What If Scenario- Activity Costs
An estimator might want to compare different activity production costs but doesn’t want to change the estimate. HeavyBid has a “what if” routine that performs this task. First be in the activity you want to do a “what if” and go to the third icon…
Activity Codes – Lessons Learned
Lately I have been working on codebooks for a number of companies. I have come to a couple of conclusions and offer these thoughts to those who are making an activity codebook or recoding your current one. Don’t include letters in the codebook – use only…
Simplify Your Crews and Activity Codebook
For companies involved in excavation, grading, pipe laying and other activities where number of equipment pieces vary with the project there is a tendency to make crews for each possible equipment combination. For example for excavating, load and haul you can have a crew for…
Process Owner for your HeavyBid System
This is a new term for me. I learned it while in a technical session at HCSS’ office in Sugarland. True not much in the software development world is applicable to the construction industry but this can ported over with little effort. In any office with…
Single Users Version for Multiple Users
When I am estimating I sometimes use my own single user seat of HeavyBid. I am HCSS Customer No. 81 so I have been using it a long time. So when I am in my office I move my current estimate to my desktop to…
Deleting Resources and Crews
In a training the other day the question was asked how to delete crews in the estimate setup. You can delete any resource as long as it is not in the estimate. In the Crew Setup there is an option tab that is very handy…
Setting up HeavyBid for New Users
New HCSS customers who are setting up HeavyBid are many times overwhelmed on what to do first. So here is a sequence that I recommend: Labor, Equipment, Crews – this should get the highest piority. Initially you might for equipment just get the codes and…
Checking Automated Backup Settings
The automated backup feature can be a lifesaver. For a company using HeavyBid at least one estimator should be familiar where the autobackup is stored (hopefully not on the server) and they should know how to restore an estimate. One setting that you should check…
Get Serious about Your War Room (Bid Review Room)
The one thing I know about about car racing at the top level is the seriousness of the support crew. They make sure every tool is available to maximize their chance of winning and they don’t compromise. Recently I trained at a company in Atlanta…
Training a New HCSS Customer in HeavyBid – Lessons Learned
It is very typical that a construction company has a core group of estimators (usually at least one) and then project managers who estimate but they will use HeavyBid most of the time to cost out change orders. I always suggest for the initial training…
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.
