ConstructConnect Bid Management vs. On-Screen Takeoff®

As mentioned before in some of the previous questions, the confidentiality agreement feature is extremely helpful. I have worked on several projects where it's so early in the design phase that the documents are considered confidential and we are required to get a signed NDA from every person who sees the documents. This feature makes it extremely painless. SmartBidNet is less appropriate if you're just doing a quick cost exercise where you might not need to contact several subs. It's easier to just use email and a cloud sharing program like Box or Egnyte.

Incentivized

• I would recommend On-Screen Takeoff to any contractor that is not using it for estimating purposes. It helps the process in so many ways.
• I guess if it was something straightforward, it might not be the most cost-effective solution. For what we do, it is indispensable.

Incentivized

• Even with a "Limited Access" free account, you are able to see all the necessary files. When using it to just look at a job and download documents, this is all you should need. With more access you can see more projects that are out to bid but as a sales engineer for a manufacturer, I receive the bid requests from my contractors who are bidding there is no need to upgrade my access level.
• Documents are very easy to download into a .zip file and you can pick and choose which documents you want to download for specific trades. Plus there is a specific tab for Addenda so you don't have to search through the Documents tab. The tabs also show the amount of files in each tab so you can easily stay up to date on current documents.
• The Dashboard of each job shows the project general contractor and for subcontractors, responding to a bid request is as easy as clicking a button to indicate if you will bud or will not bid. This dashboard also shows location and the project description which are particularly helpful for a manufacturers rep/sales engineer that may not see the project description otherwise.

Incentivized

• User-friendly and easy to learn. You can sit down and figure out how to do simple takeoffs and counts with minimal training.
• It is very accurate and it is great that you can do several calculations for each condition you make.
• The colors and shapes provide a great visible audit trail.
• The layering feature helps from keeping the screen too busy if you are doing several conditions on one page.
• The worksheet tab keeps tallies of all the takeoffs from each page nicely.

Incentivized

• iSqFt has one major flaw that makes it a pain to use. I go there to get plans and specs. You think a company that sends you plans and specs would have a faster download speed, it takes forever to get the plans and specs. I usually find a way around iSqFt to get the plans and specs.

Incentivized

• How documents are uploaded to the program. On-Screen Takeoff will locate the files from whatever path you originally save it to. Therefore, if you move the location of the document, OST will not be able to open your project until the path is redirected.
• Taking off curved shapes.
• If you could apply a unit cost to a quantity, it would eliminate the need to export takeoff to Excel.
• It would be nice to be able to apply a different scale to the same page i.e. if there are two different details on a drawing at two different scales, I have to duplicate the sheet and make sure I make each sheet scale to the specific detail on the sheet.

Incentivized

It provides invaluable communication, organization, and flexibility to generate a project overview both visually and by the numbers. In addition to the overview it makes getting into the project details easy and quick, so our takeoff is accurate and correct every time

Incentivized

On Screen Takeoff is a valuable tool for what it does. Across the board it can keep track of the critical data and corresponding values without extra legwork. While powerful, it is prone to user error, and the problem can compound quickly if not realized up front. Overall a great project tool, but not without limitations

Incentivized

SmartBid has an excellent support team that is always at your service. Any problem I've had (when I've even had them) has been resolved almost immediately, along with tips on how to avoid them in the future. If you're looking for a program with excellent customer service, look no further than SmartBid.

Incentivized

I have had very few issues with the software which is probably the first sign that there is a good customer support team, since I am sure they are working and fixing problems for everyone when they get a report from somewhere. The few times I have had to reach out to support they have been knowledgeable and on top of helping me quickly get my issues resolved.

Incentivized

Implementation was as simple as setting up the program and creating databases. Everything else was already in use and this was a supplement to the final organization of the system

Incentivized

SmartBid is the first software of its kind that I use. However, comparing it with other software used by colleagues, it is evident that SmartBid has a much higher potential than software of the same category. By allowing easier management of documents and sub-contractors, SmartBid allows a high increase in the overall speed and efficiency of the interventions in the construction sites. Furthermore, using it makes it possible to increase the number of projects we can manage simultaneously.

Incentivized

OST is still the most efficient and quick way of doing 2D takeoff. The software mentioned above all have their positives and negatives and they all have things which are far superior to OST. But OST really takes the cake when it comes to usability and a simple and useful interface. It's just so easy to create a condition on the fly and start taking something off. When it comes to actual 2D takeoff, OST is by far the easiest and most efficient way of getting the work done.

Incentivized

• It has helped increase exposure and the number of General Contractors we can meet and bid with
• It has caused some wasted time by digging through bids that do not have all the relevant information to issue a proposal
• It has made bidding opportunities easier by sending them directly to us.

Incentivized

• The main benefit for using this software is that our estimating takeoff productivity has gone way up from where it was before allowing us to compile bids and estimates in a quicker and more accurate way.
• The ease of use has allowed us to reduce the time and investment we have had to put into training new hires on the software.

Incentivized