Buying estimating software is less difficult
if you're armed with the right
decision-making information.
In the August issue we studied the
"price book" or database section of
estimating programs. This month,
we'll cover the takeoff or bidding section.
Remember, brand isn't as important
as understanding how a program
functions.
Once the database (our list of priced
items of work) has been entered into
the estimating program, we are ready
to make an estimate. When we sit
down to make a bid, the computer
program brings our data items onto the
screen, and we enter a quantity for
each item of work in the bid. The program
then calculates the prices and
stores them in a separate computer file
(coded by