Likelihood to Recommend Our operation uses several pieces of what we call specialty equipment (not used every day on every job). The foreman when finished will give a location of where this equipment is left, this many times can be very vague and lead to a lowboy driver trying to block around to find the piece or driving down a street he cannot get turned around in. With the GPS devices, the driver can pinpoint exactly where the unit is and if he has room to turn around at that location.
Read full review SharpeSoft [is] designed to be a day-to-day hard-bid estimating program. It is easy to learn and use, yet very powerful. I would not recommend this product to hourly service providers.
Read full review Pros #1 is support! HCSS is by far the best software support of any product we have ever used. Unlike most software companies HCSS utilizes their support calls to help upgrade their software. When you here them tell you that they will write down a particular issue you come across during a support call if they can't help you then and there they will research and get an answer to you extremely fast. If the software will not do it, you can bet there is a good chance it will be on the list of enhancements you will see come out in the near future. Estimating software is very extensive. Their software is capable of handling the smallest estimate all the way to the largest joint venture estimate. It has advanced features that make it extremely useful for analyzing job materials, subcontractors etc. HeavyJob is an extremely useful tool for the field to keep the office up to date with job costs. Everything is at the Foreman's fingertips on Tablets to allow the information from the field to get uploaded to HeavyJob manager which then can export to accounting. We are also able to give our Foreman the ability to deal with the Daily and weekly safety needs (Tailgate Meetings, incident Investigation, observations etc.) right on the Tablets thru HeavyJob. Read full review Handles complex bid formats and bid submittal structures such as using bid alternates and non-tax bid schedules. This software is one of the easiest programs to learn and effectively use. This software is reasonably priced, but very powerful. Project support is timely, intimate, local and professional. Read full review Cons All their apps are on mobile devices. Although there is not a clear company policy on Android versus iPhone. Updates for features lag behind on Android. Some apps are exclusive to one platform making it hard to fully interconnect all programs. Read full review They need to put a search bar in the item master list so you can easily find work items. They could make the alternate package easier to use. The should find a way to allow the user to define at least one cost type in the program. Read full review Usability As mentioned, user interface appears messy and complicated at initial onset. Training is necessary but becomes easy to maneuver through after solid daily use.
Read full review Support Rating I have never had a bad experience or heard of one in 4 years of doing business with HCSS. That is unheard of even with the hurricanes and flooding in Houston area it feels like HCSS was always there and willing to help in every way.
Read full review Implementation Rating I was not employed with PPI upon implementation. I would prefer to reference my previous statement, that each company needs to evaluate its culture and address your implementation accordingly. The purchasing company should assign an employee as point person and really take charge of not just the technical side of the implementation (HCSS pretty much handles that), but focus on company culture and training.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Other estimating products I have used consist of ICE/MC2 and MS Excel. ICE was not a good fit for our company, as they have awful technical support and offer very poor training. MS Excel is great for simple estimates where there is not a lot of data being compiled. However neither hold a candle to the power of HCSS Heavybid
Read full review I think SharpeSoft is the best estimating product on the market for our type of work. It is reasonably priced and is very reliable. We have had very few problems with the software and the upgrades and support staff and reliable.
Read full review Return on Investment The biggest ROI for us was the ease of adoption by field personnel. Read full review Using SharpeSoft has grown our business by allowing us to accurately bid more projects. The ease of use allows estimators of all ages to quickly become skilled at consistently bidding work Read full review ScreenShots