BID4BUILD CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING SOFTWARE OVERVIEW
Bid4Build Enterprises LLC was formed in 1986 and used a DOS database, Paradox 3.5, to provide construction estimating software to Pennsylvania's residential and commercial contractors. Since then, the application has been rewritten to operate using Microsoft Access. Bid4Build's most recent software application, v3.5, comes in a Standard Edition and Lite Edition.
With Bid4Build 3.5 Lite, users can access customer information and customer databases, track markups and third-party estimators, and view project photo databases all in order to ensure proper project functionality. In addition, the specificity of this construction estimating software ensures accuracy by estimating areas, estimating items, and customizing a full item costbook.
Along with all the features of the Lite version, Bid4Build 3.5 Standard Edition's construction scheduling system has Gantt charts, reports, budget vs. actual analysis, and direct integration with Microsoft Project management software, Microsoft Excel, and QuickGantt. The software's integration extends even further to include a CAD interface, an Intuit QuickBooks interface that imports and exports estimate details, and a mobile computing interface through VirtualBoss.
Enhancements introduced in Bid4Build 3.5 (both Lite and Standard) include a step-by-step wizard for creating and managing construction estimates, a custom expression calculator and an advanced task management tool that lets users track multiple construction estimates and receive alerts when action is required, according to the vendor.
Besides Bid4Build 3.5, the vendor also offers informational software such as Craftsman 2008 National General Construction Costbook Database, Craftsman 2008 National Renovation & Insurance Repair Database, and Craftsman 2008 Home Improvements Database.
In order to function, all Bid4Build construction software requires the commercial version of Microsoft Access (versions 2000, 2002, 2003 or 2007) or the free runtime version (versions 2000 or 2007).
Bid4Build support can be accessed via one-on-one interactive training or an extended support package.
PRODUCT DETAILS |
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BASIC COMPANY INFORMATION
| Support Offered: | |
| On site | |
| Web | Yes |
| Phone | Yes |
| Core Product Areas: | |
| Collaboration / workflow management | |
| Project management | Yes |
| Scheduling and resourcing | Yes |
| Cost estimating | Yes |
| Document control / management | Yes |
| Job cost accounting | |
| Construction Types Supported: | |
| Commercial | Yes |
| General Contracting | Yes |
| Heavy and Highway | |
| Industrial | Yes |
| Mixed Use | Yes |
| Residential | Yes |
| Specialty - MEP | Yes |
PROJECT MANAGEMENT DETAIL
| Document Management and Control: | |
| Log & track plan changes | |
| Log & track contracts and contract changes | Yes |
| Log & track correspondence, memos, etc. | Yes |
| Track submittals | |
| Track submittal revisions | |
| Submittal additions / changes trigger notifications | |
| Scan images | |
| Read CAD files | |
| Capture / index image files | Yes |
| OCR text images | |
| Direct links to documents (plans, drawings, contracts, etc.) | |
| Change Order Management: | |
| User-defined status codes | Yes |
| Ability to consolidate multple requests into single CO | Yes |
| Link plans, notes, etc. to change order | |
| Historical tracking and commending | Yes |
| Change order triggers events such as cost revisions | |
| Approval management and tracking | |
| Calendar Management: | |
| Schedule integration with Microsoft Outlook | |
| Task notifications / updates | Yes |
| Scheduling: | |
| Critical path management | Yes |
| Exceptions and alerts | |
| Cross-project roll-ups | Yes |
| Cross-project resourcing | |
| Schedule variances | Yes |
| Dependencies analysis & management | |
| Resource Management (subs and suppliers): | |
| Customize standard subcontractor forms | Yes |
| Resource costing | Yes |
| Resource leveling | |
| Time reporting and approval | |
| Contractor / vendor contact management | Yes |
| Vendor performance tracking | |
| Reporting and Analysis: | |
| Reports sent by email | Yes |
| Key metrics reports | Yes |
| Cross-project reporting | |
| CPM analysis | |
| Gantt charts | Yes |
| PERT diagrams | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting: | |
| Earned value analysis | |
| Track actual costs / expenses to date | Yes |
| What-if analysis | Yes |
| Forecast cost-to-complete | |
| Cash flow forecasting | |
| Cost/budget variances | Yes |
ESTIMATING DETAIL
| Take-off: | |
| Takeoff using digitizer | Yes |
| Onscreen takeoff | |
| Mouse takeoff | |
| Digitizer tablet support | Yes |
| Graphics digitize | |
| Custom annotations and libraries supported | Yes |
| Items & Assemblies: | |
| Item lists | Yes |
| Cost items | Yes |
| Markups per item | Yes |
| Unit-price bidding | Yes |
| List / construction unit / composit assemblies | Yes |
| Visual assemblies | |
| User-defined forumlas | Yes |
| User-defined fields and headers | Yes |
| Subcontractor / Vendor Management: | |
| Quote comparison | |
| Purchase order management | |
| Change order costing | Yes |
| Bid tracking | Yes |
| Subcontractor management | Yes |
| Quotes, Bids & Proposal | |
| Proposal generation | Yes |
| Purchase order generation and management | |
| Line item bids | Yes |
| Bid rounding | |
| Lump sum bids | Yes |
| "Ballpark" estimating | Yes |
| Financial allocation / markup "spread" | Yes |
| Change order processing | Yes |