B2W Estimate

Have been using the product for 13 years

Kommentare: Easy to use, great support and training staff

New User, Very Impressed

Vorteile:

Ease of use, easy learning curve, ability to customize crews, tasks, and items. Reusable cost structures greatly improve estimating efficiency.

Nachteile:

An undo button would be an awesome feature to add. It is possible to accidentally make changes in database that affect a wide range of other projects. Care must be taken.

Very long process to get an estimate

Vorteile:

I like that the software is very user-friendly and pretty straightforward.

Nachteile:

A lot of data entry is required for the estimates. Even if you link an Excel spreadsheet to the estimate, the process of adding a comment for each cell you want to link is tedious, and it doesn't really work for a lot of things, like the equipment quantity. Also, I am not a big fan of the reporting. Most of the reports are confusing, and when presenting the estimate to upper management, it is always hard to explain that it is that way in the reporting, but if you do a multiplication for example, that is the correct number. I just think the reports should show the actual numbers, or maybe we are just using the wrong product for the kind of work we do, and that is why the reporting in the software does not meet out needs.

Targeted specifically to heavy civil public contractors - it's not designed for anything else

Kommentare: It's been fairly good, but the upgrade to Enterprise soured it. Overall it's a legacy software that new competitors will likely overtake unless Trimble (who just purchased B2W) brings it into modern times with competitive pricing. For the record, we use Procore for project management which costs significantly more than B2W, but the value for what we get is far better.

Vorteile:

Unit Price bidding and public work capabilities (pay item manipulation, WBE needs, bonding, etc). Also shines on ITB management and labor/equipment burden management. Customer support is good.

Nachteile:

The Enterprise version is a waste of money (particularly the WBS feature is clearly an after-thought just to say they have it - it has very low functionality). B2W Estimate is targeted to heavy civil contractors which is clear and ok. Just know it's limited and very (very) expensive if that's not your company. It's a legacy software (server based - not HTML based, slower, low customizability, etc). It has no formulas unless you work through Excel. Again, it's a legacy software.

Kommentare: About a year ago, our company was still estimating with spreadsheets. Our system was effective for acquiring work, but didn't really allow for much integration with scheduling, project management, or accounting software. We also had problems with collaboration between estimators on a single estimate. Limitations with spreadsheets forced us to occasionally create multiple estimating files in order to allow more than one estimator to work concurrently on a single project. A more troubling problem was the increasing disparity in spreadsheets from different estimators. Personal preferences led to individual changes on each spreadsheet revision, in both appearance and function. This was problematic during file integration, but also through transitions among staff. Our project managers and superintendents struggled to coordinate projects between different estimators, who sometimes presented the same information in different formats. Realizing that the problems and flaws in our system were only going to get worse, we began to investigate potential software solutions. We decided to go with BID2WIN because the software addressed all our needs at a reasonable price point, and provided all the features of other systems as well as a lot more. We've been using BID2WIN for about a year now, so we're still newbies, and still finding new ways to harness its powerful tools to our advantage. Make no mistake, it IS a powerful tool, and the only regret I have is that we didn't make the move years ago. Implementation of BID2WIN Is not just "installation." It's a collaborative process that entails considerable effort from the client, and from different levels of the BID2WIN implementation and training team. They don't just dump the software on your server. They require considerable effort and involvement from you, the client, but the time and effort you invest into it will be returned many times over. BID2WIN Software had us up and running pretty quickly, and we immediately realized the savings in time. The import features, item and task templates, and RFQ process make building an estimate almost effortless. The process only gets faster and easier as we gain familiarity with the programs, and as our databases grow. The time we save in building estimates can now be utilized to learn the intricacies of the project, and fine tune our efforts accordingly. We don't get every job we bid with BID2WIN. That isn't a goal, and never was. What utilizing BID2WIN does do is lead to better cost accuracy - which, of course, is the single most important aspect of estimating, and the construction business as a whole. Anyone can be a low bidder. What's great is to be the low bidder, while knowing exactly what your margins are - and that's just for starters. BID2WIN addressed all of the issues we had with our spreadsheet estimating. The system allows multiple users to modify a single estimating file concurrently without the need for multiple bidding files, so true collaboration can take place. BID2WIN also immediately standardized our estimating process. These days, we can easily transfer project responsibility from any estimator to any project manager or superintendent, knowing that the information stays consistent in both content and presentation. But beyond that, BID2WIN's myriad reports allow people of different responsibilities to extract their information in virtually any form they want. BID2WIN effectively addressed our crucial need to standardize our process, but the tool also maintained the positive aspects of individualization. My favorite aspect of BID2WIN is the effortless and sleek integration it affords us. Once we are a successful bidder on a project, we can export BID2WIN files and load them into our accounting, project management and scheduling software programs. Within minutes, we have a resource-loaded schedule to hand off to the project manager and superintendent; cost estimates loaded into our job costing; and purchase orders and subcontracts printed, loaded into our accounting program, and ready to distribute to our vendors and subcontractors. There is no redundancy, duplication of effort, or clerical errors, and the task is done in minutes. It still amazes me. As a business owner, the old adage that "time is money" should be a mantra, and the time savings we have derived from the implementation of BID2WIN has already paid for its acquisition costs. With our ability to generate a larger volume of estimates, and with greater cost accuracy, we are also more profitable overall. Innovation is another aspect of BID2WIN that makes the company stand out. Many of the product updates and developments to the system come directly from end-user requests and suggestions. The software doesn't just add cosmetic bells and whistles. The developers collaborate with users to add useful tools that provide additional value, and make our jobs easier. BID2WIN has been everything we had hoped for, and more. We highly recommend this solution to anyone except our direct competition. We'd love to maintain the competitive advantage it affords us.

