The support is the best I have worked with, and I have used a lot of estimating services. Lance, Kathleen, and team are all class acts. TCLI has not stopped at good enough. They are continually improving the user interface. I've been using the service for 8 years and I find little carrots all the time I did not know were in the program.

Overall, the ease of use is the best feature of TCLI. The better your database and resource library gets, the easier it gets. The level of dedicated support is outstanding. We've all had those late nights wrapping up an estimate and got hung up on something, but that deadline doesn't budge. The TCLI support team has NEVER failed to be there for us, day or night.

I wish there was a feature in Rate Tables to sort 'utilized' or 'employed' items that are in your bid, with 'quantities employed' and 'rates' columns. I know you can run a report for this, but it would be nice to see it on the screen and click on a unit price for a quick change. Now you have to go back and forth between the rate tables and the pay item or sub-level, searching for the next employed resource. Also, it asks you to post after every change, I wish it would only be required when you exit the Rate Tables and post all changes at once. It just seems like there is a little time wasted there that shouldn't have to be.

I recently had the pleasure of utilizing the estimating software provided by The Construction Link, Inc., and they have truly impressed me with their innovative approach, reliability, and impeccable customer support. Their software has revolutionized how we manage our construction projects, making our workflows more efficient and our collaboration seamless.The estimating software offered by The Construction Link, Inc. is exceptional. Their team has put great thought and expertise into developing a comprehensive suite of tools that cater specifically to the needs of the construction estimating industry.What sets The Construction Link, Inc. apart from other software providers is its commitment to staying at the forefront of technology and affordability. Their solutions are built with the latest advancements in mind, ensuring that users have access to cutting-edge features and functionalities. This forward-thinking approach has allowed our team to streamline our estimating processes, reduce errors, and ultimately deliver more estimates efficiently.Additionally, the customer support provided by The Construction Link, Inc. is unparalleled. Their friendly and knowledgeable team is always available to address any concerns or questions. They go above and beyond to ensure we receive prompt assistance and guidance, making us feel valued as their customer.

User-friendly interface. Even for those who may not be tech-savvy, the software is intuitive and easy to navigate. It offers a seamless user experience, allowing us to quickly adapt to the platform and maximize its potential without a steep learning curve.

No Cons to report!No issues, The estimating software is working perfectly.

Dealing with the CLI team over the years has been a pleasure. There are few businesses left, (and I know of no software firms) where, when you call technical support, you are just as likely to speak to the company [SENSITIVE CONTENT] and software developer, as you are a technician. Over the years, I have called and spoken directly to CLI's [SENSITIVE CONTENT] and developer, [SENSITIVE CONTENT] about issues, (generally the importing of data from various DOT's early internal electronic bidding system) or to kick around ideas for what I thought might make the estimating and bidding process more fluid. Most of the issues that we have experienced, that required a call to technical support, were resolved in less than 4 hours. To have the ability to speak directly to a programmer, has in some instances allowed issues to be resolved in a 5 minute phone call, followed by an email containing a "patch" to use, until the permanent fix is incorporated into the next update. Updates containing the permanent repair would often show up within a couple of business days.

From my very first use of the old .dos program in 1989, Construction Link has been very ease to use, easy to learn, (program updates and applications) and easy to teach, (new employees).

I would like to see the ability to vary the margin of markup to certain subcontractor quotes. Preferably on the Markup Summary page. But maybe even on the individual SMC tables. There are certain subcontract scopes that are inevitably either high risk or high maintenance from a prime contractor, GC stand point.

this is my first experience using an estimating software, i use to use just a calculator but would take forever. i've personally have been using estimating link for 6-8 years now and its been great.

Customer Support - Very helpful with any questions. "Knowledge Link" is very helpful as well. Time Saver - you can create your library and input whatever you'd like and keep it in there so you can take it from job to job

I'm pretty excited to see the next update coming to a web browser.

