e. shocks, tires, rims, transmissions, engines, brakes, etc)
Cost adjustment forms will not be utilized if they exceed 25% of the total cost of the car.
Teams that exceeds 25% will be disqualified from the costing event.
2011 Baja SAE Cost Adjustment Form
BIR
KAN
ILL
Car Number
Total Cost
Sect #
Item
Description of change
Subassembly Costs
Sum of Adj.
Subtotal
Material
Labor 1
Engine
$0.00 2
Transmission 3
Drive Train 4
Steering 5
Suspension 6
Frame 7
Body 8
Brakes 9
Safety Equipment 10
Electrical Equipment

4. Cost Adjustment Form
If a team is audited at one competition, that team is not allowed to use the cost adjustment form to submit the items found during the cost audit in the next competition.
Cost reports with or without cost adjustment forms which are deemed to be incomplete will not be graded.
Incomplete is defined as cost adjustments made by judges in excess of 35% of the original cost you submitted
At any point during the event Cost Judges can request to see the costing on any particular item on your car. If item is not included in your cost report or your cost adjustment sheet, you score will be adjusted accordingly.

5. General Report Items All files must be named as defined in the rules.
For example : 001 School Name
File sizes fit within the guidelines
Excel 1.0 MB
PDF 4.0 MB
File formats are per guidelines
Submit a PDF File NOT a Word Document with receipts
Only .xls or .xlsx are allowed for the Excel file

6. General Report Items Official Costing Sheet
Team Captain and Advisor need to sign the Official Costing Sheet
Typed names are not accepted (they are not signatures)
Cut and pasted signatures are not accepted
Sheet needs to be placed in PDF file with receipts
It does not count if the signed forms are put in the excel file

7. General Report Items
Examples of Items to Include Complete with Receipts:
1) Transponders
2) Engines – SAE provides a standard cost and a receipt must be provided
3) Gas caps (part number referenced in the rules)
Examples of Items NOT Needed:
Safety gear
Helmets
Neck Supports
Registration fees do not need to be included
Review documentation for what items must be included
(see Excel Cost Report, Cost Guide Tab)

8. General Report Items
Include diagrams, pictures and overviews of significant compenents or decisions. While not mandatory, it is useful
In particular this is useful for areas of the car that are not easily visible

9. Excel Files: Tips for Completing
Use the category drop downs that are provided in the various sections
If we give you a category you must use it
You are very likely to be penalized for not having that item since it is the wrong category.
Check your formulas, in particular:
That individual rows are calculating correctly
That sums encompass all rows and columns
Totals are carrying over to the relevant sheets
Formulas are referencing the correct row and columns
Needs to be using “guard” category
Needs to be in “Engine” section not “Safety” section.

10. Extended Material Cost
Excel Files: Tips for Completing
Quantities need to be entered
Sub-events needs to be used, regardless if you are only attending one event
“Fabricated” and “Purchased” are marked appropriately
TBD – This does not work. You need to make your best estimate based on your current design.
Blanket lines items such as “cost to encompass everything not included” also do not work and will be ignored.
Item
Category
Description
Purchased
Fabricated
Vendor
Quantity
Material Cost
Labor Cost
Extended Material Cost
Extended Labor Cost
Extended Total 1
Rims
TBD X 2
Tires
TBD - Will include on cost adjustment

11. Excel Files: Tips for Completing – Cont
More detail is better, if items are not the exact same, you should have separate lines to document the difference.
All tabs are not the same (i.e. shock mount tabs, body mount tabs, etc)
Systems need to be broken down to reflect each of the various compenents that make up the system. Even if you purchased it as one unit. (i.e. brakes need to show calipers, rotors, brake lines, brake pads, fittings, etc).
Using the component categories is a good clue to estimate what we are expecting you to have.
Labor – this needs to reflect the true cost of building the item. You should be able to support the times if requested. (i.e. CNC an upright in less then one minute. That works if you are making it out of wood. However if you are using baja functional material, you need to be able to support the cutting, finishing, etc)
If your design requires multiple setups to complete the machining and finishing you will need to include transfer time from one machine to the next.

12. Submitting Receipts
Please check scans prior to submission, if you can’t read them, we won’t be able to either.
Receipts should be in the same order as the cost report.
If you purchased an assembly, you need to reflect the detail that is shown on the support in the cost report. You should not group everything as “suspension assembly” or “brake system”. Every line should be reflected.
Foreign receipts/documentation are not accepted.
Receipts can not be more then three years old
No Ebay, craigslist or junkyard documentation should be submitted
Standard cost for engine and gas caps need to be used. This is per the rules
Polaris parts should be submitted using the standard cost as provided by Polaris. If Polaris parts are used and it does not match, it will be adjusted to the price as published.
Receipts are required for all items over $30, including standard costing items such as engines, transponders and fuel caps.

13. Submitting Receipts
Label all receipts to reflect the correct line in the report.
Form Name
Item Number
Item Description
Circle Cost

14. Submitting Receipts
Receipts need to be in the Same Order as the cost report.
Receipt Order Guide line:
Official Costing Sheet
Form A of each Subsystem
If purchased compenents on Form B they should follow the relevant Form A subsystem

15. Submitting Receipts All Cost Must be Retail Price
Discounts are not allowed and should be backed out of the cost