Outline Activities First
Many of HeavyBid users do not use an Activity codebook. Nothing wrong with that but creating one activity at a time you can get lost in the forest because of the trees. Create an outline first of your activities than proceed with filling in the details. First…
Customizing the Look of Tree View
I know when estimating my eyes after a long day have trouble distinguishing between the biditems and activities. This is especially true when the biditem numbers are large (like in JV estimates) and they resemble the activity codes. There is a user setting so that you…
Location of Manual and Automatic Backups
With 2013.1 automatic backups by action was introduced. It is a great feature. I recommend keeping the backups automatically created (like when exiting HeavyBid) in a separate directory so the manual backups are easily viewed in their own folder. This is easy to set up….
Indirect Bid Items Template from RS Means
RS Means Indirect Biditems (File Download) I took Division 1 from RS Means and created an Excel spreadsheet that is a template of Indirect Biditems. RS Means has a good outline of potential general condition costs and outline in each section details of that cost. This…
Training Manual
HCSS no longer sends this booklet out with the purchase of HeavyBid but it still is a good book for new users to print out and review. LINK
How Many Days of Training are Needed?
I have one goal when I train a company. That is the estimators I train will be using HeavyBid when I leave and will continue to do so. The goal is not to show every feature of HeavyBid but to show enough and practice enough…
After the Training – Guidelines for HeavyBid Implementation
The intent of this blog to give post-training guidance for implementing HeavyBid but it will be also useful to any HeavyBid user. HeavyBid training can be overwhelming so this guide will assist the new user to continue setting up HeavyBid. 1. Here is the order…
HeavyBid Field Maximum Lengths
When setting up HeavyBid the help screens do not always list the maximum field lengths for codes. Typically users will set up their longer lists of codes in Excel (like Equipment, Detail Codes and Activity Codes) and then import them in but for example if…
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.
