HCSS CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING AND FIELD MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OVERVIEW
HCSS began operations in 1986 at the owner's home; the company is now run from its offices in Houston. HCSS delivers software solutions to the infrastructure construction industry in the areas of construction estimating, field management and resource management. HCSS construction software solutions include HeavyBid, HeavyJob and Dispatcher.
HeavyBid construction estimating software is designed for infrastructure contractors that have bidding projects that range from $50,000 to more than $1 billion.
HeavyBid has three editions for contractors of different sizes -- Standard, Advanced and Comprehensive. Each provides quote management, bid-item information, bid-day closing, rate tables, bond tables, and Department of Transportation codes and bid proposals, according to the vendor. In addition, each edition is compatible with Microsoft Excel, and contractors have the option of using Microsoft SQL Server as the backend database.
HeavyBid/Advanced offers cost history, simple cash flow and customizable report heading features, as well as the ability to export to Microsoft Project and Primavera SureTrak, according to the vendor. Lastly, additional features found in HeavyBid/Comprehensive include a joint venture comparison system, elaborate cash flow, group-level security settings and advanced construction scheduling, the vendor said.
HeavyJob field management software tracks job information such as daily notes, equipment and labor hours, material usage and progress quantities.
HeavyJob is available in Pocket, Field, and Manager editions. HeavyJob/Pocket is a Palm series device used to record job site data, such as time card information, which is then exported to the Field or Manager editions. HeavyJob/Field allows supervisors to manage job time and job cost accounting by modifying crews based on changes in personnel, equipment and cost codes, the vendor said. HeavyJob/Manager has all the features of HeavyJob/Field as well as consolidated job data in the form of company-wide summaries of profitability, exports to accounting and executive-level reports.
The Dispatcher is a software program meant to replace the traditional magnetic board and spreadsheets used in dispatching. The Dispatcher uses Microsoft's MapPoint software along with various construction scheduling capabilities to allow the user to schedule and deploy equipment. GPS integration is also available, the vendor said.
In addition, the HCSS product line also include bidhistory.com, which tracks historical bid pricing and bid tabs, collected from more than 4 million Department of Transportation sites. Most features are free; for more advanced searching options, a subscription is $40/month for a single state and $80/month for multiple states, according to HCSS.
