Last week we asked readers to share tales about how construction software has made life easier. In a recent conversation a ConstructionSoftwareReview.com writer had with Daniel Niedens, a principal at Colvin Kitchen & Bath, we learned how long it took, and how difficult it was, to prepare construction bids and turn them into purchase orders without the use of specialized construction software. (In this particular case, Colvin bought Smart Contractor. His full review of that job cost accounting software application will be live shortly.)

Niedens first described the complexity of the old process of preparing construction bids: 

Originally we had a spreadsheet template and an in-house price book for entering the item cost/labor into this spreadsheet. When I did a quote, I would open the template and get out our price book. I would pull the prices and numbers out of the price book, enter them into the spreadsheet and enter the labor into a separate column. If we did not have a certain item already figured in our price book, then I would have to get out the manufacturer’s catalog and price book, then do the math on our cost plus mark up to come up with the number to enter into the spreadsheet. This would do only one thing for me and that was just to establish a cost for the project.

Niedens continued by telling us what it took to prepare the written proposal:

I would then take this completed spreadsheet and cut and paste a written proposal based on what I had estimated.  We did have a catalog of already written, generic descriptions of items to cut and paste, but I still needed to edit this for the specific item or explanation based on the project. This left open the possibility for missing items or writing items into the proposal that were never charged for. Lots of check and re-checks needed to make sure that they both matched to a “T.” I’m not in the business of giving things away and, at today’s material costs, it doesn’t take many [misidentified items] to get your attention.

The proposals then had be edited and checked to make sure mistakes were caught. Niedens noted:

Having, then, to edit both the spreadsheet and the written proposal separately with all the details involved in a kitchen or bathroom got crazy and time-consuming.

If the customer had not walked out during that two-hour ordeal and the deal was signed, then the real work could begin on turning that info into the correct part numbers and counts for the purchase orders. Niedens would pull out all the catalogs that had anything to do with the job, look up each item and handwrite cost information on a sheet. An assistant would then go into the archive of pre-made purchase orders and type this into the correct fields. Niedens then had to do another check just to make sure no mistakes were made.

All told, Niedens said it could take almost four hours to put together construction bids and their corresponding purchase orders. With Smart Contractor, on the other hand, the process takes less than an hour. Time, as the adage goes, is money, and Niedens reckons that he’s saved a lot of both.

Have you seen similar savings after you started using construction software? Do you want to share your story with us? Leave a comment or send me an email.

One thing we want to do with the Construction Software Blog is share stories about how construction software makes everyday jobs easier — faster cost estimating, for example, or better communication between the construction project manager in the field and the accountant back at the office.

When you tell people how software has helped you, there are benefits both for the reader and the storyteller. By learning what other firms have done, contractors can look at their own processes and practices and see where software can help — whether it’s an all-purpose package like Microsoft Office, QuickBooks or Peachtree or a more specialized project management or job cost accounting software package. Meanwhile, by talking about how construction software has helped your business, you put your name out there for all to see.

We know there are a lot of success stories out there. In a previously published Bid4Build v3 review, former on-site superintendent Duane Craig recalls how cost estimating software helped him calculate cost overruns after, in his words, “we unearthed a rock the size of a Volkswagen.” Craig continued:

I believe we saved close to 60 hours of my time alone, plus we were able to better sort out bids for various parts of the job much more quickly and accurately.

If the use of construction software has saved you time and money, and reduced headaches, drop me a line and I will help you share your story with your peers.

The concept of the blog has evolved drastically over the years. My experience as a tech journalist has taught me that a blog is not just a place to post personal stories — it is also an excellent medium for sharing technical information and, therefore, for learning.

With that in mind, ConstructionSoftwareReview.com has launched a blog of its own. This blog will play a pivotal part in our mission to be your first source for information about construction software. There are two main reasons why.

One, this gives us an opportunity to share more information with you faster. I say “more information” because we can focus on much more than just software reviews — we can focus on construction industry trends, new software releases, expert advice and helpful resources such as our construction software buyers guides. I say “faster,” too, because you can subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed and have each new blog entry delivered right to you. (RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. If you want to know what it means and how it works, tech encyclopedia and sister site WhatIs.com has a definition of RSS. Or you can click on the “RSS Feed - Posts” link on the left side of this page and follow the instructions on that page to see how to subscribe.)

Two, this gives us a chance to communicate with you the reader. One reason ConstructionSoftwareReview.com has succeeded in its inaugural months is because we do our best to stay in close contact with our readers and learn what matters most to them. The blog will make it even easier to connect with us — not to mention with construction professionals around the world. It’s as easy as clicking on the ”Comments” link at the end of this entry. (It should be noted that we do moderate comments before they are posted on the blog. It helps cut down on “comments” about prescription medication.) You can also send me an email — this works quite well if you are a construction software vendor with a new product release to talk about or if you have an idea that can’t quite be explained in a blog comment.

The launching of this blog, like any new endeavor, is one I meet with nervous anticipation, much like the first day at a new job or in a new apartment. Any suggestions you may have — topics of interest, for example, or software tools we need to know about — are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from you.

Brian Eastwood
Site Editor, ConstructionSoftwareReview.com