How Estimating Software Can Grow Your Business

In today’s competitive landscape contracting environment, a growing number of contractors are looking at estimating software to improve their chances of winning every bid with technology to support their sales. Landscape companies realize that the traditional, time-consuming approach of manually estimating project costs, calculating the components of the bid, and pulling all the different information together into a proposal just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Contractor estimation software helps companies produce time-efficient, accurate proposals, freeing them up to spend more valuable time developing new business.

1. Accuracy and Timeliness

Accuracy is everything in putting together cost estimates for a bid. This means having the most up-to-date knowledge about current costs for all the items in your take-off. Information in a manual file from a previous bid may already be out of date. With the right estimating software, though, the information you need is just a couple of clicks away. Job cost calculators can even configure the cost items into a bid according to formulas specific to particular industry sectors (such as electrical or lawn care). You can modify the factors to be consistent with the specs of your own design plan. Moreover, automation of cost calculations means you are less likely to lose the bid on account of manual calculation errors or incorrect data inputs.

2. Cost and Progress Tracking

The benefits of estimation software do not end with winning the bid. Today’s smart applications include sophisticated monitoring programs, allowing your project team to track costs and milestones. You have the ability to input new information – for example, changes in timing or cost overruns – and update the project terms accordingly. A good estimation software solution effectively becomes a contract management solution.

3. Collaborative and Real-Time Applications

Today’s leading programs are set up to be collaborative, allowing all key team members to share information via a common database. Many platforms are mobile-enhanced, meaning that team members in the field can access key information on-site and respond to new developments in real-time.

4. A Rich Data History Archive

One problem many contractors experience is the difficulty in locating historical information about bids, estimates, and other relevant proposal details to ensure that the current proposal is incorporating all the key issues with the most recent cost information. Instead of searching material sites including Home Depot or other Wholesalers, maintaining extensive databases with lists of materials, equipment, and related costs (including trends over time) can make a big improvement in the amount of time spent trying to pull different pieces of the puzzle together. This can have the added benefit of reducing overhead levels, which in turn can make the proposal more cost-effective.

5. Professional Look and Detailed Reporting

Clients are increasingly demanding, not just in their expectations for cost-competitive proposals but also in the professional qualities of the proposal. This starts with a crisp, clear presentation of the relevant data and proposed process flow. Best-in-class estimating software programs have the capability to upload blueprints, process flowcharts, and other key visuals while enabling edits in real-time. The contract management applications produce ongoing reports at the appropriate level of detail throughout the lifecycle of the project.

What to Expect with Estimating Software

Contractors considering the move to estimation software may wonder what to expect in practical terms and may be wary of solutions that promise the world but fail to deliver meaningful improvements above the way it has always been done. Here are the four qualities you should expect from an estimation software solution:

• Easy to Use: The program should be intuitive, simple, and able to work within your existing suite of business technology. Technical support should be readily available if needed.
• Efficient: You should see a marked improvement in your proposal process through centralized document storage, collaboration features, mobile accessibility, and other time-saving features.
• Sales Lift: The efficiency gained should give you additional leverage to spend more time developing new business, while the enhanced professional look of your proposals can help set you apart from the competition.
• Price Transparency: You should be able to translate the total cost of an estimation software package into a cost-benefit analysis that expresses the value in clear profit terms.

You know what it takes to succeed as a contractor. The right technology can help you focus on the things that matter most while producing accurate, comprehensive, and professional proposals.