Biggest reason a construction project suffers is due to the missed scope items at the estimation stage. Estimating can cause a project to make or break. Imagine if the difference is way off, your entire business can fail.
The risk is huge…. but what goes wrong during the bidding process and can it be fixed without breaking your bank?
Companies usually have specialized resources for accounting and marketing. And sometimes even outsource these as they might think it’s a safe bet. However, construction estimation and proposal services are where contractors might be prone to manage themselves.
However in outsourcing estimating services, if the right combination of experienced resources and tools is not available it can lead to a difficult situation later down the line. Contractor companies usually have a core specialized team that is working on planning and executing the projects. Most of the time the same team is the one that is overseeing the bidding process. Now as this team is juggling the workload, they are highly prone to miss out key elements of estimation detailing. In a nut shell there are three main challenges when it comes to estimating construction jobs and preparing quantity takeoffs;
1) Lack of experienced & skilled (there is a difference in both) estimators
2) Correct implementation of estimating tools and software
3) Bid timelines are getting shorter and shorter. (Owners/GCs need bids yesterday!)
An inaccurate estimate can be fatal for the project and business, and so it is the main reason contractors should consider a specialized cost estimating and quantity takeoff services. As the market is becoming more agile and the conditions change day by day. It would become inevitable for construction contractors to look for people who are keeping up with everything and making the best estimates as per the market dynamics.
The following are some of the key reasons’ contractors should consider outsourcing estimating services.
Outsourcing Estimating services Benefits:
01 – Focus on your core functions
You are a general contractor or specialty contractor, and the best way you perform is by focusing on improving your processes that you apply to your services. Now you are managing several projects, working on your efficiencies, managing your crews, etc. and on top of that, you are worried about establishing a bidding team, acquiring technology, and investing in training.
If you outsource the cost estimation and takeoff process, you have ample time to do what you do best and improve in it. You can focus on exploring further avenues within your core expertise that will help you grow more.
02 – Save in Overhead Costs
The costs of doing the construction business has the direct costs and indirect costs. And when you are pricing the projects you have to build your indirect costs in the estimates. You might already have a project management team, supervisors, marketing executive, finance/accounting staff, your office building, and other monthly expenses you are pricing in your bids. And in addition to these, an additional overhead would be your proposal team.
If you are managing a sizeable project you are already using tools like MS Project or Primavera and maybe drawing tools like AutoCAD etc. In addition to maintaining licenses for existing software, you might have to acquire further tools that will add to your overheads. So that is why we make an argument here that you can get all these services with an experienced team on a fraction of the cost when you are hiring a specialized cost estimating and quantity takeoff service provider. As they have the team, the tools and other resources necessary to complete estimation and takeoffs most efficiently.
03 – Detailed and more accurate bids
Specialized estimation and quantity takeoff service providers are working day and night to perfect their craft. They are developing their team, acquiring new tools and training to improve their estimation process. They maintain databases for the projects that they have bid from other clients and extensive knowledge of the industry practices. They have invested in technology that allows them to produce very detailed estimates and takeoffs.
The bids and estimates that you will acquire from a specialized estimation service provider will be more detailed, have accounted for general construction factors, and will have higher accuracy. This will give you and your team a ton of ease when ordering materials and also during the execution of the projects. The more detailed the bid is, it is much easier to control the budget during the execution of projects.
04 – Reduce hassle in maintenance
When you acquire outsourcing estimating services the cost estimation and takeoff preparation to a specialized service provider, your hassle to keep up with the material rates and price fluctuation will diminish. Your estimation partner is now taking care of all that work of finding if the Aluminum is down, steel is up etc. They will factor all the changing dynamics as it is their routine job. They will also have maintained a database of suppliers and specialty service providers. So, whatever your construction job requires it will be managed. And you will have more time to focus on what you do best.
05 – Bid More and Win More
Now as you have cut-down your overheads, improved efficiency in your core business, reduced your hassle, and getting more detailed and accurate estimates. All these will help you win more bids. With an efficient estimation partner, you will able to bid on more opportunities. As previously you were struggling to balance between execution and bidding. Now you will be able to take a chance on the opportunities you want. With improved quality and quantity of your bidding, your chances of winning will exponentially improve.
With a good estimation service provider, you will be able to venture into newer markets especially if you are a general contractor. As your core skills are in project management and you can build more teams to do a variety of jobs. And even if you are a specialty contractor then you have more opportunities to increase your job size and market share.
In conclusion, outsourcing outsourcing services has immense benefits for contractors. Professionally made cost estimates and quantity takeoffs are marked, detailed, and gone through several accuracy checks. The accuracy and detail of the bid ensure the high probability of job-winning and successful execution. Partnering with the right estimation specialist will provide a strategic advantage and will take your construction business to higher growth.
Bidding Enterprise is an award-winning, quantity takeoff, and cost estimating company. Last year alone we estimated 1900+ projects. If you are looking for quality services that will enhance your chances of winning, share your project plans at
Michael@BiddingEnterprise.US
and we will get back to you with a proposal for our services.
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Glad to hear that :)