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Published January 04th, 2017 by

What Are the Capabilities of Construction Estimation Software?

What Are the Capabilities of Construction Estimation Software?

One of the most crucial parts in the construction business is the bidding of a project. This will determine whether the contractors are going to earn or not. Poor estimation can lead into two things. Either you will lose a great amount of money or your clients will. Surely, you want the latter to happen because that is the game in this business.

On the other hand, what if they already knew the right price? What if they already have their own accountants to calculate the price of the project? Most probably, your clients will think that you are taking advantage of them or you are exaggerating the price of the project. If the cost is too high, it is a turn off. If it is too low, then you will lose. Therefore, it should be a reasonable price. Everything has to be considered in the estimated price. It should be precise or accurate.Without proper estimation on the total cost of the project, closing a deal with your clients would be a lot harder.

Now, what is the root cause of these miscalculations? Are you still using the old manual computation with the use of notes and calculator? If this is so, there is a great chance that your estimation is not that accurate. This is actually where the problem starts. In this generation, there is no excuse in getting left behind. There are lots of available technologies out there. So, if you are still using prehistoric stuff and living in a cave, then the fault is on you. The point here is that we cannot rely on humans to handle this kind of stuff anymore. When dealing with complicated processes that deal with numbers, it is better if you just leave it to the machines.

The possibility of human error is very high especially when dealing with many details. We tend to forget things. We are easily confused. We are vulnerable in committing mistakes. So, how can you ensure that you are giving your clients a fair price? With the use of technology we have today. With machines, there is a combined accuracy and speed. This is where the construction estimation software comes in. It is a software solution specifically made for contractors to estimate the cost of the project to achieve proper bidding.

This software is also better than using integrated systems. Instead of using accounting, inventory, and scheduling software all at the same time, it would be more convenient if you can put all of it in one software solution. It will also lessen the hassles of sending the data from other software. On the other hand, just like other popular types of software solutions, the selection process is also hard because of the sea of options that you can choose from. There’s literally hundreds of construction estimation software in the market. It is easy to be overwhelmed if you don’t know what you are looking for.

Every construction estimation system is different from another. All of them may have the same purpose, but their capabilities are always different. Every selection process must focus on this. While there are other things to consider, it will always come down to the features that you need. Therefore, you should be able to list down and evaluate all your needs in your construction business. After that, you can now proceed to your research. It would take a lot of time and effort in order to pull this off. So, you have to be patient and diligent to learn. You also have to be careful about the sources you listen to. For example, reading reviews may not always be helpful for you to make the right decision. You may come across some review site that is paid to advertise a certain software provider. So, that would be very unfair on the part of the customer.

Now, to avoid these instances, you may just stick to CrowdReviews.com where they provide honest reviews straight from the clients themselves. They provide the reviews of the leading construction estimation software in the market today. You may also want to consider the rankings as your basis in you selection process. It also provides great blogs that can help the software seekers in their decision-making process up to the implementations of the software solutions.

So, going back to the capabilities of the construction estimation software, it is important that you must learn some of it in order to have an understanding on what features you will need in your company. It can also help you have an idea on the aspects that this software can help you. To help you with that, the following is the list of capabilities that construction estimation software can offer:

  1. Integrations

Earlier, we have talked about the integrated systems that are used for estimating the cost of the project. It is indeed better to have construction estimation software rather than having multiple software solutions. However, many companies are still using this software together with other software solutions such as accounting, project management, and time tracking software. But, the flow of data is different when there is construction estimation software included in the mix. The estimators would enter the data in the software, and it will send the needed data to the other integrated systems. This way, there will be no multiple data entries which prevents the possibility of redundancy and inaccuracy.

  1. Centralized Database

It is very important to have a storage system for all the relevant data in the project. This is a key to have an accurate estimation for the project. The information that could be gathered includes labor time, labor costs, materials that will be used, and equipment. All of the data will be stored in the database so that when the bidding comes, it will be easier to present them with the client. The database must, however, be robust. The best construction estimation software usually contains the necessary templates that are easy to use.

  1. Cloud-Based System

Estimators should be able to work wherever or wherever they are. If there is an urgent project, they should be able to evaluate the project very quickly. Also, the estimators would have to collaborate to have multiple opinions about a certain project. That is why a cloud-based software solution is the best way to satisfy these needs in the company. Many software providers are now improving their services by allowing the users to access the software using phones, tablets, and laptops. So, when the estimators have to make a quick decision, wherever they might be, as long as there is an internet connection, they still can do the proper actions.

  1. Advanced Bid Analysis

This is a new improvement among construction estimating software. It allows the estimators to have a record of the previous bids made by other companies. It’s basically a market analysis feature where bids are analyzed based on the previous and current bids from many contractors. Then, using that information, estimators can compare the situation of the project and make the right decision.Using this capability, estimators will have a better job to choose bids that are accurate.

  1. Reporting Capabilities

There is no need to have a reporting software solution. It is easier to have construction estimation software that can perform this task. Many software solutions have a web-based reporting feature where it can be access by other members of the company and the clients themselves. This would lessen the hassles of presentation and sending data to other systems. Therefore, it decreases the possibility of miscommunication and drives better decision-making across the company.

  1. Security and Role-Oriented Capabilities

Not only does security in the software include bug tracking or anti-hacking features. But it also includes control over the database’s functions. The users in charge of the managing the software should be able to limit the access of some users. It is a user–role system that can give permission levels on some users to access, change, delete, and update information in the database. The manager will also decide who can access some information and the ones who can’t. This capability is very important especially when dealing with sensitive or valuable info about the project.

Project estimation is one of the most important parts of the construction business. It determines how much profit will go to your company. Therefore, choosing the right construction estimation software must be taken seriously. This tool will help estimators to have an accurate bid on the project and, in turn, the profit of your company. Now, remember that if you are still on the selection process, you must make the necessary research before arriving to your final decision. You can consider those capabilities and add them to your list of ideal features. On other hand, you should still continue to read other features that can help the estimators in your company.

Please visit CrowdReviews.com. Go to the blog section and read about the construction estimation software articles. You must also check out the reviews and rankings of the leading construction estimation software.

Keith Moore

Keith Moore has worked with several leading Android development agencies to build customized mobile apps enabling businesses to extend the use of their services to smart phones and mobile devices.

Our rankings are completely independent, transparent, and community driven; they are based on user reviews and client sentiment. These construction estimation software companies had to earn their way up and didn't just pay their way up.

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