In the United States, there are 3.6 million construction companies that you’ll have to compete against.
In order to compete with them, you should consider implementing estimation software into your workflow to help you win more projects.
But what is this construction software, and what are the benefits of it? Keep reading to find out!
What is Construction Software
Construction estimating software is a tool to help builders and contractors estimate how much it will cost to finish a specific project. This software will calculate the cost of materials, equipment, labor, and how much you’ll need.
This will help to speed up the process to submit proposals for new jobs.
Before this software became popular, many construction companies had to do this process manually. They would do the math either on paper or in an Excel sheet that used complicated formulas and math. However, this left a lot of room for errors, and it was time-consuming.
Instead, a construction estimating software can give you pre-built templates that you can use to submit your bids. It can also let you customize the labor lists and materials for your company.
It’ll also automate customer data, project your automated costs and apply percentages to help you figure out your profit. When you approve all of that, it will spit out a professional proposal that you can submit.
If that sounds great, wait until you hear about all of the other benefits you’ll get to enjoy!
Database Power
When you’re using a generic spreadsheet to do your construction estimation, you’ll have to type in each line manually. However, this can leave room for all kinds of errors, and you could be using the wrong data which would make your entire proposal wrong.
With construction software, all you have to do is populate your spreadsheet by pulling from a large database. This database will store all kinds of information, like assemblies, pricing, productivity factors, formulas, and so much more. And it’ll be up to date as well!
Depending on the type of software you get, it may even come with a pre-built database that is industry-specific that you can customize.
Saves You Time
In order to stay in business, you’ll constantly have to bid on new jobs. But how do you make time for that while you’re running your business?
Considering that you won’t win every job that you bid on, it makes sense to save as much time as possible by using construction business software. This automates the process and frees you up to actually focus on other important tasks to keep your business running.
Win More Bids
When you have software that is generating more bids, you’ll increase your chances of winning those bids. Plus, those bids will have the latest information, and they’ll be accurate, so you’ll likely win more anyway!
Instead of trying to learn how to use Excel and keeping up with the latest trends and information, you can have software automate this process for you.
Easy to Use
If you don’t have a lot of experience using this software, don’t worry, it’s very easy to use! And we guarantee that it’ll be easier than trying to learn all of the different formulas that you’d need to know for Excel to work efficiently.
It will depend on which software you use because sometimes the ones that are easy to use limit your capabilities as well. However, if you have software that gives you a spreadsheet that’s easy to use with a powerful database, you’ll be able to submit bids just fine.
Many software companies know that people don’t want to take the time to learn new software, so a lot of them make their tools look and feel familiar to other software you may have been using.
Accurate
If you’re going to spend a lot of your time bidding on projects, make sure that they’re accurate. When you use your own spreadsheet, it can be easy to get a formula wrong or even use the wrong data. A mistake like this can cause you to lose a job.
With construction software, you can use a free PowerPoint template that is already built and use data that has already been used on previous jobs. This will let you stay profitable in your business, win more jobs, and grow your business.
Get Rid of Overhead Costs
Overhead costs can really cut into your profit margins. So while you think it might be beneficial to outsource your bidding to an estimation team, you might end up losing money.
If you’re not constantly outsourcing projects for an estimator to work on, they’ll start working on another person’s projects. Then they’ll start working on the next project that you provide them.
Instead of paying an estimator a lot of money to not constantly work on your projects, keep the workflow in-house and do it yourself with new software! That way, you can get rid of paying expensive taxes and benefits for people who aren’t working on your projects around the clock.
Discover More About Construction Estimating Software
These are only a few of the benefits of construction estimating software, but there are many more benefits!
We know that running a construction business can be stressful, but you don’t have to do it on your own. We’re here to help you out!
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