1) Takeoff template library
Many contractors comb through paper blueprints and count each outlet box, run of wire and switch by hand. This time-consuming manual takeoff method increases the chances of missing items, which lowers profitability, and/or doubling items, which increases your final bid and could cost you the job.
One way to spend less time completing a takeoff is to choosing a construction bidding software equipped with a sophisticated Takeoff Template Library. Estimating teams can use built-in catalogs of common construction assemblies and build repeatable, customized assemblies to speed up the takeoff process and eliminate errors.
2) Expandable historical database
For your company to succeed, you need an estimate software that provides the ability to look back at previous estimates or project information to evaluate why you won or lost a job or did not achieve your profit goals.
Manual processes coupled with stand-alone systems make it difficult for most contractors to access historical data quickly, let alone piece it together in a meaningful way for future reference.
A construction basis of estimate software that collects and stores project information in a database that makes it easier to find historical pricing on cost items, including materials, equipment, and labor.
With this, contractors can save time by leveraging data from previous projects to better prepare for future bids and jobs.
3) Smart workflows
It takes a team of professionals to create an accurate construction proposal. And every single individual has a unique sets of tasks to complete before a bid is complete. So if one person doesn’t input all of the necessary information and/or misses a deadline, it impacts the rest of the team.
If there’s too much missing information or too many missed deadlines, the entire estimation process stalls. And, in a worse case scenario, the estimating team misses the final deadline and forfeits the job.
Construction estimators can avoid this scenario by using a proposal software for construction bidding with smart workflow features. These sophisticated software solutions allow multiple users to login, update information, and checkoff tasks in real-time, and then the program automatically alerts the person next in line.
Save time on your next proposal with BOEMax
Our all-in-one estimating, pricing and construction proposal management software, BOEMax proposal software, has everything you need to price and win bids. It includes all the features mentioned in this article: a takeoff template library, an expandable historical database, smart workflows— and more.