Publication Information
This user manual presents guidance and recommendations for using RealCost version 3.0 to conduct lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) (Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 2021). FHWA’s RealCost 3.0 is a Microsoft® Excel®-based LCCA tool. This user manual reflects RealCost 3.0’s updated and enhanced input data requirements, functions, analysis features, and user interface.
The RealCost 3.0 tool has been updated to work on both Excel 32- and 64-bit systems. This update avoids the need for installation or availability of any third-party or other commercial components other than Excel 2010 or newer on end users’ computers.
State highway agency personnel and consultants responsible for conducting and reviewing LCCA will find the user manual of interest. The user manual adheres to the technical knowledge provided in the Life-Cycle Cost Analysis in Pavement Design Interim Technical Bulletin that FHWA published in 1998 (Walls and Smith 1998).
Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration,Lifecycle Cost Analysis RealCost User Manual (Washington, DC: 2023) https://doi.org/10.21949/1521964