Add Client Information to the Estimate
If there is one thing I would redesign in HeavyBid it would be the Estimate Information section. Estimators tend to ignore the 2nd and 3rd tabs and at least some of that information could probably fit on the first tab. Information on the client (contact…
Crisis Looming in Construction
I am in a lot of offices (even with the pandemic). A good estimator will have all the little details of the construction process that insures their estimates are accurate. I remember at one of the first trainings this year sitting at Diamond Coring’s office…
Managing HeavyBid Part 2 – Tools>Preferences
Any software has settings and it is critical for the management of HeavyBid to understand the underlying settings and what can be changed to better manage HeavyBid. For example, automatic backups can be stored in one folder while the manual backup in another. HeavyBid puts…
Vendor Business Contact System – Huge!
If there is one module that is often ignored in HeavyBid setup it is the Vendor Contact System. A little quirky (where is the save button!) and I think it needs some updating but the benefits are huge in getting this setup and setup correctly….
Resources in a Crew-Why?
One setting that you want to set in HeavyBid is found in Tools>Preferences>System Preferences?>Setup. It is the option to “Do not prompt for material resources to be added to crews”. This should really be checked as a default setting by HCSS but easy enough to…
Updating Resource Costs?
I had this question come up the other day during a training. The estimator didn’t know when his equipment costs were last updated. I had to think a little bit but then I remember the “updated” field that is available to view but only available…
HeavyBid Info Sheet
Here is a small project I have been working on. Intended for new users as a basic one page information sheet but I will expand it to include information (on another sheet) for more advanced users. Fink it on the link below LINK
Lock Estimates
An estimator leaves your company and brings with him or her some or all of your company’s estimates. That is a huge amount of intellectual data that is on the streets. I see other company’s estimates at my trainings so I know this occurs. HCSS…
Part II – G&A Expenses in HeavyBid
In Part I, I outlined the reasons to separate markup from your general overhead expenses (all costs that are not allocated to an individual job). There are two areas in HeavyBid where I recommend putting this cost. The first option is to put the G&A…
Updating your Master Estimate
Typically companies new to HeavyBid find that they have missed setting up certain labor, equipment or crew. Or maybe you are redoing your Master(s) and want to copy in setups from recent estimates. Obviously you want your Master to have the latest information so you…
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.
