A flexible construction estimating program will help create two different scenarios showing the cost of each, not just in labor and materials, but also maintenance over the life span. In another scenario where a kitchen is being remodeled, the ability to quickly swap in and out different cabinet styles, countertops, appliances, etc—without redoing the whole bid—allows both the flexibly adapt to changing customer demands and to do so quickly.
Keeping records of your historical cost data can save time in preparing new estimates for similar work. Cost estimators can turn to regularly published construction cost data for comparative cost analysis.
Alternatively, your business can look into your own historical efforts to determine estimates. This comes in handy when doing work for the same client, or doing the same type of construction jobs over and over.
Construction estimating software will include a computerized database of previous estimates and bids. The most basic of options will have a built in historical database can allow you to reference quantities, costs, crew and machine productivity data from previous projects.
Both construction and manufacturing projects can be priced via process costing or job costing. Process costing will assign a costs to every step involved in a manufacturing project based on historical data. Job costing breaks down the specific labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor costs needed and their associated calculated costs.
Process costing works best in industries with more uniform costs, while job costing tends to be more accurate due to using more historical data and less guesswork.
This is why job costing is more prominently found in the world of construction estimating. Dedicated job cost software can help save time on job-costing calculations doing via manual processes such as spreadsheets. Most estimating software will also tie in with job cost processes and help your business better price jobs accurately, submit timely estimates, calculate realistic profit margins, and track costs in real-time.
A good estimating program will give you an analytical foundation to understand your costs in different areas within the job. Breaking down estimates and costs by sub-projects, physical areas or by other organizing units provides a wealth of info for understanding which job elements are driving the profit or loss on the project overall.
To identify payback, you may need to segment costs to track the resulting revenues. This would require a need to track the cost of the overall project—by building or by unit. The best construction estimating software will help create whatever type of estimate you business needs.
What determines the information that gets put on the estimate? There are four main types of construction estimates, and which one gets used will usually depend on the stage of the project. Electricians, plumbers, many manufacturers, builders, and HVAC companies all deal with estimating on a daily basis. However, some of the elements of the estimating process can be different in each environment. QuickBooks Online has been used successfully by thousands of construction companies.
While not an industry-specific construction management software , the solution can handle the needed accounting for most construction businesses. Intuit, the developer of QuickBooks, does not offer a dedicated construction estimating tool. However, QuickBooks solutions do have the ability to create estimates as part of their overall accounting package. Estimates created in QuickBooks can be used to create a bid, proposal, or quote. These can later be turned into a sales order or an invoice.
Some options recommended by QuickBooks themselves include:. ProEst is designed to be used by both subcontractors and contractors. The highly intuitive user interface is one of the smoothest to use of any product on this list. Even better, the software is fully cloud-based, so it works with any laptop, tablet, or desktop computer you use, as long as you have an internet connection. ProEst spans a full range of capabilities that help contractors throughout the bidding process.
ProEst also integrates with a number of other construction management tools, including project management tools, construction accounting , and more. ProEst has one of the strongest reputations with its customers of any estimating software company we reviewed. However, some reports indicate that ProEst can run a little more expensive than competitive products and is best suited for larger contractors.
All customers get unlimited users, storage, estimates, and support. ProEst bills annually. Because ProEst is rated strongly on every metric we reviewed, we rate them as the Best Overall Construction Estimating Software , and highly recommend them for contractors and subcontractors of any trade. Clear Estimates is an affordable, yet powerful, web-based estimating and proposal generation tool designed for residential contractors and remodelers.
It was designed by experienced home remodelers, so it has a smooth user experience and workflow. It has one of the cleanest interfaces of any estimating tool, and it is accessible from any device with an internet connection. While other estimating products span much of the project management process, Clear Estimates focuses primarily on creating and managing project estimates and proposals. And while the product is focused specifically on estimates and proposals, its feature set is complete.
Clear Estimates offers a standard and pro version of its product. Users can store unlimited customers and prospects in the built-in customer database. Customers get unlimited support, ongoing material- and price-database updates, and never have to sign a long term contract. Additionally, Clear Estimates offers a free day trial of their product, so anyone can test out the tools before they commit any money. Clear Estimates is among the best estimating products on the market.
It starts at a very reasonable cost, includes unlimited estimates, access to updated pricing data, and can be accessed readily on the jobsite from any device. Sage Estimating, formerly a part of the Sage Timberline suite, is an estimating tool designed for construction contractors and businesses of all sizes. Its core function is to help its users build accurate bids and project estimates using data from their takeoff and BIM files, but it does much more than that.
Even the most limited version of Sage Estimating can do basic takeoff, sync with a price database, and generate detailed estimates and customized reports. The more advanced versions of the product include features like access to the RSMeans cost database, building estimates from 3D BIM models, and generating bill of material reports.
While some users report that the interface is less intuitive than some other products on this list, that is in part because the software is so flexible and full of features. Sage Estimating integrates with a number of tools, which could make it a great solution for companies who are already using a compatible product. For instance, eTakeoff and PlanSwift are two of the most popular products in digital takeoff and both integrate with Sage Estimating. It also integrates with 3D modeling software by Autodesk to improve the takeoff process.