CB, Inc. - B2W Estimate Overview

Kommentare: We went from Excel/ Pen and paper to using a standardized database that will integrate with out new Viewpoint Vista Accounting package.

Vorteile:

Best ease of use cost to price Construction Estimating Product out there. Best bang for the buck. If familiar with cost coding, production rates, cost to price estimating; the setup and go live can be achieved in a relatively short time span. Being able to have a standard with the entire team (Estimating, Project Management, Accounting, & Field personnel) is worth the purchase alone.

Nachteile:

MSA and Blanket contracts are challenging to build in Estimate.

B2W is Great

Kommentare: B2W is great, and has saved us time and allowed us to bid more projects, thus making more money each year. It also helps a new hire or intern understand the construction process by showing labor and equipment for each task.

Vorteile:

Setting up and bidding a project is much easier now that we have B2W. Before we used spreadsheets with formulas to calculate production and pricing. B2W does all of that for us, especially when your resources are set up correctly to your needs. I can auto populate items with tasks that have all formulas built in, so all I need is the takeoff area or volume. Setting bond, profit, overhead and labor burden is a breeze with B2W.

Nachteile:

Integrating with Spectrum accounting software is still a bit of a challenge. We have to export to excel and spend about an hour or two to prepare a budget so it will upload correctly.

Highly Recommended

Kommentare: Saving time and increasing accuracy is the best way to describe B2W.

Vorteile:

The best part of the program is that it speeds up the bidding process and increased bidding accuracy and consistency. With that said, it allows us to bid more projects and obtain more work.

Nachteile:

In the subcontractor management and comparing self performed vs subcontracted, it would be a vast improvement if overhead and profit were added to the self performed option.

Bid2Win Estimating Software User Review

Kommentare: Having used multiple estimating packages including Harddollar, HCS, Success, MCACES, and MCII, this program is by far the most user-friendly and feature-rich system in the commercial marketplace today, in my opinion. Additionally, the Bid2Win Software Engineers are eager to hear of user-identified feature requests and incorporate them into the software as new feature updates. We have used the system for 10 years, now, and have been very satisfied with the stability, speed, ease of use, minimal learning curve, and scalability of the program. I would give the software a 9.2 out of 10 and would raise the rating to 9.8 out of 10 if the Cons posted above were addressed.

Vorteile:

Our company is a heavy/highway general contractor that self-performs removals, earthwork, bridges and retaining walls, underground utilities, asphalt paving and concrete paving. We investigated other options prior to commiting to the purchase of Bid2Win, choosing it because of its intuitive, tabbed user-interface and the ability to construct reusable task templates for any kind of work imaginable. The following bullets give an overview of the features available: - User defined work categories / sub categories - User defined labor classification / burden database - User defined equipment classification / rates database - Unlimited task template creation for repetitive work items - Tabbed costing interface for calculating costs / markups / and bid pricing - Markup distribution strategy tab for spreading costs to maximize project cash flow - Automatic bond cost table - Microsoft SQL server-based for unlimited concurrent user access (multiple estimators work at the same time)

Nachteile:

- Weak export of costs and resources to Critical Path Method scheduling software (i.e. Export to Microsoft Project, not Primavera) - Only basic implementation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) subcontractor assignments (still requires additional spreadsheet work outside of the program to get a complete analysis of DBE participation)

Estimating Software

Kommentare: Once you have built a task you can update from time to time.

Vorteile:

Was easy to integrate from a different estimating system

Nachteile:

All reports have money on them, overhead, profit, and cost. Cannot give this to field people.

Good but limited program.

Kommentare: The customization options for B2W is awesome. We have made templates for certain tasks and loved that we could reuse them for other tasks. However, when you mess up, you have to redo the whole thing since there is no undo button. We have the maximum number of users for the base level but are reluctant to add more due to cost.

Vorteile:

The ability to reuse the templates for multiple tasks is very handy and we love the customization options available. The user interface is very user-friendly and when we have needed help, the customer support was easy to contact and was very helpful.

Nachteile:

There are some aspects of the program that has limited functionality. There’s been a few times where we needed to find a workaround for a certain task. I also wish the program was a buy-once type program, as the annual fees get to be a bit much sometimes. Having an undo button would also make life a lot easier.

