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PROJECT TIME AND COST INC. MII REVIEW

In order to work with the Department of Education and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, contractors must use MII as their estimating software. Luckily, the program is flexible and powerful enough to adapt to different projects, said Ken Kawasaki of Project Time & Cost Inc., which actually developed MII and its predecessor, MCACES.

"MII is mandated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as their primary estimating tool. They require all their estimates to be created within MII," he said. According to the USACE, MII is the "detail cost estimating program that all cost engineers are required to use for preparing all Current Working Estimates (CWEs) and Government Estimates (GE) for Military, Civil Works and Environmental Restoration Projects." 

The software incorporates cost and catalog information from RS Means, North America's leading supplier of construction cost information. Many PT&C clients use the pricing information they garner from RS Means to correctly estimate the total cost of their projects.

"[MII] has the flexibility to create new cost-line items, labor, equipment, crews and other project resources," Kawasaki said.

Kawasaki gave MII estimating software an 8 out of 10 rating.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
We provide professional project management and cost engineering services, as well as cost-estimating and analysis services to government and some private-sector clients. Our clients include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Education Lifecycle project, Colorado State University Bio-Containment Lab and the Fountain Pump Station in Fountain, CO.

How long have you been using this tool?
I have been using MII for over three years, and used the predecessor product -- MCACES (Micro-Computer Aided Cost Estimating System) -- for more than three years prior to the release of MII, which is the second generation of MCACES.  

Where did you obtain it?
MII was actually developed by PT&C for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use as their primary estimating software.

How much did you pay?
I do not know.

How are you using this product?
The product is used as a cost-estimating tool for providing a cost book based on the catalog and pricing of R.S. Means. The software also gives us the flexibility to create new cost line-items, labor, equipment, crews and other project resources.

Why did you pick this product?
MII is mandated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as their primary estimating software tool. They require all their estimates to be created within MII. According to the USACE, MII is the "detail cost estimating program that all cost engineers are required to use for preparing all Current Working Estimates (CWEs) and Government Estimates (GE) for Military, Civil Works and Environmental Restoration Projects."

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
We looked at other tools, and use other tools such as Success and Timberline, but MII is our primary estimating softwarel. The use of MII is dictated by our primary clients -- the DOE and USACE.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
Before using MII, we used MCACES or MCACES for Windows. Both MCACES products were also mandated by the USACE for their construction cost estimating projects. The primary cost books used by these applications were developed and maintained by the USACE.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
The tool made a substantial difference in the development of the Richland, WA, DOE baseline development process. It is very flexible.

Can you estimate how much time or money you have saved or other measurable benefits your firm has realized using this tool?
No. Its use is mandated, so it's impossible to estimate savings.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
I like the program's flexibility to create additional cost line-items as needed for a particular project.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
Yes.

What would you change about the product if you could?
I would like it to allow user access to background tables and data.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?z
Probably, but I am not sure exactly what they are or would be.

Who would you recommend use this tool?                
Contractors or engineers working with the DOE or USACE must use this estimating software tool.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
They need minimal database type experience.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Not for me, but new users unaccustomed to estimating applications could have some difficulties using this estimating software.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
Yes. Actually, the problem related to a bug in the code and the technical support was very helpful. They quickly provided a work-around for the problem.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
I have never cracked the binding on the book!

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
Yes.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
8