Estimating Tips and Tricks

Transcription

1 Session 5 8 Estimating Tips and Tricks Presented By: Gary Simpson G L Simpson & Associates LLC

2 Session Overview After completing this class, you will have a better understanding of the power of the Estimating software. In this session you will see how the estimating functionality can be applied to solving every day challenges to make your estimating processes more productive and error free. Who Should Attend? Any users who currently own the estimating software. Prerequisites: None. Open Multiple Estimates at Once Estimating takes advantage of Windows MDI (multiple document interface) and allows you to open more than one estimate at a time. What are the advantages of this? Compare Estimates Easily Opening multiple estimates at once allows you to compare your estimates by cascading the windows, tiling them horizontally, or tiling them vertically. To change the view, on the Window menu, select the display option you want. Collapse Estimates and Compare Unit Prices With multiple estimates open, you can collapse the estimates. Tile them vertically to compare unit prices. The unit price column must be visible to do this. Drag and Drop Items Between Estimates If portions of an estimate are the same or very similar to a new estimate, you can drag and drop the items rather than doing takeoff on the similar portions. To do this: 1. Select the item or items. 2. Hold down the left mouse button. 3. Drag the items to the new estimate. Use Multiple Estimates to Handle Alternates You can open the base bid and alternates as separate estimates. To do this: 1. Cascade the estimates (select Window > Cascade). 2. To access alternates, click the alternate to bring it to the front. a. For alternates that require substitution removal of items in the base bid: 3. Drag the items from the base bid into the alternate. (You can also copy and paste.)

3 4. Select the Takeoff column, right-click, and select Multiply (in Estimating Standard) or Adjust Column then Multiply (in Estimating Extended). Enter negative one (-1) as the multiplier. This subtracts the original quantities and dollars. a. Now take off the items and quantities required. Use Template Estimates Template estimates let you save time when you create estimates. If you have certain portions of jobs that are the same for example, general conditions, locations, WBS codes, cover page information, addons a template estimate can save you time during setup. To use a template estimate: 1. Take off items and assign WBS codes and locations. 2. Delete the items from the estimate. 3. Set up the addons and cover page information. Take off any items that stay the same. 4. To create a new estimate, select File > Copy Estimate (rather than New Estimate) and copy the template estimate. 5. All of your addons, cover page information and items are already set up for you. a. In addition, the locations and WBS values are already in the drop-down lists for you to select; you don t have to type them again. Spreadsheet Tips Consider these tips when you work with spreadsheets. Move or Copy Items Move or copy items from one location or WBS code to another if the location or WBS code was not assigned, or it was assigned incorrectly. To do this: 1. Select the items. 2. Right-click from the header row and select Move/Copy to move them to the correct WBS code. In some areas of work the same part of the project is repeated many times. For example, you may have several floors of a building. You can take off one floor, then copy the items on the spreadsheet into the other floors, and make required changes to the subsequent floors. Adjust Columns You can adjust columns on the spreadsheet by any of the following methods: A percentage Multiplying by an amount Dividing by an amount Replacing amounts

4 Adding or subtracting an amount Spreading an amount proportionally over the items To adjust the columns, use one of these techniques: Drag the mouse Use CTRL + click and SHIFT + click. Right-click and select Adjust Column. TIP: The tool tip shows both the accumulated adjustment and the original amount. You can select an item and then select Adjust Column. Select Undo Adjustment to return the item to the original amount. Select Finalize Adjustment to make the adjusted amount permanent. (You cannot undo a finalized adjustment.) Adjust Overlines You can adjust an entire group of items by typing an amount in the overline field. This automatically opens the Adjust Column window: Select Spread and click OK. All the items under that overline are proportionally adjusted. Show Addon Detail You can see exactly what addons are allocated to each item and how many dollars each addon represents. To do this, click an item or overline, right-click, and select Show Addon Detail. Scan Mode Use Scan Mode to find missing values in your estimate: 1. Access Scan through F7 or Pricing>Scan 2. Set the option in Edit > Options to have it skip the sub name field. 3. Use a (dash) to have scan skip fields that are intentionally left blank.

5 Change the Spreadsheet Layout Several methods are available to you to change the spreadsheet layout. Move columns on the spreadsheet You can change the order of the columns in the spreadsheet in one of two ways: To change the order temporarily, click in the column heading and select the column or columns you want to move. When your cursor becomes a 4-way arrow, hold down the left mouse button and drag the selection to the new location (indicated by the highlighted vertical grid). Release the button. To change the order permanently, select View > Spreadsheet Layout and then click Edit. In the Modify Spreadsheet Layout window, select the row that contains the column name you want to move. Click the Reposition Column buttons to move the column to the location of your choice. Columns that contain both a quantity and unit are moved together automatically. Rename your Spreadsheet Columns You can rename any column on the spreadsheet. To do this: 1. Click the column heading to select the column. 2. Right-click the column and select Column Properties. 3. Enter the new name in the Column Name field. (You can also change column names in Spreadsheet Layout.) TIP: If you want to know the original name, hover your mouse over the column name. The new column name appears as a tool tip, with the original name in parentheses. To return the column to the original name, select Column Properties, delete the Column Name field, and click OK. Moved and Renamed Columns on Reports When you use the Spreadsheet report, any columns that have been moved or renamed in your layout appear with the new names on the report. Also, if you prefill from a spreadsheet containing moved or renamed columns, the reports show the new column names and locations. What to Do When You Have Hosed Your Layouts Beyond Recovery If you have moved columns, changed names, and hidden columns to the point that the layout is no longer recognizable, you can start over with the original shipping spreadsheet layout default. To do this, select View > Spreadsheet Layout and click Add. The layout that is created is the default shipping layout. Multiple Layouts Estimating allows you to save multiple layouts for reports and the spreadsheet. To save or create a new layout: 1. Click the spreadsheet layout icon. 2. Click Add (to create a new layout) or Edit (to change an existing layout).

