Basic Skill – Backing up an Estimate
If I was asked to come in a quickly evaluate an estimating team, one of the first things I would ask an estimator is to backup an estimate and email it to me. Simple but a fundamental skill that all HeavyBid users need to know….
Total Shifts for an Estimate
In training of new users, I often get the question “where are my total shifts?” Now the question is framed where total shifts will be the duration of the project. If the project is small and there is only one crew on the project then…
Attached Documents
The subject of where do the attached documents reside was discussed among the HeavyBid trainers the other day. A preview of the attachments or links is not printed out with the cost report however if you want to see where they are located it is…
HCSS Summer Newsletter 2020
Back in the day the HCSS newsletter was printed and mailed out. I always enjoyed reading it. Now of course it is emailed but it is still formatted in the old print style which I love. HCSS really took a lot of time on this…
Automatic Backup: Check this Setting
The automatic backup was a great feature added many years ago in HeavyBid that can potentially save a disaster from happening. When an estimator changes estimates, exits HeavyBid, or makes uses certain Edit functions HeavyBid makes an automatic backup. Unfortunately in the default setting that…
Some Typical Questions Answered
This week has been busy in email communications as HCSS customers reach out to me to get my opinion. Here are some typical questions: Is the Cloud HeavyBid a good solution for us? Answer: I love the Cloud option but my opinion is there should…
Equipment Economics
I see in my travels that determining what to charge for an owned piece of equipment is by far the one resource cost that everyone finds hard to calculate and the cost that there would be the most disagreement about. I see too many companies…
Equipment Rate Calculations by USACE
The Army Corps has a pretty good methodology in calculating equipment rates. While the intent of their manuals is for purposes of determining costs for change orders it does give a good basis of calculations for any contractor even if they don’t do Corp’s projects….
Optional Estimate Description Field
I have to be upfront on the field that everybody sees when they create an estimate but usually ignore it. The field I am referring to is the “optional description” as shown below. I too in training pretty much ignore the field but while the…
Engineering Magazines, Trade Journals, and Forums
For a FULL list of engineering magazines and journals go HERE. I pulled a few of my favorites from the list. ENR: Engineering News Record. My favorite. Not too dense, easy to read, and features a wide variety of U.S and International jobs that are…
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.
