Glossary term
TCCE (type "C" cost estimate)
TERM SUMMARY
TCCE stands for type "C" cost estimate, a term listed in the NATO glossary of abbreviations and used in NATO infrastructure project documents to describe a stage of project costing.
- Why it matters
- TCCE is the abbreviation for type "C" cost estimate . The NATO glossary of abbreviations (AAP-15) lists it with that English expansion and gives the French equivalent as "estimation de coût de type « C »".
- Category
- Canadian government procurement terminology
- Reference role
- This term page is designed to be linkable, crawlable, and easy to quote or summarize.
TCCE is the abbreviation for type "C" cost estimate. The NATO glossary of abbreviations (AAP-15) lists it with that English expansion and gives the French equivalent as "estimation de coût de type « C »". It is a NATO infrastructure and project-costing term, not a Canadian procurement acronym.
A type "C" estimate appears in historical NATO documents on common-funded construction and infrastructure projects. Canada's Treasury Board Secretariat uses a related label in its own costing guidance, which calls a "C" estimate a cost estimate at the definition phase. The two uses are related but come from different systems, so a supplier should read each document on its own terms.
What the NATO glossary says about TCCE
The NATO Glossary of Abbreviations (AAP-15, 2013 edition) is the direct source for the term. It records TCCE as "type 'C' cost estimate" in English and "estimation de coût de type « C »" in French. The glossary is a bilingual list, so it gives the expansion and the translation but no costing methodology.
NATO's official terminology database is NATOTerm, maintained by the NATO Terminology Office within the NATO Standardization Office. The AAP-15 glossary is the document that ties the abbreviation TCCE to its expanded form.
How a type "C" estimate is used in NATO infrastructure documents
A NATO infrastructure document, AC/4-PP/FA(553), refers to a "type 'C' cost estimate" for a project. That estimate included 5% contingencies and architect and engineer fees.
The same document states that the contingencies built into the type "C" estimate were considered to cover expenditure for the correction of deficiencies and for improvements. In this usage, the estimate is a costed figure with allowances already included, not a bare construction price.
The Treasury Board "C" estimate in Canada
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Guide to Costing classifies project cost estimates by stage. It identifies C as the cost estimate at the definition phase. It identifies D as the cost estimate at the implementation phase and E as the cost estimate at the close-out phase.
The guide states that costing supports Treasury Board approvals and expenditure authorities for projects and programs. It also lists contracting and procurement decisions as an application of costing information, including informing contract negotiations and the contracting authority required.
The Canadian "C" estimate and the NATO type "C" estimate share a letter and a costing purpose. They are separate classifications, and one should not be substituted for the other.
What TCCE means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts
Suppliers are most likely to meet the full expression "type C cost estimate" in NATO infrastructure material rather than in routine federal tender documents. If you work on NATO-funded infrastructure or defence-related projects, read the estimate classification in the project documents as NATO uses it.
If a Canadian solicitation or project document specifies a C-stage cost estimate, follow the costing requirements stated in that document. Federal tender and award data, including procurement conducted by Public Services and Procurement Canada for departments and agencies, is published through CanadaBuys procurement and contracting data. Check the solicitation text itself for any costing stage it requires.