Software for estimating?

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For residential, I use a program called TurboBid.

It's made specifically for estimating residential jobs. It's pretty easy to use after you spend some time with it and set up the database to reflect your material costs and labor units. It generates a great bid package and reports.

I like it because it really allows me to zero in on my exact cost for the job. In my area things are so competitive that the builder is always coming back saying that you are higher than the competition. Can you come down on the price. In the past I wasn't sure of my exact cost. I knew that I was in the ballpark but I didn't know my exact cost. I operated on the principle that I'll make money on some jobs and possibly lose money on others but it will all work out in the end. I didn't like that. It gave me an uneasy feeling. I prefer to make money on all of my jobs. Now by knowing my exact cost I know if I can reduce my price or not. Now I let my competition take the losers.
 
It really depends on the work you are doing. I have used AccuBid, ConEst, Estimation, and Vison. Of those four, the only one that is made specifically for electrical is ConEst. The others are also doing mechanical and plumbing which come with their own ways of doing things. If you are doing just residential, Vision or Turbobid may fit the bill. If you are doing more than that I would look at something else. If I were purchasing and getting set to spend a couple of grand I would get several demonstrations and see what I liked best. Then get a second demo. Also, you can get a couple of programs for a lot less but they are not very good. You wouldn't buy your screwdriver from the discount store..you buy the best you can and something specific to the trade (for me it's Klein or Ideal).
 
I use Timberline Estimating.

Cons:
  1. Costs a fortune.
  2. Takes massive man hours to set up.
  3. Can have a very steep learning curve.

On the upside:
  1. Can both import and export to excel spread sheets.
  2. Is customizable on a level that most other estimating programs cant even touch, in format, input, estimating method, output and even trade.
  3. Completely integrates with all my accounting and project manager software.
  4. Once it is set up and running, and the learning curve is over, it is lighting fast.
  5. It is so expensive, proprietary, and loaded with security that it would next to impossible for one of my estimators to take it, my labor units, or any of my pricing with them (other than what they could print), if they were to change employment.
 
I down loaded the demo and looks decent enough so I'm going to invest the 50 bucks and try it out. For 50 bucks I ain't wasting anymore time on my own spread sheets I have been working on. I'll try this then decide on what to do.
 
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