We propose an automated compositional approach for component-based performance engineering, called the CB-SPE. It adapts to a CB framework the concepts and steps of the wellknown SPE technology, and uses for input modeling the standard RT-UML PA profile. The approach is two-layered: it is first applied by the component developer to achieve a parametric evaluation of the components in isolation; then by the system assembler, to predict the performance of the components assembly on the actual platform. We also present the CB-SPE tool architecture and its current status.