By mapping the 3D models to the 2D project plans easily using Sage, estimators can create detailed estimates incredibly quickly. Sage Estimating runs exclusively on Windows operating systems. It must be installed on a primary company server and accessed through company workstations that have the client software installed. Because of this requirement, we believe that Sage Estimating is best suited for larger companies, though it can also be suitable for small companies with a large budget, complex requirements, or plans to grow.
The total price will depend on the number of modules and features a company purchases, how many users or workstations need to access the tool, and whether or not training and support are needed.
Sage Estimating has been on the market for a long time originally marketed as Sage Timberline Estimating , is flush with features, and is highly customizable. Sigma Estimates is a powerful estimating tool built for subcontractors or general contractors. Its long list of features and integrations make it a good fit for most general contractors, subcontractors, architects, and engineers.
Sigma Estimates is an especially strong choice for Windows users. In terms of system requirements, Sigma must be installed on a Windows operating system. Sigma has two different editions of their product designed for different types of users: Professional and Enterprise. The Professional version includes essential features like basic formulas, functional, area, and resource estimation, product databases and price lists, and reporting.
The Enterprise version includes everything available in the Professional version, plus stronger tools for estimating and budgeting, greater customization and reporting capabilities, and support for more file types.
It also includes access to the RSMeans database to help contractors and estimators keep on top of constantly changing prices of labor and materials. Sigma even has an Open API, so developers can build their own integrations and connect their existing apps and workflows into Sigma Estimates. Sigma is competitively priced for the quality of the software, and further, they offer higher discounts for longer-term commitments to the product.
Additionally, many universities have existing relationships with Sigma that gives them access to Sigma for free. With such a strong product and an affordable price, we highly recommend Sigma Estimates as one of the top construction estimating software products on the market.
We rate it as the Best Estimating Software for Windows. The Australia-based company was founded in , and has a good reputation with its customers. They design tailored solutions for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and other specialties. Their collection of estimating features are also top-notch, including a custom quote designer that auto-populates customer data, assembly prebuilds, easy labor calculations, and more.
SimPRO also allows contractors to keep a detailed database of their costs, which stores cost, sale price, and markup, allowing for extremely detailed estimating for each project. The platform includes supplier cost databases and allows the import of any material and supplier cost database that contractors work with.
Another great feature is the ability to save common assemblies, which can easily be reused in future projects. SimPRO is also in the process of introducing takeoff features, which are in beta as of , but in the meantime, simPRO supports integration with Groundplan and PlanSwift takeoff software.
To learn more about everything available through simPRO, simPRO offers free scheduled demos of their technology and offers a number of helpful videos for anyone looking to learn more about their construction estimating solutions.
Current pricing information about simPRO is not currently available, so potential users will need to contact simPRO through their website to learn more. We rated them as a runner-up in our list of the best construction estimating software.
ConEst is far-and-away the most popular estimating software for electrical contractors. Founded in , they are also one of the most experienced estimating software companies in the market. However, ConEst recommends a database server be installed for centralized storage of data. This, of course, should depend on the number of users needing to share information and how the organization manages its data pipeline.
Any takeoffs done within SureCount are also automatically passed to IntelliBid, so users never have to re-enter data. IntelliBid includes many features to improve the estimating and bidding processes, including a massive database of over , parts and pre-built assemblies, calculators, formulas, and easy estimate export. Performing these tasks manually can not only be time-consuming but also lead to poor-quality takeoff and, as a result, unrealistic estimates. To ease the burden, you can use construction estimating software.
These solutions offer takeoff measurement features, built-in calculators, proposal generators, and integration with cost databases to make the cost estimating process easier for you. Purchasing a construction estimation solution can be expensive. These products are listed alphabetically. Click here to read how we chose the featured products. The tool allows you to take digital measurements of a construction site using tools such as extensions and assemblies.
It integrates with Microsoft Excel, allowing you to drag and drop material quantities and measurements for performing cost estimation. Bridge allows the Dimension program to integrate with Sage Estimating , a cost estimating tool, to seamlessly transfer takeoff measurements for creating cost estimates.
Calculating takeoff measurements in eTakeoff Dimension Source. Count on ProEst to help break down data silos and help all of your project stakeholders work as one team, offering online access that makes it easy to share information and coordinate project tasks.
Bid Management. Stay in control of your bids with powerful ProEst features that let you store, view, update and share an unlimited number of proposals. Construction Document Management. Eliminate inefficient paper-based processes and easily consolidate reports, notes, photos and other project documents on one accessible digital platform.
Invitation to Bid. Help your subcontractors submit bids that are accurate, complete, compliant and on time, the best way to choose the right trade partners. Bid Analysis. Easily compare an unlimited number of subcontractor bids side-by-side with a clear view of inclusions, exclusions and low bid analysis. Estimating accuracy. Winning bids.
With ProEst, you get the advanced tools you need to streamline every estimating and preconstruction task, all with the kind of accuracy and detail that results in more profitable jobs. Construction Takeoffs. Calculate material, labor and equipment costs in about half the time with on-screen digital takeoffs that eliminate the need for manual measurement. Conceptual Estimating. Quickly analyze and apply aggregated historical estimate data to determine if future projects are financially viable for your company.
Construction CRM.
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