RSMeans Data Online Software

Pros

Ease of use. Current pricing. Great descriptions.

Cons

Nothing, quite honestly. I would love it to be a little more affordable.

Pros

The access to all the trades and the ability to match items to specifications has been a great help. also being able to retrieve old proposals and have them update quickly

Cons

I also have the JOC software from RS Means which no one at RS Means seams to understand and they have tied my passwords to the same account but if I am locked out of one I can not get in the other one.
Then all the tech know how to fix this is delete all your cookies. these are place markers for other programs and be cause of the failed IT side of this it makes it hard to accept it as a leader.

Professional service and variety of solutions is great!

Pros

Accuracy and updates on costs trends in various markets

Cons

Lack of ability to customize and have preset values for specific markets & line items.

Pros

I like reference material, and having a printed copy, even if it is worn and tattered helps me find the information I need. But with the rapidly hanging construction environment it is also helpful to have up-to-date cost information at my disposal. I rely on RSMeans data online for this information.

Cons

Firewalls. But this has to do with the level of access I subscribe to.

It has been a great tool to talk with clients in real-time about design options and their affect on the bottom line. In the past this has been an issue with alot of mistrust around it and being able to show validated third party costs has added credibility to costing work.

Pros

The best parts of this software is that availability to access it anywhere I am. Its been great to be able to show clients a third party cost and the relative effect of different scenarios in realtime.

Cons

It can run slow at times and its not intuitive to non-technical users.

The cost for this online product is very economical. I am a cost consultant with over 40 years of experience that does work throughout the United States and would not consider any other construction cost software that suits my needs. I also like the online webinar's that features major trends in construction.

Pros

Easy to use! Enter your location at the entry screen, save and close and proceed to getting regional cost.

Cons

This is a tough question! This software improves ever year. I used to hate how I would have to log back in to the software when I had left it idle, now its not a problem with the new "idle" mode - Thanks!

Pros

can export data to excel, can save my projects

Cons

Couldn’t found some item, and I wish if there is an international version

Pros

It's very easy to use and comprehensive.

Cons

I think that it could use more filtering mechanisms so that I can browse more efficiently.

A great tool to get reliable construction cost estimates. When there is so much action going on in the marketi find that RSMeans enabled me to build defendable estimates.

Pros

Comprehensive list of activities listed
Good breakdown of labor vs equipment vs material
Good information related to location
Make sure that the version also includes the templates and guidelines they're are found in the excellent printed editions!

Cons

The data is great but some of the references (PDF) are somewhat disconnected
In some cases it's not easy to relate the data (single entries) to the assemblies, especially those involving partial labor (e.g. 20 min of labor)
The PDF format currently in use for crew breakdown doesn't work. A dynamic list should be used that also allows a user to adjust rates on the fly based on location

Pros

Love the search feature and how detailed everything is, as well as changing the location automatically changes the material/labor pricing to reflect the location.

Cons

I really love how the RS Means book (which I also own) has the assemblies section. I have yet to figure out if RSMeans online has this option or how to access it.

A great investment!

Pros

Great for quickly estimating larger budgets. RSMeans Cost Data is second to none. I find it is extremely accurate. Great tool for developers, project managers and estimators.

Cons

It is expensive. But I have found it is well worth the money.

Good - experience - but sometimes too much data to be able to see the outcomes clearly

Pros

updated costs by region - you have quarterly updates

Cons

Does not have a substantial SF cost database that would be helpful in ROM estimates
Does not have all the items we encounter on federal construction jobs

RS means represents the industry standard, at least in our industry, for commercial and industrial construction cost estimating.

Pros

The software provides a logic means to address common construction practice and pricing to generate preliminary construction cost estimates and a consistent format that can be presented to clients in detail or summary formats

Cons

Certain fields appear to be missing logical data, such as industrial piping, or plumbing, that one would expect to be included in the data base. Additionally, the report formats can be difficult. It is often easiest to export directly to excel and then edit everything in Microsoft than to try and customize within RS Means.

Pros

I like the ease of being able to look up multiple items without having to check several pages in a physical book. The online data allows me to look up things quite quickly.

Cons

In the search feature if you don't get the wording of the item you are looking for as an exact match to the data, the response comes back as item not found. Without an index of some type, it sometimes makes it hard to find the work item you are looking for. Many tasks are known by multiple similar names, so if you enter the wrong one, Means will not return any data items.

I love the sq. ft. models for the various buildings (classroom, office, etc.). However, the HVAC included in the models is unrealistic for our purposes. I would prefer if the software allowed for some alternate systems to be selected, such as different HVAC units.

Pros

The completeness of construction items that are available with costs. I also like the fact that this is on-line and I don't need to reinstall software each year. Additionally, this allows me to access the database from home.

Cons

The search engine is not very forgiving. For example, it will not show items that are close to what I typed in.

Good baseline data source for pre-construction and cost estimating comparison, but can't compete with local experience working in the actual location you're pricing.

Pros

decent list of typical items that are often used in cost estimating

Cons

While they do ask for your location and adjust the various unit rates, there were many that were not close to the actual costs seen. Cost in Hawaii is very high and hard to predict, but I would have expected more accurate pricing.

GREAT.

Pros

COST ASSESSMENTS VERY ACCURATE TO CURRENT YEAR.

Cons

SOME CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL NOT INCLUDED.

Pros

Product is fairly simple and easy to use. The results were reasonably accurate when factoring in geographic location

Cons

Line any others software of this type time consuming

IT GOOD AND FAST IN THE FIELD

Pros

The way you can take projects apart and put back together.

Cons

If there is something you need and its not there.

Pros

One of my favorite features with this software is the locator. Having the costs customized to your location is so handy and much more accurate than applying a general multiplier to each item.

Cons

My least favorite feature about RSMeans is the subcategories. I love having all of my HVAC costs in one category but I find the subcategories hard to navigate and find exactly what I'm looking for.