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…
HeavyBid Keyboard Shortcuts
Want to speed up your HeavyBid session? Learning some keyboard shortcuts can really make a difference in your productivity in HeavyBid. Watch this Youtube video where I cover the most important keyboard shortcuts. Start with a few (I suggest some of the ones in Treeview)…
Right Click Bid Item Options
In Tree View if you have not right clicked on a biditem in a long time you need to. Two fairly new options I like. First one is the ability now to subdivide a biditem even if it has activities (1). All the activities in…
Make Visible Shortcut Keys in HeavyBid
There is a setting in the Microsoft operation system that allows shortcut keys to be visible. Your screen if this has been activated on your computer (or your remote session) should like this in Tree View. Each underline key can be activated by pressing the…
Copying from Other Estimates – A Discussion
This is not a blog on how to copy from other estimates but one that asks why are you copying from other estimates? I see many HeavyBid customers whose workflow is this. Create all the Activities (or Biditems) by going out to previous estimates and…
Search Biditems or Activities by Description in Tree View
This might not seem like a very useful feature until you have hundreds of biditems or activities. In the TreeView and on the biditems right-click and you will get a pop up screen that has two radio buttons. One is searching on Biditem description and…
Version 2018 HeavyBid – New Archive Estimate Feature
I love this new tool. Most of the users probably like me were probably not looking for the feature but once introduced it is like “where was this all my life?” But you have to determine how best to use it. Plan how you are…
Creating a Conformed Estimate
What is “conforming” an estimate? You might not be familiar with the term. A “conformed” estimate is just an estimate copied from the original and modified after the project has been awarded. Here is the workflow model. First you estimate the project. At the conclusion…
Estimating Mistakes Using HeavyBid that I See
I am usually in one or two contractors offices a week. I see some using HeavyBid very well and others not so much. The worst cases are the ones I just hear about because the company doesn’t train their estimators on best practices of HeavyBid. Here…
Small Projects Estimate
Sometimes creating an entire estimate for a one bid item project can be complete overkill. This suggestion comes from many years (back in the DOS days) that still is valid today. Consider for small estimates (one bid item) creating an estimate that will contain a…
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.
