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Technology Assisting the Estimator

Estimating With Electronic Documents Kevin R. Miller, Ph.D. Brigham Young University & Ron Covarrubias Northstar Management. Technology Assisting the Estimator. Estimating loads are becoming more demanding. Estimate more projects in less time. Electronic documents help estimators fight back.

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Technology Assisting the Estimator

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  1. Estimating With Electronic DocumentsKevin R. Miller, Ph.D.Brigham Young University&Ron CovarrubiasNorthstar Management

  2. Technology Assisting the Estimator • Estimating loads are becoming more demanding. • Estimate more projects in less time. • Electronic documents help estimators fight back. • Electronic documents may help estimators win more projects.

  3. What Are Electronic Docs? • Same thing as paper, just on a computer screen. • Spec’s are typically PDF files. • Drawings are often TIF, CALS or DWF files. • They are not the computer automatically calculating all the quantities.

  4. Electronic Docs Come From • Owners • Corps of Engineers tsn.wes.army.mil • Federal / State Agencies • Designers • Architects / Engineers • Planrooms • FWDodge.com • Repromax.com Network or reprographic companies • SBR Technologies - Utah utbx.com • Builders Exchange network

  5. Creating Electronic Documents • Generated directly from CAD or Word Processor • Generated from the applications in the exact same way as paper documents. • The files that are created are Read-Only. • The PDF spec files files are searchable. • Scan Documents • Readability issues. • Wasted resources. • Scanned specifications are typically NOT searchable • OCR helpful but not 100%

  6. FILE TYPE READ- ONLY SOURCE OF FILES Color DWF YES Designers Color CALS YES Corps of Engineers B&W TIF YES B&W Reprographics Companies DWG NO Designers Color Drawing File Types • The print driver for each file format comes standard with AutoCAD.

  7. Why Designers/Owners Prefer Issuing Electronic Docs • Document reproduction cost savings. • Corps of Engineers on pilot project saved $20,000 in reproduction costs. • Better distribution of the documents. • After project completion, all but a few set are thrown away.

  8. Typical Costs to Contractors • The contractor pays a local reprographics company to print the entire set of documents • Contractors prints only the sheets they need. • The contractor may elect to print smaller sheets to reduce costs. • A free viewer is used to print the documents to scale in-house. • The above options does not represent a cost savings to the project, rather a cost shift is what has occurred.

  9. Alternative to Printing • Takeoff Viewers • Measurements are taken from the computer screen. • Identifies what has been taken off. • An organizational structure can be used. • Integration with Estimating Software

  10. How Takeoff Viewers Work • The original drawing files are not changed. • An additional file is created to store the measurements and the drawing markups.

  11. Takeoff Viewer Features • Digitizer like Features • Count • Lineal measurements • Area

  12. Additional Features • Markups are placed on the documents. • The measurements are modifiable. • Review of takeoff easily accomplished. • Work Breakdown Structure • Highlighting • View multiple views at a time.

  13. Electronic Document Benefits • Contractors can review the doc’s to decide if they want to bid the project. • Receive project documents quicker (Internet/Email). • Addenda docs are readable vs. faxed docs. • Better distribution to subcontractors. • Subcontractors receive a full set of plans that they can keep. • Specs may be searchable if generated from word processor.

  14. Takeoff Viewer Benefits • Greater accuracy than digitizers. • Easier to identify where cost differences occur in design/build projects. • Ability to overlay drawing changes. • Measurements are modifiable and stored. • All the measurements can occur before calculating quantities. • Easier archival of documents.

  15. Benefit to Estimators • Plan checkout time is reduced. • Plan return process is eliminated. • Takeoff time is reduced. • Standardized colors can be used for takeoff. • Takeoff review is visual. • Plans are easily taken with you, as well as the takeoff tools.

  16. Other Benefits of Using Electronic Documents • Presentations to show staging and site considerations. • Project Manager can verify estimate quantities. • % complete calculations and provide support to the calculations. • As-built drawings.

  17. Screen Size Does Matter • Minimum monitor size should be 17”. • Recommended 19” or 20” Viewable. • Screen resolution 1600 x 1200 or above. • Dual monitors are great. • Plan view on one screen; details, schedules, specifications, or estimating software on the other screen.

  18. Challenges • Learning curve • Large curve until you start, then it is small. (half a day or less to start using the software) • Hardware 15” screens difficult to work with. • Proprietary image file formats • Getting the documents from designers without scanning

  19. Takeoff Viewer Companies Product CompanyURL On-Screen Takeoff On-Center Software www.oncenter.com Takeoff Tool US Cost Inc. www.uscost.com Max View MaxView Corp. www.maxview.com BidScreen XL (Excel Add-in) Vertigraph Inc. www.vertigraph.com

  20. Thank You

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