We have been using Estimation software for our plumbing & HVAC estimating for almost 20 years. Over the years, Estimation has continued to fine tune the program keeping up with ever changing computer and operating system improvements. Each upgrade to the program has installed seamlessly and we have never lost important information from previously bid projects. New versions are stress-free with a very short learning curve, building on previous versions of the program. We have been very happy with the ease of use, the ability to customize the bidding process for our business, material pricing updates and its multiple data base ability. With options to separate bids by addendum, alternate bid, take-off by floor, building sections and other project disciplines, Estimation gives us the ability to bid and manage more work with less energy and estimators. Every project we bid from small service jobs to multi-million dollar ventures are estimated with our system. After getting the job, multiple reports can be generated for project management, foreman, project buy-out and warehouse material pulls. Without a doubt, I would recommend Estimation to any mechanical contractor, except, of course, to our competitors.

Industry standard which most companies adopt.

Custom service as I am still waiting over 4 weeks for my ticket to be completed. No response from the team either.

GS Hydro is a supplier of non-welded hydraulic piping systems to the petroleum, marine and industrial sectors. We needed an estimating system that would allow us to build a database of some 8,000 GS Hydro part numbers and provide detailed estimates to our sales group. Prior to installing Maxwell we used an Excel model to estimate item quantities and roll up the cost numbers. We currently use the Mechanical Estimation software with the Digital Takeoff feature. Since we could not take advantage of the data book provided by Maxwell our implementation probably took a little longer than average. However, once the data book was completed the implementation went very well. We selected one GSH employee to attend Maxwell classroom training who in turn passed on the knowledge gained from the Maxwell classroom. The Maxwell customer support has been great, offering prompt answers to our problems. The main benefit we received from Maxwell is the ability to take a customer drawing and plot out the specific lengths of pipe and related products required without having to build a manual bill of material list. This saved us considerable time when building the project estimate.

We are a third generation plumbing company that has struggled through this economy like everyone. Making good financial decisions is key too not only surviving but also, staying on top. Maxwell Estimation has been a big part of that strategy. We were utilizing another takeoff system that wasn’t user friendly and required more training than we felt should be necessary to utilize a system. It seemed to take longer than writing it out by hand. We switched in 2009 to Estimation with the digital takeoff feature. Digital takeoff allowed us to reduce the amount of plans we produced and enabled me to send my digital takeoff to our engineer, client, and suppliers. This one feature has reduced the time necessary to explain our intent and design. Once we installed the system it didn’t take long to get up and running. Very user friendly, and with the benefit of the online video instruction I can enhance my understating of the system at my leisure. For us the system is fairly trouble free but, when I needed help, the support team was there. Occasionally, I receive a call from the support team asking how things are going or if I need additional training and could they set up a training date for me. I update our estimation date base weekly through a separate service that keeps our pricing up to date. Never lagging behind in the market is important. I usually see the updated price before our suppliers get a chance to inform me. In the end, I get a report that is current and more detailed than I ever was without Estimation, right down to nuts and washers.

We are using Estimation Logistics Version 4.5.1. I know we should upgrade to 9.x but I haven't been able to find the time in our bid schedule. I suspect we will upgrade soon. This program was in use here when I got here in 2005. The company that I worked for previously also had Estimation Logistics so the transition for me was seamless. We don't use customer support much anymore; I can usually figure out what I need to, but do get stumped occasionally. I will say that customer support was excellent when I was implementing. But I am not as pleased with it as I used to be. In the "old days" the support personnel would talk you through any issues, so you would learn what to do in certain situations when they arose. Now it seems we just go to webex and support fixes the problem while I watch, but afterwards I didn't learn anything. I don't know after all these years if I would be able to do an estimate the old fashioned way with a scale, pencil, and paper. We have come to rely so much on the computer that the old skills atrophy. One final word: for an old dog like me using digital take off on the computer screen is a non starter. People must be getting better quality plans than we are here in the Northeast, because I would never be able to do take off without my paper plans and digitizer board.

We are a mid-size commercial MEP company. We have seen better days in terms of workload and we have had to try to find ways to stay viable in this ever-changing economy. One way in which we have tried to do that is by saving time across multiple workflows. We had Maxwell Systems Estimation up and running in our electrical department with success and wanted to utilize this resource with mechanical as well. Already we are seeing positive results in terms of time savings and sustainable data being delivered by our new Estimation software. We are using Digital Takeoff and it is amazing how much faster I can produce versus traditional spreadsheet data entry. Implementing this system was a breeze thanks to our Account Manager, Mary Heinz, and the support team. Since then I have learned a lot on my own through the easy-to-use, intuitive interface as well as through short online training sessions that were made available. Customer support has been available when I need them and Mary has gone above and beyond in regards all things Maxwell Systems. It's easy to see already that this solution for our estimating department will save us much in time and money moving forward. I look forward to learning more, and really get this software working for us.

