Estimating With Electronic Documents Kevin R. Miller, Ph.D. Brigham Young University & Ron Covarrubias Northstar Management

Technology Assisting the Estimator Estimating loads are becoming more demanding. Estimate more projects in less time. Electronic documents help estimators fight back. Electronic documents may help estimators win more projects.

What Are Electronic Docs? Same thing as paper, just on a computer screen. Spec’s are typically PDF files. Drawings are often TIF, CALS or DWF files. They are not the computer automatically calculating all the quantities.

Electronic Docs Come From Owners –Corps of Engineers tsn.wes.army.mil –Federal / State Agencies Designers –Architects / Engineers Planrooms –FWDodge.com –Repromax.com Network or reprographic companies –SBR Technologies - Utah utbx.com –Builders Exchange network

Creating Electronic Documents Generated directly from CAD or Word Processor –Generated from the applications in the exact same way as paper documents. –The files that are created are Read-Only. –The PDF spec files files are searchable. Scan Documents –Readability issues. –Wasted resources. –Scanned specifications are typically NOT searchable OCR helpful but not 100%

Drawing File Types The print driver for each file format comes standard with AutoCAD. ColorDesignersNODWG B&W Reprographics Companies YESTIF B&WCorps of EngineersYESCALS ColorDesignersYESDWF ColorSOURCE OF FILESREAD- ONLY FILE TYPE

Why Designers/Owners Prefer Issuing Electronic Docs Document reproduction cost savings. –Corps of Engineers on pilot project saved $20,000 in reproduction costs. Better distribution of the documents. –After project completion, all but a few set are thrown away.

Typical Costs to Contractors The contractor pays a local reprographics company to print the entire set of documents Contractors prints only the sheets they need. The contractor may elect to print smaller sheets to reduce costs. A free viewer is used to print the documents to scale in-house. The above options does not represent a cost savings to the project, rather a cost shift is what has occurred.

Alternative to Printing Takeoff Viewers –Measurements are taken from the computer screen. –Identifies what has been taken off. –An organizational structure can be used. –Integration with Estimating Software

How Takeoff Viewers Work The original drawing files are not changed. An additional file is created to store the measurements and the drawing markups.

Takeoff Viewer Features Digitizer like Features –Count –Lineal measurements –Area

Additional Features Markups are placed on the documents. The measurements are modifiable. Review of takeoff easily accomplished. Work Breakdown Structure Highlighting View multiple views at a time.

Electronic Document Benefits Contractors can review the doc’s to decide if they want to bid the project. Receive project documents quicker (Internet/ ). Addenda docs are readable vs. faxed docs. Better distribution to subcontractors. Subcontractors receive a full set of plans that they can keep. Specs may be searchable if generated from word processor.

Takeoff Viewer Benefits Greater accuracy than digitizers. Easier to identify where cost differences occur in design/build projects. Ability to overlay drawing changes. Measurements are modifiable and stored. All the measurements can occur before calculating quantities. Easier archival of documents.

Benefit to Estimators Plan checkout time is reduced. Plan return process is eliminated. Takeoff time is reduced. Standardized colors can be used for takeoff. Takeoff review is visual. Plans are easily taken with you, as well as the takeoff tools.

Other Benefits of Using Electronic Documents Presentations to show staging and site considerations. Project Manager can verify estimate quantities. % complete calculations and provide support to the calculations. As-built drawings.

Screen Size Does Matter Minimum monitor size should be 17”. Recommended 19” or 20” Viewable. Screen resolution 1600 x 1200 or above. Dual monitors are great. –Plan view on one screen; details, schedules, specifications, or estimating software on the other screen.

Challenges Learning curve –Large curve until you start, then it is small. (half a day or less to start using the software) Hardware 15” screens difficult to work with. Proprietary image file formats Getting the documents from designers without scanning

Takeoff Viewer Companies Product CompanyURL On-Screen Takeoff On-Center Software Takeoff Tool US Cost Inc. Max ViewMaxView Corp. BidScreen XL (Excel Add-in) Vertigraph Inc.

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