2015 HCSS User Group Meeting
Start planning to attend the UGM event. Your choice of sessions are January 28-30 or Feb 19-21. Sign up for the UGM update so when the information is available you are notified by HCSS. You have the opportunity to learn new skills but I just…
Outline Activities First
Many of HeavyBid users do not use an Activity codebook. Nothing wrong with that but creating one activity at a time you can get lost in the forest because of the trees. Create an outline first of your activities than proceed with filling in the details. First…
Microsoft Office 365 – Highly Recommended
I have used Microsoft 365 for a year now and I heartily recommended this solution for email, collaboration and of course Microsoft Office applications. It is far superior to Google’s email and frankly just more professionally executed in terms of security and design. First each…
Customizing the Look of Tree View
I know when estimating my eyes after a long day have trouble distinguishing between the biditems and activities. This is especially true when the biditem numbers are large (like in JV estimates) and they resemble the activity codes. There is a user setting so that you…
Location of Manual and Automatic Backups
With 2013.1 automatic backups by action was introduced. It is a great feature. I recommend keeping the backups automatically created (like when exiting HeavyBid) in a separate directory so the manual backups are easily viewed in their own folder. This is easy to set up….
Indirect Bid Items Template from RS Means
RS Means Indirect Biditems (File Download) I took Division 1 from RS Means and created an Excel spreadsheet that is a template of Indirect Biditems. RS Means has a good outline of potential general condition costs and outline in each section details of that cost. This…
Training Manual
HCSS no longer sends this booklet out with the purchase of HeavyBid but it still is a good book for new users to print out and review. LINK
Attendees for HeavyBid Training – Some Thoughts
I am sometimes asked who should attend the HeavyBid training sessions? Some companies want to have everyone who could remotely be associated with HeavyBid to attend the training. The problem with this approach is that I have to teach estimating concepts along with HeavyBid thus…
How Many Days of Training are Needed?
I have one goal when I train a company. That is the estimators I train will be using HeavyBid when I leave and will continue to do so. The goal is not to show every feature of HeavyBid but to show enough and practice enough…
Tarpan Construction – Cottonport LA
Sometimes I am asked how large of company does it have to be to require HeavyBid? Tarpan Construction is a WBE firm with RW Smalls as the estimator/project manager. Trudy Poret is the owner. My answer – HeavyBid is a best choice for estimating for…