We are a mid size HVAC contractor and have been in business for 30 years. I took over the estimating for the company about 2 years ago after the owner retired. Our focus is mainly in the educational, medical, religous and correctional facilities. With Maxwell System Estimation program I can take off a job in a fraction of the time it use to take. Bids are more accurate because not only is most items a simple point to point take off, it also takes off all the small incidental components automatically, things I would usually overlook in the process. I like being able to seperate labor cost of different aspects of a job in layers because that has helped our company spot problem areas and adjust accordingly. Estimation is definately a powerful, top notch take-off program, but the great support after the sale is the icing on the cake. They have always been quick to respond whenever I needed help with a very knowledgeable staff. And many thanks to our account manager, Mary Heinz, for the frequent check-ups, to make sure all is well and to make sure we are current, or that we are aware of new features available. I would definately recommend Maxwell System Estimation to anyone looking to speed up their estimation process.

Viewpoint regularly engages its users to monitor their satisfaction with the product. The support team is willing to assist with any issues that develop and show a true willingness to help. The product is highly specified for the trades and is very comprehensive.

At times, we would like to be able to an interface with Microsoft products such as Excel. The telecommunications takeoff section needs to be expanded.

Daniel’s Electric began using the Estimation Program over 20 years (not sure of the exact date). I have been using the Maxwell Systems Logistics Program for the last 14 years. Currently using Verion 9.4. Logistics is user friendly and fairly easy to learn and operate. Logistics has been easy to customize, with the ability to build our own assemblies or modifying the "pre-built" assemblies making the take-off process easier to adapt to all kind of projects; which has saved me a lot of time in the estimating process. I utilize a digitizer in conjunction with Logistics which increases the accuracy of the takeoff, as well as reducing the time spent on the takeoff. Customer Support has been wonderful; most of my problems have been due to my own “operator errors” and not problems with the Program. I have attended a couple User Conferences and they are very worthwhile to go to. Gave me opportunities to speak directly with the Programmers to get hints & shortcuts as well as learn more about the Program. Also gives a chance to talk to other users and exchange information & ideas. I have recommended the Program to others in my field several times through the years.

I am a mechanical contractor and have been in business for near 30 years. I've done everything the old-school way until last January (2012). It used to take me several weeks to bid a job. Sometimes with great success. Sometimes, I'd miss key items because I'd forget to write them down. Maxwell's system has eliminated the guess work from the equation. Mary Heinz is my account rep and she has kept me up to date with the changes to the software and trying to get me to update as soon as it becomes available. I'd have to give her a rating of 10 out of 10. EXTREMELY HAPPY with the software. All I need to do now is teach my brother how to use it. He can hardly turn on the copier without some help. Anyone purchasing this software, TAKE THE COURSE AS SOON AS YOU GET THE PROGRAM. You will not regret buying this at twice the price. I can now do the typical one week estimate in one day without the mistakes. It has helped my business move forward and win multi-million dollar contracts that I could not get close to before. And YES, I am making money. BUY IT. You will be surprised how easy it is to use and make more money with a truly accurate bid. Thanks, Mary

That it allows earthworks to be completed electronically rather than using a digitiser board

The vendors inability to make improvements or even fix bugs or error within the program. They generally just say, we have never seen that happen before and blame something else non related for the problem. It will always be your fault if the program comes up with any errors.

My experience with the estimation is ductwork take-offs with table top digitizer is very cumbersome and leaves me chained to my desk, researching the cost to upgrade to on screen take offs has been very disappointing, all on screen take offs are very expensive and require the yearly maintenance fees. would like to have a program that just does basic take offs and not do all of the accounting also.

very accurate and adaptable

very cumbersome to use, chained to a desk not mobile at all, program too complicated, need I lighter version that is not so expensive

Our company spent about 6 months deciding which estimating software to go with. We were working with an old MS-Dos program prior to upgrading to Maxwell Systems’ Estimation software. We purchased the product about two years ago. Customer Support was (is) one of the most important pieces when we were considering which product to go with. If I could, I would rate Maxwell Systems 10 out of 5 stars in this area. We have been through 2 server crashes and a server migration in the last two years (one crash and migration within the last week). Maxwell has been there every time to pick up the pieces and put them back where they go. This is a great product with great customer support. I use reviews when I purchase products like this, so, I understand the importance of seeing the good with the bad. The problem is…I don’t have any negative experiences to report.

The customer service management is always helpful and ready to answer any questions.