My overall experience was great, the company is willing to help out any sized company and from anywhere. They even made the system very Canadian friendly, which I was told was from Canadian clients requesting changes and they were promptly made. This system will cut down my estimating time, will build my confidence when submitting a bid and allow me to track projects against themselves as well as other similar projects.

Estimating link is straight forward in the way that it builds it's workflow. From the beginning of the project to the proposal, the sequence of data input is very comprehensive. It's easy to see where you may have forgotten items and where you may have overran or overestimated some items. The check bid feature is about as easy to understand as possible which gives you the confidence to bid as quickly as possible. Lastly, the support staff couldn't be easier to reach and couldn't be nicer people. The onboarding session with [sensitive content hidden] was not only seamless but it was enjoyable, which in turn motivated me to fully understand the system.

Honestly, there is very little to dislike. The price point is as affordable as I've seen compared to other systems. It constantly backs up your work and you have the ability to open past versions of that project. It's quick. The only thing that I could see that could be an issue is that the system looks like its from an earlier version of windows, however, the operating ability doesn't feel that way at all.

The system is simple to use and I rarely, maybe once a year have an issue and when I do, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is quick to figure out what is going on and help solve the problem. Most of the time it's been user error. I think this system is awesome and will continue to use this system here and will invest in the system for my own company when the time comes.

The ease of being able to copy a previous project and make minor changes and go with it or import line items from other projects to keep from trying to remember what I did the last itme. I bid on avaerage three to six projects a week.

I honestly don't dislike anything with the system.

This product has been a game changer for me. It saves me so much time with adds capacity for me to take on more work and grow my business. It allows me to show clients different options quickly. I can answer questions more intelligently. It overall is the product I needed to hone in the estimating side of my business.

Cost database, crew building, the ability to change the entire bid without having to go line by line, reporting and proposals.

Would enjoy more custom reporting options and more flexibility on proposal appearance, additionally being able to save proposal images etc to a company rather than having to change everytime I change a company name in setup would be helpful. All minor stuff! Program is wonderful!

We have been using CLI for 20 years. It just keeps getting better.

The ease of setting up a new job, the ease to add cost to each item (crews, labor, materials, equipment, etc. The “move money” feature is a money maker in disguise.

I have found nothing not to like. I recently had to get information from a 20 year old backup into the newest version, and all it took was one phone call to [sensitive content hidden] to solve the issue.

Estimating Link is extremely user friendly. the software can improve speeds of takeoffs exponentially. the copy feature comes in extremely handy when working on similar projects and items. the Customer Support is second to none, every time I had a question, I was able to get an answer right away.

the only change i would make would be to import and export right from an excel file instead of transferring to a csv file

Overall, our experience has been very positive. We are building a repository of easily accessible estimates that can be analyzed, compared, and tracked.

I liked that we could get up and running in a fraction of the time it took to set up other software solutions; it was easy to train others to use; and the customer service staff have always been very accommodating and helpful. Consistently, customer service would not only solve the problem for which I was asking help, but also would make additional suggestions on what we could do with the software.

Though not really a con, it is probably important to know that the software does not have a take-off module. The estimator inputs take-off quantities done outside the software into the estimate.

We first choose Estimating Link around 1988. Initially it was "macro" that used Lotus Symphony. Over the years, CLI has greatly improved and took advantage of the latest technologies in computers and software. Recently we have switched to the Remote Estimating. This allows us to work off-site and ensures our database contains most recent additions and changes.

At first glance, I like the simplicity of the software - the ease of developing costs and then revising them as necessary. The software fits with how we estimate construction costs. The format is perfect for highway contractors.

I wish we could extract information from the database to create reports on historical jobs. For example, pull together all the Item Numbers for selected jobs and associated costs estimates. Use that information to analyze past production estimates etc.

We've been clients for many years and our company has grown along with them. During that time, the support we have received has always been exemplary. The addition of Kathleen to the team has only increased that level. We would not have the confidence to bid large, complex projects without the help of Estimating Link.

