Construction Biz Wiz

Appreciating that every profitable estimate starts with an accurate takeoff, many contractors are looking to technology to improve their accountability, accuracy, and efficiency. Digital takeoff software is a great choice for those contractors who want to eliminate the cost and hassle of paper blueprints, and perform takeoffs quickly and accurately right on their monitor.

Dynamic features of digital takeoff software give estimators the ability to overlay addendum drawings, flag changes, and eliminate the possibility of missing the changes and additional costs.

Why is that so critical? Because change orders can drastically affect a project’s profitability. Some contractors have seen their digital takeoff software pay for itself with a single won change order.

Beyond the takeoff and estimate, construction companies can streamline processes throughout the project life cycle. Doing so helps companies be organized and have important visibility across the business.

Having plans available in the estimating process and through final payments provides significant benefits to the bottom line, as well as allow construction business owners to run companies more efficiently and increase profits.

Download this free information to learn more about digital takeoff software and the valuable, cost-saving functionality you should look for when evaluating the right technology for your business.

Specialty contractors value software solutions tailored to their industry. For example, using HVAC estimating software, they can streamline processes to accurately estimate costs for contracts, review plans and specifications, and properly fulfill each contract according to schedule.

By implementing software for HVAC estimating, your company will be equipped to easily estimate with details and accuracy:

• Bid up to three to four times more jobs than you can by using manual processes – saving you upwards of 75% of your estimating time
• Spend less time building a bid and more time analyzing it
• Minimize costly mistakes and leave less money on the table
• Compare ‘what-if’ scenarios by considering how you might change design specifications to save money

 Plus tailored functionality in HVAC estimating software can help you:

• Work quickly using pre-built and customizable database based on industry standard labor units
• Easily determine materials, labor, and equipment needs for any job
• Estimate properly considering variables such as workers’ skill, weather conditions, full-time and seasonal labor force, etc.

By utilizing software, contractors can stop spending countless hours or days taking off items by hand or ‘guesstimating’ what the job will cost. By save timing and cutting costs, estimators can complete more bids in less time.

Estimating software for HVAC helps estimators to quickly and accurately quantify, price, and bid projects, and easily view various costs for a project to make decisions.

Download this free case study to see how Monroe Plumbing & Heating saves time with every estimate and be very detail-oriented for greater success, thanks to HVAC estimating software.

Streamline Follow-Up and Documentation

Managing required follow up and properly storing data is paramount to the success of a construction company. Using construction accounting software helps contractors to properly track insurance certificates or comparable docs, manage employee training requirements, and manage the follow up on RFIs, Submittals, Issues, etc., which is crucial.

The Need for Documentation

It’s important to manage required follow-up and activities, whether related to a specific Project Document or something simply applicable to an employee, vendor, project, customer, etc. With construction accounting software, contractors have ways to note, attach, specify required follow up, and manage required activities. Managing date-driven follow-ups and properly documenting what is happening are things that are required start to finish of any project.

How does software help those who manage projects and financials?

Accounting software for construction ensures contractors’ commitments and payments are processed efficiently and accurately.

Leading solutions offer a seamless system for Accounts Payable, Job Ledger, General Ledger, Project Costing, Payroll, and Purchase Orders. This improves workflow and maintains historical detail. Furthermore, features are specifically tailored to fit industry needs and handle the special requirements of construction billing, such as tracking retention and discounts.

Controllers can:

• Attach and specify follow-up dates for Vendor Insurance Requirements
• Track details with follow-up on Employees (perhaps birthdays)
• Track customer follow-up (Annual check-ins or personal follow-ups)

Project Managers can:

• Follow up on notes, such as need to verify all subs have taken appropriate OSHA safety classes
• Ensure that Architect has provided clarifying information
• Ensure that the Job Initialization checklist has been completed

Ultimately, they can ensure that everything is documented correctly, and that everything is followed up on correctly and in a timely fashion. Attention to detail and managing these types of details are a crucial part of being a successful business.

Download this free information to learn about construction accounting software that provides ways to attach notes, documents, and create follow-ups applicable to virtually any part of the business. 

Because estimating is overhead, requiring a lot of time and cost to get bids out the door, contractors are investing in methods to reduce effort and expense in the bidding phase. Specialty contractors face unique challenges and can find added value in choosing electrical estimating software, for example.

On any given job, manual estimating requires a contractor to spend 25% of their time doing takeoff and 75% of their time determining the labor and pricing. Contractors practicing manual methods typically spend hours or days taking off items by hand or ‘guesstimating’ what the job will cost.

So by implementing estimating software, contractors will be able to save time and cut costs as you complete more bids in less time, and thus be poised to win more work.

Estimating software for electrical, HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, and other subcontractors helps estimators to quickly and accurately quantify, price, and bid projects, and easily view various costs for a project to make decisions.

Many replace manual methods by choosing digital or digitized takeoff to save time, improve accuracy, and cut costs on paperwork. And when the takeoff technology works seamlessly with estimating software, contractors can estimate accurately and negotiate effectively, which is critical when competing on fixed-price contracts and when prices fluctuate rapidly.

Download this free case study to see how Maddux Electric Company now estimates to within 1% complete accuracy by using electrical estimating software. The company has increased speed of takeoffs and bids more quickly and easily, too.