Bid2Win Construction Estimating Software

Kommentare: Highly recommended.

Vorteile:

With the Enterprise version, the software has the ability to utilize multiple databases for use with multiple companies, yet be maintained from a central location. Within the Sherwood organization, we have eight companies; each with their own location, identity, resources, wage schedules, equipment rates, etc. The system's flexibility, ease of use, and multiple database capabilities were exatcly what we needed. Data migration for system implementation was greatly simplified by way of spreadsheet style templates that were used to pre-populate the program's data tables within each database. WIth the pre-poulated data, the system was ready to use, almost virtually out of the box. Seemless integration with MS Office products and exports available for multiple other software products, including accounting systems, reduces time and effort. We were bidding with the system the day after training.

Nachteile:

There aren't any cons that I can think of. After using the system for four months, I have only called tech support once. It was for something that I could have taken care of with another few minutes of thinking. If you pay attention during the training and are somewhat computer literate, the systems intuitiveness takes care of the rest.,

Great Estimating Software

Kommentare: This is a great program for estimating. It can be customized with activities, crews, etc that can be used over and over. Bids can be shared in real time among multiple users. It also exports into multiple programs (Excel, Viewpoint) which makes the transition into a project easier.

Vorteile:

It takes time to build activities and crews, but once done, they can be copied with no effort. There's multiple reports (material, labor, equipment) that is really helpful if the bid is successful. There is effort to learn the software, but it is straight forward. There are simple but effective features like the subcontractor and vendor management that allows you to create groups that then apply throughout the bid - for example, you can make a subcontractor group for concrete and enter the separate contractors and pricing. Choosing a contractor in this group then applies to all concrete items throughout the bid. It makes the work easier, but also helps to avoid missing an item.

Nachteile:

The program automatically saves and there is no undo button, so make sure you think of this ahead of time.

Overall a great experience. Enjoyed the interactive classes and found it very helpful.

Vorteile:

Overall I find the program to be very user friendly. I am intrigued by all of the different reports that it can generate.

Nachteile:

I find at times the software can be slow. A feature that would be nice is for it to have a multi-delete function (rather than only being able to delete one item at a time).

Powerful and Functional

Vorteile:

It is one of the best estimating software specifically for heavy-civil, large scale projects. Ability to identify and manage a resource file, transferring the WBS from excel to the software and utilizing the best reporting system to come up with the cost breakdown based on labor, equipment and material are some pros of this software.

Nachteile:

Considering the cost of the software, it fits the large-scale projects. It doesn't seem, it can be a right choice for small-size projects or buildings.

best road construction estimating software

Vorteile:

Software was designed for Heavy Construction

Nachteile:

learning curve could be long for odd users

Very helpfull business tool

Vorteile:

I have been using B2W for five years now, and it was very easy to learn. It is a powerful tool when setting up consistent, precise bids. Every year we get better at using it and the updates always seem to make the product better and more user friendly.

Nachteile:

One problem we come across when using B2W is if you accidently change a production rate or cost, there is no back button to undo the error. There is only the audit view and it would just be easier if there was an undo.

Overall a great product

Vorteile:

Lets you spend more time breaking down a job and less time building a estimate. Vendor always has an answer right away when there is a problem

Nachteile:

Wish I could create my own reports. this would make it easier for me to find what I am looking for faster.

Review 1

Vorteile:

It's ease of use and repeatability that expedites the bidding process.

Nachteile:

Integration was the most difficult part, we went from excel bids to utilizing B2W, so it was time consuming to get it implemented.

Estimate Review

Vorteile:

The ability to customize the product for our needs and the willingness of the B2W employees to help with it. Also the tracking and reporting we can get from it.

Nachteile:

I wish there were more selection of custom reports. We utilize some of the reports but it would be beneficial to be able to run more custom (specific) reports of what we are looking for with in estimate.

Project Management

Vorteile:

Multiple estimators in one bid, global edits, export capability, customer service, programming issues

Nachteile:

trucking calculator doesn't link to resources, large task templates extremely slow system and/or crash system, cost groups with large task templates extremely slow system and/or crash system, custom reports need to be constructed by B2W

Estimate and Track

Vorteile:

Their customer service is excellent! Very helpful and get back to you right away. We have used the product for a couple of years now and really like it. It's very user friendly and helpful with the information you are able to get from it.

Nachteile:

I wish you were able to customize reports more especially in Track.

B2W Estimate

Vorteile:

Streamlined system for estimating. The technical ability to control certain key portions of an estimate, with as much detail as I want.

Nachteile:

The initial screen for creating a new job estimate. I would prefer one screen with all the questions.

B2W Estimate

Vorteile:

I am able to estimate projects the way I think, support is second to none, and it's always evolving and improving based on the user's feedback.

Nachteile:

They don't have software for everything we do, simply because they do it so well.

Review of B2W estimate

Vorteile:

The product is very user friendly, when we have used customer support, for the most part they have been very helpful.

Nachteile:

We use custom reports that always seem to be a problem with updates to the software.