Best estimating software I’ve used

Pros

Honestly i cant say there is anything i did not like about this software. Makes your life a whole lot easier and helps you dial in your profit on projects and you get things set up and get some history in the system.

Cons

I can’t really think of anything i didn’t like. Great product.

The Best Estimating Software in the World!

Pros

Product: This is a very fast, user-friendly, automated estimating and bidding system that is particularly effective for Unit-Price contracts. It allows quick creation of accurate estimates, accommodates variations in quantities, allows risk evaluation on an item-by-item basis, and provides the means to price individual bid items so that they reflect the bidder's assessments of quantity, value, and risk for each item. Vendor: HCSS sets the standard for customer support. There is no software company anywhere, of any type, with whom I have had contact that comes even close to the responsiveness and excellence of HCSS' technical support. It is extremely rare that a call is not answered before the third ring by a human who understands the problem (no matter how arcane) and who has the right answer, without sending me to a second- or third-level technician. The professionalism and expertise of the Technical Support team are near-perfect. I tell people whom I am training that if they get stuck on a problem for more than three minutes, they should call Tech Support. The person who answers will have the problem solved, and the estimator will be back in production nearly instantaneously.

Cons

There is little to dislike in a system that works so well and with a technical support team that is so knowledgeable. HCSS takes suggestions from its users and implements them in new releases of the software so that the system is always cutting-edge and fulfills its users' expectations. The system seems expensive to purchase and maintain, at least to the non-using evaluator, but the confidence in the accuracy of the estimate, the outstanding technical support, and the continuous improvement of the software will provide confidence that offsets cost. One caught and corrected mistake that that would have gone unnoticed without HeavyBid's analysis tools, could pay for a dozen licenses for years.

Only Longtime Users Can Possibly Like HeavyBid

HeavyBid is YEARS (perhaps decades) behind other platforms, especially InEight. HCSS needs to rewrite the entire platform in order to be relevant again.

Pros

Customer support is good. It has to be because HeavyBid itself is archaic.

Cons

1. Anything in bulk. Example: Cannot even “non-add” multiple activities. Rather, you must click on one at a time and then click the “non-additive” radio button on each and every activity. Such limitations are in all areas of the software. 2. Sorting and organizing is essentially non-existent. This aspect of HeavyBid is one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever encountered on any software of any kind. This is especially frustrating on bids with child and grandchild bid items requiring reorganization. In resource setup registers, there is no way to sort. Material lists can be quite large and HeavyBid offers no way to sort this data. Unbelievable that this is the case in 2020. API integrations are not even on the table because of the old architecture of HeavyBid. It seems that those giving HeavyBid good reviews have not been exposed to other platforms. HeavyBid is an outdated software that needs to be completed rewritten to stay relevant. I have been a user of the following estimating software platforms TPL, B2W, InEight Estimate, HeavyBid.

The BEST Estimating Software

I have been a HeavyBid Advanced user for over 14 years now and its amazing to see how far this small company from Texas has come. I still remember when we ordered the software and a representative from the company came to our main office in CT and over the course of 2 days went over everything from setting up labor, benefits, burden, equipment, crews, bid items (manual entry and DOT import), etc. to showing us how to enter activities into bid items and actually creating an estimate. Such a great overall experience from the early stages of implementation to the countless support center calls at all hours of the day and night before a bid (which were always answered) up to the present day where all of the above is still true today.

Pros

Unmatched customer support, ease of use and the ecosystem of programs/applications on multiple platforms that integrate perfectly with each other and will only grow with your company.

Cons

Recently I purchased an iPad Pro 12.9" pretty much for the sole purpose of using a handfull of apps such as Projectwise, Bluebeam Revu and HeavyBid Mobile. Well, after emailing HCSS Support I find out that HeavyBid Mobile is no longer supported. I was looking forward to trying something different with HeavyBid on the go, even if it wasn't the full blown version.

HCSS Review

Overall, HCSS is the best estimating software on the market. Reason why everyone uses it. But it is expensive, and some smaller companies have trouble justifying cost.

Pros

HCSS is a very powerful and easy to learn estimating program. Many companies use this software which makes integrating with partnering companies very easy. Endless resources and crew construction abilities. Provides drop down or key stroke options to enter data. Gives many different ways to view costs and code costs.

Cons

Cons are the limitations on "child" items underneath the parent. Only 3 are allowed as compared to other competing softwares. Also the reports are limited in what is shown.