Estimator360

Puntos a favor

I have owned B4B for years, only to be challenged by the initial learning curve, which caused me to shelve it a few times. But once committed, I have found this product and support to meet all of our demands within the company. The costbooks provided cover every nature of construction from remodeling to heavy commercial construction. We have become quite advanced and have created several costbooks tailored exactly to the multi-state locations that we cover. We are able to produce highly detailed takeoffs that amend the blueprints and act as an instruction manual for our superintendents to efficiently produce the product. The vendor has always promptly responded to our emails and requests, even following up with us before clarifying our own work as we veered off task. The tutorials provide exact explanation to all operations within the software and become quite intuitive. Dedicate the time to learn the software and you will be grateful.

Puntos en contra

The software requires time before it becomes intuitive, but I believe it is partly due to our method of estimating and the customization required to fit our needs. It is not dummy-proof and requires attention to detail. I have no problems with the vendor, and they have always been responsive and accommodating.

Consejos útiles

Review the tutorials and spend the trial time concentrating on learning the software. Contact support with any questions for a prompt reply.

If you are looking for a quick, reliable estimating tool that will connect with Quickbooks, plus handle your scheduling and subcontractor bids at the best price, don't hesitate. Bid4Build has handled everything I wanted and their training and support has always been outstanding. No wonder that they have been around for 25 years and earn such high ratings on several sites. You'll be glad you did!

Puntos a favor

As a small GC I was overwhelmed with the software choices for estimating ranging from $50-$10,000. Luckily Bid4Build was at the top of many lists and was actually on the lower end at $295. They provided a great video of the product and hands-on demo so I could actually try it without having to sit through an hour+ sales presentation.

After a 1 hour overview that they included with the purchase, extensive help tools and phenominal support, I still struggled getting started. Fortunately they also offer a 1 on 1 training using an actual estimate of mine. Those 2 hours for only $99 where the best part of any software purchase I have ever made. Using an actual project, they guided me through the best methods to build my estimate and provide the jump start that I needed. It was so helpful that I did 2 more over the next few months as I got the estimating down and wanted to learn how I could streamline my process and other tools available like scheduling and writing contracts.

Puntos en contra

None, they keep improving it all the time and added a new Takeoff product at the end of last year.