Owner Supplied Material
I have come across a number of companies that have owner-supplied materials as part of their bids. Normally the contractor has to purchase something like concrete or stone for example so the “2” codes are still valid. However if they want a list of owner-supplied…
Improve Your Excel Skills
Estimators use Excel all the time but I am continuely amazed at the poor use of this tool. For example it is very easy to start a series of numbers and just highlight and click to have it continue to populate each cell. So if…
ASAP Utilities Update
I’ve written about this program before. It fits right into your version of Excel and is a list of preloaded functions that can reformat your data efficiently. For example: deleting unnecessary spaces, making sure numbers are read as numbers, combine contents of cells, and that’s…
Export to Primavera P6
I am not a Primavera P6 user but I do know there is a number of HeavyBid users that are. The HeavyBid development team has done a great job over the years expanding the options of the export. If you are a P6 user you…
Export to Accounting in HeavyBid
The export to Accounting routine is a hidden gem in HeavyBid. The HeavyBid programming team has been working on the current export for over 10 years and what it can do for you is nothing short of amazing. This module is a testament that HCSS…
HeavyBid Version 2021.1.1
If you get my newsletter I had a section on the latest version of HeavyBid (2021.1) that was pulled due to a programming bug. Not a major one but since it was caught so soon after its release it was pulled and just a few…
So You Need to Hire an Estimator
It is very common that I get inquiries about if I know any estimators that could be hired. I never give names of estimators of HCSS customers. It is a policy of mine. But I can give advice on hiring an estimator and here are…
HeavyBid 2021.1
This new version has just been released. It is what I call the “Performance” version as the key focus of the HCSS HeavyBid group was to improve the speed of HeavyBid in key areas. There are a few new features on top of the performance…
Find/Replace an Activity – Video
I did a video showing how to replace an activity already in the estimate with a replacement activity (same or a different one). First let me thank Aaron Allshouse, Estimating Business Solutions Supervisor, with HCSS for giving me the idea when I was presented with…
My 11 Year Anniversary with HCSS
11 Years ago I flew to Houston to interview the HCSS to restart my career as a contract HeavyBid trainer. I previously was a trainer from around 1990 to 2000. So in 2010 HCSS had 100 employees which was astounding to me. And there was…
HeavyBid – Basics and Beyond is devoted to everything HCSS HeavyBid and estimating. Updated regularly with helpful insights and tools of the trade, this blog is designed to make your estimating easier and more successful.
