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Construction Software Business Guide: Estimating Costs Before Placing A Bid

Technological advancements have led to the creation of software for nearly every type of business. Construction software has been developed to help owners and operators of construction companies, both large and small, enhance their workflow, purchasing tendencies, and management.

Benefits

Construction software brings with it many ways to streamline all aspects of the construction process, making your business operate more efficiently and increasing its cost-effectiveness.

Automation

The value of construction software comes from its ability to automate different phases of your construction company’s operations and projects. These automated processes are designed to provide insight into the most efficient way to undertake any given project, saving you time, money, and manpower. Both developing and working a site can be automated.

Construction Programs

These programs consist of an application that includes a database of contractors. This database can be further divided by different projects and tasks on any construction project. Important information is also included within the program about the contractors, their companies, and their terms and conditions for payment. It even tracks bids. This means that all you need to do is set the parameters of your search and the program does the rest, saving you hours of searching through phonebooks or the Internet to find the right fit for your needs.

Cost Estimation

Construction software has also been developed to estimate costs for various types of projects. As budgeting and accounting are critical to any construction project, you will be able to appreciate an automated program capable of outlining the total cost of materials, work orders, contractor rates, and other fees, like inspector and engineering costs and equipment rentals. This is sure to save a lot of time in the planning process.

Project Management

Construction technology has come so far that programs now exist that are capable or tracking a project from its very beginning to its end. The program begins by dividing the project into separate tasks. It is then able to estimate a beginning and ending time for the different tasks and the project as a whole. Using this information, adjustments can be made where you believe they will be necessary, for work delays or finishing ahead of schedule for example.

Report Generators

Another useful feature of construction software programs is the ability to produce various kinds of printed reports. As a business owner, you can appreciate the simple power of a list or report and the work that goes in to drafting and finalizing them. These reports include accounting reports, project charts, and contractor lists as well as inventory lists, purchase order reports, cost estimation reports, and invoicing. By using a retrieval language built into the program, you can also create templates for new reports and lists as you see fit. These make compiling necessary information, formatting it, and drafting it, much less tedious and time consuming.

Accounting

In addition to the construction project and process costs seen to by cost estimation programs, businesses also need to keep track of the flow of capital through the business itself. Accounting programs keep track of payroll, purchasing, investments, tax estimation, and savings. This program provides overall maintenance of the business’ entire accounting system, easing the woes of financial tracking and management in addition to project planning and management.

Pitfalls

Though this software can be incredibly useful, it is not without its share of dilemmas.

Loss of Control

If you are the type of person who likes to oversee each and every detail of your business’ growth and the development of each project, then you are probably less inclined to use any construction software. Relinquishing control over part of your business’ operations can be an intimidating concept. Construction software exists only to accommodate your needs though, not to supplant you. This software is a proven way to increase productivity and efficiency in the construction world.

Data Loss

In the event of any hard drive failures or data corruption, any data not backed up will be lost. This could severely hurt your business in the present and the future. Due to this glaring problem, it is always advisable to utilize some sort of data backup. Often an external hard drive is enough to provide the necessary security from this kind of data loss.

Not Mac Friendly

If you use a Mac computer for your construction company, chances are finding reliable construction software will be a difficult task. Most construction software is only made for PCs and Linux-based operating systems.

Pricing

Construction software is not a cheap investment. Many companies are willing to offer their software for free during a trial period. These trial periods rarely include all of the features of the premium, full-price software, but these may provide enough insight into what this software is capable of to convince you that the purchase is worth making for your business. Premium construction software costs up to $500. This software comes with every currently available feature.

The high cost of construction software is worth the investment in the long run when you consider the amount of time, money, and effort that you will save from all of the tasks that it is capable of streamlining. Its construction, cost estimation, reports, accounting, and project management programs are all designed to make your construction business more cost-effective and efficient.