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Use one of these programs to gauge the cost of your next construction project.
Accurate estimates are key to a construction firm’s success. If you overprice a bid, you’ll likely lose the project. But if you underprice it, you’ll lose money and create problems with your partners and clients. Avoid these lose-lose situations and drive profit by using the right construction estimating tool for your business.
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Construction estimating tools generate accurate estimates for the cost of construction labor and materials while helping to manage the project’s finances. By predicting what you’ll need and when you’ll need it, you can use estimating tools to optimize an entire construction worksite.
A construction estimator’s primary responsibility is to plan an entire construction project, including how long it will take and how much it will cost. Though there are several manual methods for construction estimation, they’re not foolproof. All construction projects have multiple variables that create unpredictability.
However, with the right estimation tools to make accurate calculations for a construction project, you can streamline the operation and simplify common construction accounting problems.
The best construction estimating software gives construction professionals more control over project data and workflow. Here are five tools worth considering.
ProContractor Estimating is a powerful tool with everything you need to estimate costs, create bids and track spending. The software lets you determine the costs of materials, equipment and labor from the ground up, including underground excavation, plumbing and electric, and aboveground construction.
The ProContractor Estimating software supports CAD designs, so it’s easy to work with blueprints for faster and more efficient cost estimates. Additionally, ProContractor integrates with popular business solutions, such as the best accounting software and the top customer relationship management (CRM) software, to help you manage clients and sync accounts with projects.
These are some of ProContractor’s top features:
Custom pricing is available upon request.
Looking for an easy way to generate estimates? PlanSwift takes the legwork out of estimating construction costs. Designed to save time, PlanSwift lets you create an estimate in three steps:
You can customize PlanSwift for specific trades, construction professionals and specialties, such as general contractors, flooring, electrical, drywall, HVAC, concrete, plumbing and landscaping.
PlanSwift includes these top features:
PlanSwift’s pricing starts at $1,749 annually, with extra costs for add-on modules and plugins.
Clear Estimates lets you quickly determine project costs and turn estimates into proposals. As a cloud-based solution with mobile capabilities, Clear Estimates lets you create estimates in the office, at job sites and anywhere with an internet connection.
The Clear Estimates software also offers a parts library with up-to-date pricing, a customer database and the ability to create a wide range of reports. Clear Estimates integrates with business solutions that your construction firm already uses, such as CRM, CAD and accounting software.
These are some top features of Clear Estimates:
Prices range from $79 to $249 per month.
If you have a heavy construction business, B2W aims to make estimating and bidding more efficient and profitable so you can get big projects underway quickly. Other features include scheduling and dispatching, business intelligence, equipment maintenance, friend tracking and field data collection.
B2W supports a wide range of industries, such as specialty civil contracting; land and site development; energy and resources; transportation; and utilities.
These are some of B2W’s top features:
Custom pricing is available upon request.
Sage Estimating offers one of the best pricing tools available to construction firms. The software has a database packed with thousands of materials, vendors, suppliers and subcontractors, allowing you to gather up-to-date pricing information quickly. This saves time and minimizes pricing errors to give you a better chance of winning bids.
These are a few of Sage Estimating’s top features:
Custom pricing is available upon request.
If you’re growing your construction firm, construction estimating tools streamline projects by ensuring and providing these benefits:
The cost of an estimating tool ranges from about $950 to $5,500 per year. The costs depend on several factors, such as the number of users. However, some systems offer unlimited access for unlimited employees for a single price.
The way the software is hosted also affects pricing. Construction software is available as either a cloud-hosted or on-premises service. There is often a monthly or annual fee for cloud-hosted services, while on-premises software typically has a set cost.
Kimberlee Leonard and Sara Angeles contributed to this article.