What? You don’t know your Overhead %?
I don’t think there are too many more important numbers any construction company should know the company’s overhead percentage. Comes right after your birthday and wedding anniversary. In my trainings, I have seen the estimator put an 8% markup on the estimate and I know…
Accurate Estimation of PM/Super Costs
One of the challenges of moving PM and Superintendents out of G&A overhead to be charged to a project is how much time to charge in an estimate. I was at a customer’s office that had an elegant solution that I think for many companies…
Equipment Setup in HeavyBid
In my travels training estimators, there is a level of frustration with the rising labor, fuel, and material prices. But less than 30% of HeavyBid users have EOE broken out to a fuel burn per hour. If fuel usage is set up then it is…
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…
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.
