HeavyBid Versions
It seems that lately I see a lot of Basic Version new purchases. Basic is a great fit for a very small company, maybe less that $1 or $2 million in yearly revenue. I thought of another test the other day. Here it is. Does…
GSA P-120 Publication
I like finding documents that have good information on estimating. This might be especially useful if you are thinking of bidding GSA projects but even if you are not there is some good general estimating information in this document. There is not much out there…
Crew on the Fly
When I set up a new customer I recommend that they set up a blank crew along with their standard crews. I would set the crew code to “ZCREW” and the description to “CREW ON THE FLY”. There will be no labor or equipment saved…
DOT Biditem Descriptions
If you import in biditems into HeavyBid from the Expedite/Aashtoware many state DOT’s will have biditem descriptions greater than 50 characters. Issue is the information truncated beyond HeavyBid’s 50 character limit can be the most valuable information of the entire description! HeavyBid has many options…
Cost Estimating Definitions
I found this in Wikipedia and highly recommend this for review for all estimators, project managers and even people who are in accounting that work with budgets and day to day construction operations. This is actually better than what I find in most construction estimating…
Checklists in HeavyBid – Video
Checklists are a good way to keep different checklists running for the estimating team for an estimate. Like anything else in HeavyBid to really make use of this tool, you need to add and customize the checklists beyond what comes with the original HeavyBid install….
HCSS Custom Reports
If there was “my most important blog post of the year” category this would be it. HCSS has a great custom reports group that can do amazing things for a very reasonable price. It is a service that HCSS struggles to get the word out…
Updating HeavyBid to a New Version
When I am offices of customers using HeavyBid I usually ask what Version they are on? Some have no idea which usually means HeavyBid is not being managed well. But then there are the companies that say they wait a year or two before upgrading…
Outside Equipment EOE Tax Setting
I see this quite a lot at companies I visit have equipment designated as “Outside” in the setup. This is a great feature in HeavyBid so that in Summary you can see the total cost for the Outside Equipment. When equipment is rented from a…
HeavyBid Settings-Don’t sink the Boat!
Last fall I toured the USS Torsk, a WWII submarine, in the Baltimore Harbor. As I walked through I was aware of all the systems around me. Hundreds of hydraulic valves and electrical junctions. Not knowing the correct setting for system aboard the Torsk could…
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.
