Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study

Residual value (RV) is an important component of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), often valued at 20% to 50% of total construction costs. It is often overlooked which can artificially depress the project?s returns. The treatment of RV is inadequate and needs further research. Residual value represents t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jones, Heather, Domingos, Tiago, Moura, Felipe, Sussman, Joseph M.
Format: Working Paper
Language:en_US
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102983
_version_ 1826213781301100544
author Jones, Heather
Domingos, Tiago
Moura, Felipe
Sussman, Joseph M.
author_facet Jones, Heather
Domingos, Tiago
Moura, Felipe
Sussman, Joseph M.
author_sort Jones, Heather
collection MIT
description Residual value (RV) is an important component of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), often valued at 20% to 50% of total construction costs. It is often overlooked which can artificially depress the project?s returns. The treatment of RV is inadequate and needs further research. Residual value represents the value of the infrastructure at the end of its project lifetime and the value that the asset generates from then on. We analyze three methods for calculating RV: straight-line depreciation, annuity/perpetuity and component. The straight-line depreciation method is the most commonly used; it is simple and quick to produce and it typically uses a percent of the total construction cost rather than real value. The perpetuity/annuity method ignores the actual value of the asset. It reflects the difference of costs and benefits between economic and useful life (annuity method) or assumes an infinite economic life (perpetuity method). The component method is the most detailed and difficult to calculate method. It gives the actual value of the physical asset at the end of project appraisal by infrastructure component. We assume three scenarios for the future for the component method. We use the case study of the Portuguese High Speed Rail project to calculate and compare each method. As expected, the perpetuity has the highest RV and net present value (NPV), followed by the annuity method and then the component method. The straight-line method produces the lowest values (other than one scenario for the component method). Sensitivity analysis is performed ceteris paribus for the demand, construction cost and discount rate factors. We conclude that RV is important in situations when the benefit-cost ratio is close to 1 and the method selected can have a large impact on the size (and sign) of the NPV.
first_indexed 2024-09-23T15:54:43Z
format Working Paper
id mit-1721.1/102983
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
language en_US
last_indexed 2024-09-23T15:54:43Z
publishDate 2016
publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/1029832019-04-12T16:25:19Z Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study Jones, Heather Domingos, Tiago Moura, Felipe Sussman, Joseph M. Residual value (RV) is an important component of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), often valued at 20% to 50% of total construction costs. It is often overlooked which can artificially depress the project?s returns. The treatment of RV is inadequate and needs further research. Residual value represents the value of the infrastructure at the end of its project lifetime and the value that the asset generates from then on. We analyze three methods for calculating RV: straight-line depreciation, annuity/perpetuity and component. The straight-line depreciation method is the most commonly used; it is simple and quick to produce and it typically uses a percent of the total construction cost rather than real value. The perpetuity/annuity method ignores the actual value of the asset. It reflects the difference of costs and benefits between economic and useful life (annuity method) or assumes an infinite economic life (perpetuity method). The component method is the most detailed and difficult to calculate method. It gives the actual value of the physical asset at the end of project appraisal by infrastructure component. We assume three scenarios for the future for the component method. We use the case study of the Portuguese High Speed Rail project to calculate and compare each method. As expected, the perpetuity has the highest RV and net present value (NPV), followed by the annuity method and then the component method. The straight-line method produces the lowest values (other than one scenario for the component method). Sensitivity analysis is performed ceteris paribus for the demand, construction cost and discount rate factors. We conclude that RV is important in situations when the benefit-cost ratio is close to 1 and the method selected can have a large impact on the size (and sign) of the NPV. 2016-06-06T16:08:11Z 2016-06-06T16:08:11Z 2014-08 Working Paper http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102983 en_US ESD Working Papers;ESD-WP-2013-21 application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
spellingShingle Jones, Heather
Domingos, Tiago
Moura, Felipe
Sussman, Joseph M.
Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title_full Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title_fullStr Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title_full_unstemmed Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title_short Transport infrastructure evaluation using cost-benefit analysis: improvements to valuing the asset through residual value—a case study
title_sort transport infrastructure evaluation using cost benefit analysis improvements to valuing the asset through residual value a case study
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/102983
work_keys_str_mv AT jonesheather transportinfrastructureevaluationusingcostbenefitanalysisimprovementstovaluingtheassetthroughresidualvalueacasestudy
AT domingostiago transportinfrastructureevaluationusingcostbenefitanalysisimprovementstovaluingtheassetthroughresidualvalueacasestudy
AT mourafelipe transportinfrastructureevaluationusingcostbenefitanalysisimprovementstovaluingtheassetthroughresidualvalueacasestudy
AT sussmanjosephm transportinfrastructureevaluationusingcostbenefitanalysisimprovementstovaluingtheassetthroughresidualvalueacasestudy