Alto Cost Data MCP Server

MCP server for Alto Cost Data — UK construction cost benchmarking.

Query UK construction cost benchmarks, material price indices, and NRM elemental breakdowns directly from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI tool.

Setup

Add to your MCP config (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alto-cost-data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["alto-cost-data-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ALTO_API_KEY": "acd_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get an API key from the Alto Cost Data dashboard (Pro tier or above).

Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get_benchmark | Get cost benchmarks (£/m²) by sector, region, type of work | | get_elemental_breakdown | NRM elemental cost breakdown | | get_duration_benchmark | Project duration and prelim cost benchmarks | | validate_estimate | Validate your estimate against benchmarks (traffic-light) | | get_indices | UK construction price indices (TPI, OPI, materials, labour) | | get_nrm_elements | Full NRM1 element hierarchy | | get_regions | UK regions with location factors | | get_building_functions | Building function/sector lookup |

Example prompts

• "What's the typical £/m² for a new-build office in the South East?"
• "Break down the costs for a healthcare building by NRM element"
• "Compare my substructure rate of £350/m² against residential projects in London"
• "What are current steel and concrete price trends?"

Data

All data is sourced from real UK project cost analyses contributed by quantity surveyors. Benchmarks are weighted by source reliability (final accounts > tenders > cost plans > budgets).