InEight vs. Trimble Accubid

Ineight helps save us a huge amount of time in preparing the large number of bids we have to do. It is fast and has many desirable features which make it accurate and reliable. The company has made a lot of changes over the years and most are for the good of the software and are welcome. Some of the changes, however, do not make sense and are actually detrimental to the smooth functioning of the program. When asked why these changes were made I have not been able to get a satisfactory answer. We wish that the company would listen more to the suggestions of clients.

Incentivized

We use Trimble Accubid to do detailed cost estimates for larger jobs. If a job has a set of blueprints, the software is designed to go through each page systematically to aggregate a bid. Where it is less appropriate are for smaller service jobs. It takes a lot of setup for a new job there are other solutions better suited for service work.

Incentivized

• Tagging segments of work.
• User defined views and descriptions for all screens.
• Customizable ribbons to provide an efficient use of the software.
• Multiple layers/dependents to allow for an extreme drill down of the work and the ability to roll up to a more useful level for upper management review.
• You can bid the work as you would build it, in detail.

Incentivized

• Depth of customization
• Intergrations
• Industry specific

Incentivized

• The import/export buttons are exactly the opposite of what you would expect. not intuitive and the logos for these should be swapped.
• The software is hard to train users upon. New users require 3-6 months of use before getting proficient. I think this is because many of the best features are buried in menus, three clicks deep.
• The claiming exports immediately default partial claim items to the user who claimed previously. You need to update your name every time you update a partial claim line item.
• There are many add-ins that should just be included with InEight Standard, instead of having to install extras to make the software usable.

Incentivized

• Needs to update a data base for new emerging markets in energy.
• Separation of some supporting materials into more relevant categories would eliminate number of required click through actions.

Incentivized

Some features with InEight's TeamBinder are worthy of single use, however the review feature and subsequent revision and version numbering could be improved. We will be aiming to roll out the package to encompass our internal documentation in the near future and will be in a better position to judge the usability after that point in time.

Incentivized

I would give it an 8 out of 10 because the software can be a bit cumbersome to new users. It also takes a long time to set up the library and input all of your companies needs so that the software will provide the level of service required to estimate projects. However, once the software is set up it is a powerful tool. We only use a portion of what the software is capable of delivering

Incentivized

InEight have the ServiceNow ticketing system, which should improve the transparency of outstanding issues. However there is an inconsistency in advice within the help desk support staff (Kevin is excellent) and depending on who is handling the issue often our staff need to follow up with the help desk.

Incentivized

Accubid can sometimes fall short when it comes to CS. The correct departments aren't always properly delineated, making it difficult to get ahold of the individual most appropriate for your issue. To that end, it has been outsourced to people with accents sometimes difficult to understand. This is my biggest critique

Incentivized

Since the original inception, I have been required to overhaul the system so that it is more user friendly and combines both aspects of our business, documentation and drawings. Being able to control revision and version numbering has been a key struggle that only staff training has been able to mark this as complete.

Incentivized

1. Allows you to save all file types to a document, easily identify which formats you do and don’t have and manage which formats you issue.


2. Great bulk functionality. Manage multiple projects and large volume of documentation easily with less staff.

Incentivized

I was not involved in the decision-making process to purchase Accubid.

Incentivized

We only use Ineight at our main facility so are currently not in need of the flexibility and scalability of multiple sites and departments.

Incentivized

• More detailed estimates for projects and alternative deliver partners.
• Able to reduce estimating time entry time on projects with assemblies allowing for more review of plans and specifications.
• Excellent tool for remote estimates allowing for more involvement from field construction personnel.

Incentivized

• reduced estimating cost vs pen and paper
• because it's a widely used platform it's easy to recruit estimators to the platform
• works well in a multi estimator environment

Incentivized