GAO — Program Cost Estimation and EVM

★ 6.7 · financial-analysis

gao-cost is a Claude Code skill that provides a knowledge base from the GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide (GAO-20-195G) for developing, auditing, and managing program cost estimates. It encodes the four characteristics of a reliable estimate (comprehensive, well documented, accurate, credible), 18 best practices, and the full 12-step estimating process — from defining purpose and building a WBS through documenting and updating the estimate. Coverage includes estimating methods (analogy, parametric, engineering build-up, learning curves), Monte Carlo risk and uncertainty analysis with confidence levels and contingency, earned value management (EIA-748: BCWS/BCWP/ACWP, CPI/SPI/TCPI, EAC, PMB, IBR), and specialized techniques such as software cost estimating, Analysis of Alternatives, and WBS templates. Designed for program managers, cost analysts, and auditors working in federal contracting and government acquisition. No MCP server, API key, or licence required; supporting files include glossary.md, patterns.md, and cheatsheet.md.