Network Issues – Open Files
If you are having performance issues on your network with HeavyBid, you should check to see of you have any open HeavyBid files on the server. These can occur when there are issues with the HeavyBid update install or a variety of other ways but…
Display Option-Don’t Show Resources in View Panel
New users have a tendency click on every drill down “+” symbol they see. In the Tree View on the view side you have the option (user preference) to now allow resources to be displayed in the view side of the screen. Here is the issue….
Equipment Costing – Part 2
This is the second blog concerning equipment estimate costing. The following are two more statements that if they occur in your company they should at least be discussed. Statement: “We can zero out equipment costs in an estimate since we own our equipment”. This is…
Equipment Costing – Part 1
If there is anything in the field of estimating that is misunderstood it is equipment costing. First it is critical to understand that the first day when the key is first turned on at the start of the equipment’s life to the final day when…
Adding Searchable Information to Estimates
There is information that you might want to add to estimates and this information can be searchable across all estimates. Or you just want this information available for review where it has been inputted by an estimator. These fields can be customized and is found…
Adding Material – Using the Local Codebook
When you start adding material on the fly or pulling material from the system wide codebook the resource code will be copied to the Local Codebook. See below where this is located. Once the resource is in the local codebook, HeavyBid will pull the resource…
Tracking Changes to Master Estimate(s)
I got this suggestion from a user I recently trained. If you want changes to the Master Estimate(s) to be documented and tracked, create a Word document and each time a revision is made summarize (or detail) the revision. Attach it in the Setup>Estimate Information…
HeavyBid on the Enterprise Option
The Enterprise Version of HeavyBid allows a company to setup multiple business units. For example a construction company has two divisions, one heavy civil and one a general contractor. Both divisions could share one HeavyBid installation but the system wide files will also have to…
Book – Managing a Construction Firm on just 24 Hours a Day
I have been reading this book and it has lots of best practices and common sense information about estimating and managing projects. Not too intense and an easy read. I like comment from the book: “Contractors need to know their breakeven cost (direct cost and…
Comprehensive Version – Worth Considering Part III
The last and perhaps the one of the least utilized of the comprehensive features is the Equipment Biditem. I say least utilized because estimators don’t know of this feature and how easy it is to setup. Issue with the normal approach to using equipment in…
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.