What seems to be the most useful aspect of this software in our case, is that we can copy and past, past projects that are similar, and create new ones, saving lots of time and effort. In addition, having items already built, with man hours, crews, payroll, et. gives us confidence that all our bases are "covered".

I don't like the fact that if you have an item that is the same "name" you have to "tweek" it (add a space, dash, et) when adding to your bid. After a bit, you have lots of "items" that look pretty much identical but you were forced to create.

it has become essentially a tool that safeguards ideas and considerations for each proposal - time saver with multiple projects due at similar time periods ......

Ease of cost tables - analysis and most importantly to review our bid costs derived by production possibilities

all good - maybe more bid alternates as some projects were quote have more than 4 alternates

The bidding process is much more effective. Estimating Link is much more accurate than estimating on spreadsheets or with paper and pencil. Calling in and hopping on a screenshare when help is needed is my favorite feature especially since it is welcomed.

Over the top customer support! Affordable product with sophisticated estimating capabilities.

I can't think of anything I dislike about this product.

It is very simple to setup and use. This software is a very affordable . Customer service is always quick to respond and knowledgeable.

All of our benefits and other hourly costs are lumped into one category. OT calculators must be created manually

Dealing with the staff when I rarely call for assistance is just fantastic. Everyone is so knowledgeable of their programs and they genuinely care about their clients. There is no sitting on hold like every other remote assistance i have dealt with.

it is simple to operate yet provides valuable data that is very useful on a daily basis

There is nothing that i do not like about this software. After having it for a while and using it to bid jobs, i honestly did not see how I ever survived before I found this tool.

Having all your estimates in one place for easy access and review is very important to me. Also, the fact that the "spread sheet estimating" errors are eliminated is great piece of mind.

Feature rich software that you can easily use to estimate projects of all sizes and scope.

Wish some of the reports were customizable. Would like to make some of them simpler and be able to eliminate page breaks to make the report less pages.

From the beginning of using the product (1998) the estimating process followed very closely our manual system. Building Crews and working out production was very intuitive. Saved so much time. They have continued to make adjustments and improvements and never stop making the program better for the users.

I have not complaints

I have been using Estimating Link for many years and I've found it to be very user friendly and flexible in bidding many different types of construction projects.

The software is organized in a way that lets you put an estimate together simply & efficiently (rates, item sheets, bid sheet). The software is set up to estimate the same way that you build a job - assign resources (labor, materials, subs, equipment) and production rates.

I would like to see a digital take-off tool either integrated within the program or through integration with a separate take-off program.

Estimation productivity is the best feature. This program allows us to bid projects expediently and timely. This product allows us to bid more projects more accurately, with a highwr win ratio.

Easy to build items, easy database to update and very user friendly.

Nothing is complicated about this software

While researching we found most bid software to be expensive. TCLI is easy to learn and learn. The price is very inexpensive for what we need as a small business.

The online live trainings to use the software was disorganized and hard to follow unless you already were familiar with the software. However, the one on one training eliminates the confusion and allows for more interaction to learn exactly what you need without the bells and whistles that a company is not using at the time.

The program "thinks" like an estimator would think. That is it is easy to assign the five items almost every bid item would take. Labor, Equipment, Material, Sub-contractor and miscellaneous. I tell people all the time, We have an easy business. You either make a mistake in the estimating or in the field. This along with "Field Link" pretty much give you the feed back on a daily basis so you can address the problem right away.

On large bids the program is somewhat slow.

Easy to use, easy to teach. If you can work in Excel you can work in this program.

No nonsense program. Easy to build projects and to create professional proposals for bid.

I wish there was a multi-screen or multi-instance way to operate the software. Besides that its fantastic.

The software is super user friendly and the customer service is top notch.

I wish there was an undo feature! But other than that, I haven't come across anything.

Ease of use- straightforward and effective without many complicating attributes.

Some functionality can be somewhat clunky but these are small complaints for very specific items