Estimating Software for Construction
The estimating activity of a construction company is one of the most important aspects of its organization and sustainability. The quality and rigor with which estimate are developed, combined with the speed and effectiveness in their preparation, are determining factors for the organization's success. The use of a specialized computer system for developing estimating and proposals, suitable for the construction area, allows managers and technicians to derive numerous advantages over more conventional computer methods.
Centralization of Information
The use of a database to support estimating has several advantages, from the consistency of prices used in the various proposals presented, to the possibility of reusing resource prices and composition of activities in future estimates, thus avoiding repetition of work. Maintaining a company work base, transversal to all users of the organization, reflects the company's reference prices and the composition of the main activities used in estimating.
Easy and Quick
Create the estimate and estimating starts with the unit price list, which can easily be imported from an external file, from a previous estimate, or entered manually. The list of works can also be imported from another estimate or from the Database, easily obtaining a list with the composite prices already created. Measurements can be developed in the application, manually, by measuring directly from DWF or PDF files, or through automatic import of BIM models in IFC files, getting the quantities of each construction element directly from the 3D model, grouped into items. Re-importing the model after a project change immediately shows which quantities have changed, the new items, and those that no longer exist, before updating the estimate. The introduction of prices can be carried out directly from the database, using pre-existing resources and the composition of activities, or introducing new resources and activities.
Process Automation
Visualorc offers a set of features to improve performance and automate estimation tasks, such as intelligent price group selection based on user history, automatic creation of subcontract prices, automatic creation of composite prices with new material and set of labor resources, among many others.
Comparative Maps
Compare suppliers' and subcontractors' proposals item by item against the estimated value, without rebuilding separate lists: the comparative map is generated directly from the estimate's price list. The price request goes out by email straight from the application, with the work list attached, and Visualorc records the date of each request.
When the proposal arrives, there's no need to transcribe it: attach the supplier's PDF and Visualorc automatically reads and matches each price to the right item, immediately flagging quantity or unit differences, or calculation errors in the proposal. Review, comparison and award are all recorded in the same estimate, ready to go straight to the purchase order or the subcontract.
Analysis and Optimization
At all times, the application provides detailed information on the total quantities of resources used in the estimate, which allows the respective price to be adjusted with a view to optimizing it. The change in the price of a resource will be immediately propagated throughout the estimate, updating the unit prices for that resource. The analysis of the ABC curve of the estimate provides details about the resources with the most weight in the estimate, which allows a hierarchical analysis of your cost structure and its adjustment and optimization. The introduction of margins in the estimate can be carried out using various methods, from individual introduction by item to the entire estimate. The application also includes features for introducing margins by chapters and by differential margins or variable margins per article depending on the type of resource used.
Innovation and Development
The result of more than twenty years of development and use in construction companies and related areas, Visualorc is constantly updated in the search for new features aimed at optimizing the user experience.