What Is Contingency?
Contingency in Dash360 is an additional cost reserve, calculated separately from the base estimate, to account for the probability and impact of identified risks. Rather than padding individual resource assignment costs, Dash360 tracks contingency as a transparent, auditable layer on top of the base estimate — so you can see both the base cost and the risk-adjusted total at any level of the WBS. Contingency is configured per project and controlled by registry settings. Some projects track it; others do not. When active, it flows through to budget reports, the CPR section, and cost summary views.The Sanders Methodology
Dash360 uses the Sanders methodology to calculate contingency. This approach breaks risk into three independent dimensions — Technical, Cost, and Schedule — and combines them into a single contingency percentage using risk factors and multipliers.The Three Risk Dimensions
| Dimension | What It Captures |
|---|---|
| Technical | Risk from design uncertainty, technology maturity, or requirements instability |
| Cost | Risk from estimating uncertainty, historical cost growth, or rate volatility |
| Schedule | Risk from schedule uncertainty, dependencies, or resource availability |
Factors and Multipliers
Each risk dimension has two inputs:- Risk Factor — the probability or likelihood level (selected from a predefined dropdown, e.g., Low / Medium / High, mapped to a numeric value)
- Multiplier — the severity or cost growth potential if the risk materializes (selected from a predefined dropdown, mapped to a numeric value)
Override
If the calculated contingency percentage does not reflect the true risk judgment, an Override Contingency % can be entered manually. An Override Basis text field captures the narrative justification for the override.Basis Text
Each dimension has a Basis text field for narrative justification — explaining why that probability and severity level was chosen. These entries are part of the basis of estimate and appear in the Contingency Assignment Report.The Four Configuration Modes
Contingency behavior is set per project via Registry settings. There are four modes:Mode 1: None
Contingency is not tracked for this project. The Risk Factors section and contingency columns do not appear anywhere on the Budget Form. The base estimate is the total estimate.Mode 2: Work Package Level
A single set of risk factors (Technical, Cost, Schedule) is entered once at the work package level in the Risk Factors section of the Budget Form. The calculated contingency applies to the work package total. This is the simplest mode — one contingency entry per work package, regardless of how many resource assignments exist.Mode 3: Resource Assignment Level
Contingency is entered separately on each resource assignment inside the Add/Edit RA modal. Each RA gets its own Technical, Cost, and Schedule risk factors, producing its own contingency % and $. Contingency columns (Contingency % and Contingency $) appear directly in the Labor, Non-Labor, and Travel grids so you can see RA-level contingency at a glance.Mode 4: Both (Work Package + Resource Assignment)
Both the Work Package-level Risk Factors section and the RA-level contingency fields are active simultaneously. Key behavior in Both mode: When you save the Risk Factors at the work package level, Dash360 bulk-updates all resource assignments on that work package with the WP-level factor values. This gives you a fast way to set a uniform contingency across all RAs, while still allowing individual RAs to be fine-tuned afterward if specific resources carry different risk profiles.Where Contingency Appears in the UI
| Location | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Budget Form — Risk Factors section | WP-level Technical/Cost/Schedule factors (Mode 2 and 4) |
| Budget Form — RA modal, Contingency section | RA-level factors, calculated %, override (Mode 3 and 4) |
| Labor / Non-Labor / Travel grids | Contingency % and Contingency $ columns (conditional, Mode 3 and 4) |
| Budget Reports — Contingency Assignment Report | All contingency assignments across WPs and RAs for a project |
| CPR section | Contingency is included in the total cost used for EV calculations when applicable |
Registry Settings That Control Contingency
These settings are configured by your administrator in the Registry:| Registry Key | What It Controls |
|---|---|
Contingency-at-Resource-Assignment-Level | Enables RA-level contingency (Modes 3 and 4) |
CostEstimatingFormHideRiskFactors | Hides the WP-level Risk Factors section entirely |
CostEstimatingFormHideOverrideContingency | Hides the Override % field in the Risk Factors and RA contingency sections |