HeavyBid Implementation-the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
This blog is intended for both companies with a new HeavyBid implementation in the future but also existing users who need to train new estimators. This is more or less a brain dump on what I have seen work and what has been a dismal…
How to Calculate Unemployment Tax Rate
Most estimators have never run payroll before so when they go to set up their state’s unemployment rate in HeavyBid they, of course, ask their Accounting department for the rate. But what the accounting department usually fails to tell them is that there is a…
How to use Office 365 to the Fullest: Teams
I’m assuming that most larger companies have a firm grasp on Microsoft Office 365 essentials, but this is not always the case.For now, I’ll focus on smaller operations. Many small companies simply purchase MS Office 365 for the email, one drive storage, and the ease…
Revised One Page HeavyBid Information Sheet
I just revised my one-page HeavyBid cheat sheet. I find it useful for new trainings especially when someone asks for the third time “what does the equipment code start with?”. Keeps me sane. You might find it useful for your estimating team. LINK
HeavyBid Version 2022.0 Released
This was just released but I suggest you wait two to three months to update to this latest version unless some of the new features you find compelling enough to upgrade immediately. I will do a video soon on the new release if HCSS does…
2022 UGM COURSE DOWNLOAD
I taught three classes this year at UGM and I thought I would post the Powerpoint presentations here for ease of download for the attendees but they might be useful to any HeavyBid user. I saw a lot of my class taking phone shots of…
Setting up Labor Tax
When I am setting up labor in HeavyBid there is one place I don’t mind having a little “fluff” and that is Labor Tax. I always recommend keeping the cost as cost (not hidden markup) but there are so many hidden costs in labor that…
Colors in Tree View
Most estimators spend a lot of time in the Tree View screen so take advantage of some of the customization you can do in the way of colors. One way is to add a color block to distinguish between resource types. An example is below:…
Good HeavyBid Help Articles
I was preparing for my UGM course the other day and came across this link to a series of very helpful help articles on exporting to accounting found on help.hcss.com. I suggest that you “thumb” through the articles and see if any will help you…
AGTEK – the King of Dirt Takeoff
I get asked a lot about what recommendations I have for takeoff software. There are good choices out there but hands down if you are into big dirt (and you know who you are) AGTEK is still the one to go with. I say this…
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.
