4 Benefits of Using Takeoff Software

Are you still performing your takeoffs manually? If so, you probably spend more time shuffling through papers and plans than putting together your estimate and chances are you aren’t alone. According to McKinsey Global Institute’s Industry Digitization Index, the construction industry is one of the least digitized, beating out agriculture to avoid being at the bottom of the list.

In the past, construction firms that were first to adopt and implement new technology were simply reaping the benefits of the competitive advantages over those that weren’t. Construction tech is advancing at a rate now that companies that continue to refuse to adopt tech are going to go the way of the dodo.

Getting buy-in from to adopt new tech can be challenging, from getting budget approval to getting end users to embrace usage rather than reverting to the old ways of doing things. Digital takeoff software is a great solution to ease into tech adoption. You’ll see a measurable return on investment as your estimators streamline their estimating process and deliver more accurate estimates and bids in a fraction of the time it would take to perform them manually.

Here’s a look at some of the benefits that your estimators, and your company, will have from using takeoff software.

Improves Productivity & Efficiency

Performing digital takeoffs is a reliable, repeatable process to quickly measure quantities, areas, and linear distances. Most takeoff software allows you to customize and create conditions and digitizations that you frequently use to improve the productivity and efficiency of your estimating team. Using similar procedures already loaded into the software allows for a quick, painless, and consistent process.

Performing manual takeoffs can be a long and tedious process. Reducing the time it takes to finish your takeoffs will allow more time to focus on getting your job costs and estimates right which will result in better bids and free your estimating team up to potentially take on more work.

Enable Better Collaboration

One of the major benefits of many takeoff solutions is the ability to have multiple users working on the same project at the same time. Being able to collaborate and communicate in real time with other team members while performing takeoffs can lead to better estimates and bids.

Collaborating on your projects can be a simple process when you use the right software. Being able to integrate your takeoff software with other solutions like job cost tracking, estimating, and project management software will help keep your entire team organized and working for the same data sets.

Deliver Accurate Bids

Your bids are only as good as your estimates and your estimates are only as good as your takeoffs. Manual takeoffs are prone to a number of human errors from not factoring in the scale of the plans, to missing or outdated plan sheets, to miscalculations.

With digital takeoff solutions, you can easily organize and manage plan sheets and addenda, ensuring nothing gets left out. Easily set the scale of the plans and create digital takeoffs to automatically get accurate measurements for volume, surface areas, height, perimeters, and more. No more worrying whether your measurements or conversions were off. Getting precise takeoff quantities will lead to more accurate estimates and more profitable bids.

Get a Competitive Advantage

Takeoff software gives you the capabilities and tools necessary to finish your bid faster than you could by doing it by hand. Get a leg up on your competitors by being able to complete fast and accurate bids. By completing takeoffs faster, you can build in more time to review and double check your estimates and bids. Get your estimating team in the habit of completing your bids ahead of schedule rather than scrambling around at the last minute to get everything submitted on time.

SOURCE: https://www.constructconnect.com/blog/4-benefits-using-takeoff-software