The updates have become slower and slower to materialize

We are a relatively small, growth oriented electrical contractor. Only three of us are in the office, so we need to be productive and use our time efficiently. I have used Maxwell Systems Estimation before and considered it the finest of estimating programs. However, I have to say that Cyndi Ray in particular performed beyond my highest expectations in tailoring the system to fit my needs with her thorough, complete and expeditious attention with the system installation. Not to mention, her personal and professional behavior and attitude in meeting all my needs. I could not have completed a nearly 3 million dollar bid without her efforts. It is people like her that create an atmosphere of success to any organization. Please pass along my personal thanks and commendation for her past and continued efforts.

We are a mechanical contractor in the Southern Tier of New York State. We have been using Estimation's estimating software for 18 years. We started out with two licenses and have grown to nine mechanical licenses with Digital Takeoff currently. I have demo'd other software, but have always chosen Estimation for its flexibility and completeness in the areas we need to estimate. I have always found the sales and support personnel professional and helpful. The Digital Takeoff software has been one of the biggest and most beneficial additions to the estimating software we use. Being able to estimate from a regular desk using digital plans from plans services rather than having to print them out or order from reprographic services saves both time and space.

Frank Millard & Company, Inc. is a full service industrial contractor located in southeast Iowa. We provide total turn key industrial concstruction services including general construction, painting, roofing, sheet metal, HVAC, mechanical, and electrical. Currently we use Maxwell Systems software for estimating sheet metal, mechanical and electrical project. We are in the process of upgrading to digital take off. Our account manager (Cindy Ray) has been instrumental in working with FMC to update our systems. We are looing forward to full implementation of the digital take off with the goal of streamlining our estimating process, turning out high quality estimates in a faster time thus lower the cost to prepare each etimate.

I am chef estimator for company. We are using digital Estimation program by Maxwell system. Program is stiff and not ready to use, company is using their costumers as testers for their program. Bunch of items are not functional, but they fix it only in regular update of the program which comes once in 6 to 12 months, meanwhile they live their costumers hang there with dysfunctional options and they even can't guaranty that problems will be fixed in next update which will come somewhere in May. Their costumer support is not professorial enough and their usual respond: "post your complain on our site" - problem solved. We have three users for Estimation program. And we entertaining idea to switch to another company.

I purchased the Estimation program in 1999 prior to Maxwell Systems acquiring the program. We continue to use the Estimation program today and are currently running version 9.4 on a network environment. Prior to purchasing the Estimation program we used an elaborate Excel spreadsheet, which certainly got the job done but was time consuming. The Estimation program allows us to accurately bid many more jobs in the same amount of time. The program is user friendly and fairly easy to learn. Maxwell Systems is continuously enhancing the program to make it even better, a lot of which is based on customer feedback. Estimation Tech Support is "very good" to "excellent".

We are currently using Maxwell Systems: Estimation Version 9.3. Customer support is top notch. If we have an issue, they can solve it 99.9% of the time while we are on the phone. The user conferences allow us to network with other mechanical contractors and explore new directions with the developers and programmers of the software. All in all, we have been using Estimation for the past 12 years, and are bidding HVAC and plumbing work in pharmaceutical, commercial, and industrial applications. Kudos to the programmers, support staff, sales departments and management staff for providing such a powerful, yet easy to use system.

We've used Estimation for over 20 years now for our industrial piping and plumbing company and have been highly successful with it.

Can rely on the accuracy

Takes time to make it your own. Need accurate accounting as well. Not really a con just good advice.

I started using this software only 3 years ago and it has made my job extremely easy. The accuracy, speed and ease of functionality the estimation program cuts my time in more than half when it comes to bidding a job. Katherine Jenkins is a very helpful representative for Maxwell and is always there when we have any questions regarding Maxwell. I have had other plumbing owners stop in my office and look in awe on how easily I can do a take off and have a job completed. I will use this program for as long as I am in this buisness.

After being hired as the General manager of the Eckert Mechanical, LLC, I needed to update my computer estimating skills. My first and only experience with computerised estimating was back in 1987. I went to Jupitor, FL to learn the Estimation Inc. program. I guess I am showing my age. After mt class with Maxwell Systems, I can now fell comfortable using the estimating software. The update over the years have been helpful. I'm sure that there are other uses. bt for now, I can get a job estimated in halve the time.

Have used this program for about 25 years. I do over 400 bids a year. I would not be able to do it without Maxwell Systems Estimation. Support is the best I have ever dealt with. Quick responses and usually fixed the same day. Just wish I had more time to learn more about what this program can do. I know that I am not using it to it's full funtionality. I have been to Baltimore for training but I find that I am learning more on line with these mini classes. Great idea. Thanks for everything.

The program is fairly easy to use and provides the information I need. I have had good response from Maxwell (now Viewpoint) whenever I needed support.

The Earthwork module does not work easily with CAD files, and some of the automatic features for image files such as the go function do not work properly because they require pristine digital files.