Dale Shermon

Principal Consultant

QinetiQ Ltd., UK

Dale Shermon is a QinetiQ Fellow and Head of Profession for Cost Engineering in QinetiQ Advisory Service (AS). Dale has presented training courses in fundamentals of cost estimating, hardware estimating, software estimating, life cycle cost, Cost Estimating Relationships, Information Technology, risk analysis and supplier assessment in the UK, Italy, USA, Sweden, France, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and Germany. He has conducted consulting assignments in UK, Switzerland, Italy, France, Australia and the Netherlands. He was responsible for the creation of the Knowledge Based Estimating (KBE) philosophy, the “PRICE HL Questionnaire” within the PRICE Estimating Suite and the TruePlanning for Concepts methodology.

Dale was co-author of the “Cost Engineering Health Check: How good are those numbers?”, A Gower book published in 2017 (ISBN: 978-1-4724-8407-9) and the author of the Gower publication “Systems Cost Engineering” (ISBN: 978-0-566-08861-2) which was published in July 2009. Dale contributed Chapter six “The Impact of Complexity on Project Cost and Schedule Estimates” in the PMI publication “Aspects of Complexity: Managing Projects in a Complex World” (ISBN: 978-1-935589-30-3) which was published in 2011. He published a technical paper in the International Society of Parametric Analysts (ISPA) journal titled “Historical Trend Analysis Analysed” in July 2011. He has had articles published in the “Project” magazine of the Association for Project Management, “The Cost Engineer” the journal of the Association of Cost Engineers and the “Defence Management Journal” (DMJ) the management journal for the United Kingdom (UK) Ministry of Defence (MOD). Dale was the thought leader behind the “Austerity Handbook” – Hints and Tips on how to make a project affordable.

Dale was the first European to become an ISPA Certified Parametric Practitioner in 2003 and gained ICEAA Certified Cost Estimator / Analysis in 2015. He has been the tutor for the “Cost Estimating Relationships” session of the ISPA Professional Development Training at the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 ISPA conferences and in 2009 was the tutor for “International use of Parametrics” session.

He was the first European to be awarded the ISPA Frank Freiman award in 2009 for lifetime contributions to parametric estimating. In 2015 he was made the QinetiQ Thought Leader of the Year, QinetiQ Procurement Advisory Services, Consultant of the Year 2014, QinetiQ Engineering, Scientific and Technical Recognition Award 2013 for the development of the Cost Engineering Health Check (CEHC) and PRICE Systems Parametrician of the Year 2013.

Dale has presented papers to the European meeting of Space System Cost Analysis Group (SSCAG) in Toulouse, France; the PRICE Symposium in Nice, France, Cambridge and London UK also at the International Society for Parametric Analysts (ISPA) Conferences in San Diego, California; Frascati, Italy; Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington, St Louis, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana and Orlando, Florida. This final paper “If a little bit of Knowledge is dangerous… what is a lot of Knowledge?” presented with the UK MOD was awarded Best Applications Track Paper for the conference. At ISPA, Seattle the paper entitled “Creating True Concepts, a methodology, not a model” was awarded Best Hardware Track Paper 2006.

Dale has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Open University and is a Fellow of The Association of Cost Engineers (ACostE) and member of The Association of Project Management (APM). Dale has a Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and a life member of International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA).