Automating your Estimating Process

QUANTITY TAKEOFFS & COST ESTIMATING

SPECIALIZED CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING FIRM WORKING WITH CONTRACTORS, OWNERS, SUPPLIERS AND COST CONSULTANTS.


Quantity Takeoffs

Quantity takeoffs are the process of measuring all the material which is needed to go into the project. QTO is prepared by reading Construction Drawings (also called Plans or Blueprints) and enlisting all the materials in an Excel file.

Different materials are measured in different units. For example; Concrete is measured in Cubic yards (CY) Steel is measured in weight (Pounds or Tons)Some items, such as doors, and windows, are counted

We deliver final files in Excel so our clients can make necessary adjustments easily.

Cost Estimating

Cost Estimating is anticipating how much all the material, labor, and equipment will cost the contractor (our client) for any project. Overheads and profits are also calculated in an estimate.

We typically use 20% overheads and profit, but we also adjust this percentage after understanding more about our client’s business and bidding practices.

To find out costs (for example, the cost of a concrete foundation or any activity), we have developed our own database based on Past Bid Results. Secondly, there’s another very popular database called RS Means. Some people just call it Means.  We have its extensive subscription, and we are experts in using that.

SELECT YOUR BUSINESS NATURE

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On-demand, award-winning & affordable estimating service

We are Exhibiting

Bidding Enterprise @ World of Concrete 2021

Only Estimating Services Provider at the World Of Concrete

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Exhibiting at the Vegas Convention Center

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

You Send in Your Plans

You can upload your plans here or email us at estimates@biddingenterprise.com. Whichever is more convenient for you.

Be sure to let us know your scope of work and any details regarding your project.

We Send you a Quote for Our Services
Before starting, we’ll send you a detailed quote for our services. Every client is unique so we take the time to review each situation individually. We’ll factor in things like project range, difficulty, trades, and more.
We Estimate and Deliver Your Cost Estimate

Our team will takeoff and estimate your project. When we deliver you’ll receive a PDF and an Excel file of your estimate. We can also offer additional services for the jobs you’d like to pursue further.

FEE

We charge lump-sum per project. Our fee is very reasonable (No Hidden Fee Ever) and is sure to reduce your current estimation costs

TURNAROUND TIME

We can meet shortest deadlines even less than 24 hours but it depends on the project size and complexity.

SOFTWARE WE USE

We always use professional softwares to ensure accuracy such as Planswift and BlueBeam which are industries top leading softwares.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Every construction project goes through a similar process; Concept/Idea, Designing & Planning, Bidding (can be for budgeting or construction purposes), Project Award, and Construction. Our services fall under the bidding stage. The project owner can be an individual, a company, or a government authority. These project owners use architects to design their buildings. Architects create project plans/drawings/blueprints. They also issue project specifications explaining what type of material should be used, its manufacture, color, and other related information.

Once the plans are ready or contain enough information for the contractor to determine the project’s cost, the project owner issues a tender document asking GC (General Contractors) to submit their bids. General Contractors then prepare takeoffs using an in-house estimating teams or using professional outsourced estimating companies.

Takeoffs are then priced out, and a bid is submitted against the tender. The project owner evaluates the submitted bids for the ‘lowest responsive bidder. This is an important term because a contractor can be the lowest bidder, but he may not fulfill the project owner’s technical requirements to become a responsive bidder. Once the lowest responsive bidder is chosen, that contractor is awarded that project. Our job is to prepare an accurate and detailed takeoff/estimate for the contractor to ensure every aspect of the project is covered.

HOW DOES BIDDING ENTERPRISE FIT IN?

On any job, there are always multiple contractors (GC) submitting their bids, but only one will get the job. Therefore, contractors will have to bid on multiple jobs to secure projects. Usually, the winning ratio is one out of 5. Using our services, this ratio gets better to 1 in 3 wins. But how do we achieve that? Our experienced estimators prepare accurate & very detailed takeoffs. As we are not the material supplier, therefore we don’t add any fluff factor to the quantities. Almost all GCs (except small contractors) have a big or small estimating team in-house. They usually do the estimating themselves if they don’t have a dedicated estimator. Since estimating is a time-consuming task, these GCs always make assumptions to plug scope gaps. More often than not, it results in over-estimating quantities, increasing the bid amount. Moreover, due to limited in-house estimating capacity, GCs and even Subs can only bid on a certain number of monthly jobs.

Remember: More Bidding Means Better Chances of Winning – Our job is to make our customers realize of this fact. Using our services, clients can increase not only their bidding frequency but also their bids will become more competitive (simply because our quantities are accurate) – We don’t aim to replace their in-house team, but we want to work as a logical extension of their in-house team. The client only pays per project, and there is no long-term contract, which keeps us on our toes to provide excellent service every single time. Using Bidding Enterprise Accurate Takeoff Services, you will be able to bid more and win more. 

BIDDING ENTERPRISE - INDUSTRY-EXPERT IN QUANTITY TAKEOFF SERVICES

Did you know that according to a recent Construction Outlook released by Autodesk, bidding deadlines and schedules are getting tighter and tighter as a bidder has to look at incoming data side-by-side? Furthermore, since multiple bidders are bidding on the same project, the deadline feels even more tighter. What with COVID-19’s effects on every field and all, bidding has also gotten tougher since it isn’t always possible to collaborate as much as required to come up with an accurate construction quantity takeoff list. This is where Bidding Enterprise comes in. Let’s first look a bit into what quantity takeoff services or quantity takeoff estimate might include anyway.

What is a quantity takeoff in construction?

It’s a process where construction blueprints and drawings are analyzed and used to make a list of all the materials that may be needed for construction, as well as their quantities, for instance, the number of doors and windows, etc. Each material is measured in its own unit, for instance, concrete being measured in cubic yards (CY). 

What are the components of a quantity takeoff?

Construction quantity takeoff comes in the form of an Excel file, which mainly includes the material requirements of the project. In addition, it also includes the equipment and labor that might be needed for the project. What it doesn’t include, however, is the construction costs, since QTOs focus more on the quantity of work and resources that may go into a project, not how much it’ll cost.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A QUNANTITY TAKEOFF AND COST ESTIMATING?

Quantity takeoff services are only concerned with quantifying the equipment and labor that will be required for a project. A detailed estimate, however, is more thorough than that, for it includes blueprints, drawings, cost estimations and so on. Basically, it contains the entirety of the project.

How Bidding Enterprise can Help

We’re a top tiered, award winning construction estimating firm. We’re a specialist estimating platform that has been proudly helping many general contractors increase their revenue by providing them accurate quantity takeoffs so they can focus on other bids and become successful as bidders day by day. 

Bidding Enterprise offers not only quantity takeoff services, but also quantity takeoff and cost estimating services.

Our quantity takeoff estimate is:

  • Based on local pricing for busy contractors. 
  • Inclusive of trades like site works, concrete, masonry, framing, drywall, interior and exterior finish, etc. 
  • A detailed list so you can have the time and space you need to focus on other aspects related to bidding.

Submit your QTO before Deadlines!

Email us your project details here at (insert email) and we’ll get back to you with an accurate quantity takeoff estimate prepared by our team of 40+ trade-specific expert estimators!

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATING OR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ESTIMATING ANYWAY?

This is where you, as a contractor, will find out how much each and every equipment, material, and labor will cost you for your project. Cost estimates will also include overheads, where applicable, and profits, also where applicable. It’s an A to Z about the cost of your project.

How to estimate construction costs?

A construction cost estimator will begin by compiling a list of resources and tasks needed to fulfill the resources. He/she will then Identify and allocate resources to tasks based on their team’s abilities and skills etc. Next, along with some buffers, a construction cost estimator will identify the length of the tasks in order to come up with a project schedule. They’ll then move on to the second final step, where, based on a specific construction project estimating method, the whole project cost is calculated. Lastly, the construction estimator will make use of project cost estimating tools to track the budgets in real time.

Challenges faced in Construction Estimator Tasks and Procedures

Contractors may face problems such as the following while construction project estimating:

  • Time constraints: due to less time, contractors might be unable to collect and validate data that is of quality and consistency. This will adversely affect the ending cost that’s estimated.
  • Lack of primary data: if a contractor doesn’t obtain timely access to primary data, or if it’s unavailable to begin with, secondary data will have to be consulted. This can often be manipulated from the primary one, thereby resulting in flawed cost estimates. 
  • Too many resources to consult: if a contractor has to consult with too many organizations, especially when time isn’t enough, or worse, when those multiple organizations take their own time to respond, the resulting cost estimates will be hasty and therefore, inaccurate.
  • Quantification of cost impacts: this can perhaps be the biggest problem a contractor can face, for it involves quantifying the impact of each design parameter in case of every possible alternative to meet cost estimate requirements. A common issue contactors face here is when they have a cost estimating relationship (CER) between a material’s weight versus its strength. What should be used to estimate? Such choices of parameters can impact the whole cost estimate. 

Bidding Enterprise's Award Winning Cost Estimating Services

At Bidding Enterprise, we excel at providing our clients with top-notch cost estimating services, for:

  • Using our services, you’ve got a 1 out of 3 chance to win, compared to other services’ 1 to 5 chance of winning a bid with accurate cost estimating. 
  • Our experienced estimators prepare an accurate and very detailed cost estimate. 
  • With us, you only have to pay per project. No additional fees!
  • We perform construction takeoff services NYC, residential construction estimate, and commercial construction estimating on local pricing for busy contractors.
  • Our cost estimates are based on all major trades including masonry, drywall, exterior/interior finishes, site works, concrete, and framing etc. 
  • We’ve a team of 40+ trade-specific experts who will come up with the most accurate cost estimate for you. 
  • We generally use 20% overheads and profit; however, this will be adjusted to a percentage most appropriate for your business and bidding practice(s). 
  • To accurately estimate cost, we use Past Bid Results and RS Means through extensive subscriptions so that we have access to all the industry standard cost estimator tools; both are industry-based, reliable databases. 
Get your Cost Estimates with Bidding Enterprise ASAP 

 

Whether its takeoff services NYC, residential construction estimates, commercial construction estimating or any other kind of cost estimation, simply send us your project details at (insert email) and we’ll get back to you with our thoughts and expertise.