6 You control which columns, fonts, font colors, background colors, field sizes, and so on to display. Modify the layout as desired, give it a name and accept it. The layout is now available for both viewing and reporting. To print a saved layout: 1. From the Reports menu, select Spreadsheet Report and then select Report Options. Click the Font/Layout tab. 2. In the lower right corner click the drop-down arrow in the layout field and select the layout you want to print. Partially Collapse (Summarize) an Estimate You can summarize part of an estimate while leaving other parts expanded. For example, you might do this if you need to get subcontractor bids for divisions 2 and 5, but divisions 3 and 4 are finished. To do this: 1. Double-click the row header (the little box all the way to the left of the spreadsheet) at the level you want to summarize. 2. Double-click in the row header next to Group phase 3000 and This summarizes 3000 and 4000 to a single line on the spreadsheet while leaving 2000 and 5000 at the item level.you can selectively summarize like this in any sort sequence. To print a partially summarized estimate, first summarize the spreadsheet as you want it to look. Then, select Reports > Spreadsheet report > Report Options. Click Prefill from Spreadsheet.

7 Changing Spreadsheet Quantities Several methods are available to you to change the spreadsheet appearance. Fill Down Use Fill Down when you have several items that need the same value. The fields to be changed do not need to be below the starting field, but can be anywhere in the estimate. To do this: 1. Enter the value in the first cell. Select the cells that you want to fill with the same value. 2. Right-click the selected area and select Fill Down. TIP: You can skip items by using the CTRL key. Select the starting cell, press CTRL, and click the rest of the fields that you want to change. Copy and Paste One Time Items Occasionally you have a one-time item you need to copy, to make changes to the description or pricing information. To copy a one-time item: 1. Click in the row header, right-click, and select Copy. Then right-click and select Paste to duplicate the item. 2. Continue this procedure for as many copies of the item as you need. Paint To Quantity Column and Use Multiply At times certain portions of a project are duplicated. To avoid laboriously taking the items off again: 1. Select the takeoff column of the items. Right-click and select Multiply (in Estimating Standard) or Adjust Column then Multiply (in Estimating Extended). 2. Enter the multiplication factor and click OK. The quantities are multiplied. You can multiply items that you drag items from one spreadsheet to another to handle alternates. For example, if alternate 2 is substitute oak doors for birch doors : 1. Create an estimate for alternate Drag the birch doors from the base bid into the alternate. 2. Select the Takeoff column and select Multiply. 3. Multiply by 1, which subtracts the original birch door items from the alternate. Take off the items for the oak doors. Zoom In and Zoom Out The Zoom In and Zoom Out options are available from the spreadsheet s View menu. These allow you to see more or less of your spreadsheet at one time. Show Pennies in Columns You can see cent values on the spreadsheet if you wish. To do this: 1. Click the spreadsheet layout icon.

8 2. Click Edit. Move down the column to the field you want, and then move to the right to the Number of Decimals column. Type in 2 to see cent values. Spreadsheet Options Several methods are available to you to change the spreadsheet appearance. Show Overline Totals on the Spreadsheet To show overline totals on the spreadsheet, select Edit > Options. On the Spreadsheet tab select Show overline totals when expanded. You can also choose to display overline grand totals and overline addon totals. Substitute Items on the Spreadsheet To substitute items on the spreadsheet with an item from your database, select the item, right-click and select Substitute Item. The quantity stays the same, but the item is priced with the new items prices. Grand Total Unit Price Column The Grand Total Unit Price column shows the price per unit including addons. 1. Collapse the spreadsheet 2. Enter the total job size in the first overline and fill it down. 3. Options for controlling message boxes New features allow you to turn off the update duplicates window prompt. Auto Sum Select takeoff quantities in the takeoff column. You can see the total in the status bar, and then copy and paste the total into the overlines. 10 Level Spreadsheet The 10 Level Spreadsheet allows you to do the following: Create and name sequences Save as default Print reports Minimize overlines

9 Saving Estimate Info to the database Simplifies Database Maintenance Column to select which items you want to update Clicking overline selects all items beneath it Select which fields you want to update Many fields can be saved including Item Description Pricing Productivity Conversion factors JC Information Crew assignments Preview doesn t make the changes Can add additional categories to the database items

10 Manage Contacts With Address Book The Address book allows you to manage your contacts and then filter these lists during takeoff. You can customize trade and region lists by adding, reordering, or removing elements. You can also create phone lists with a report or a query. Work in the Item Lists You can use the keyboard to navigate through the Item lists quickly. Use the Arrow Keys Use the arrow keys to move through the list. The up and down arrows move you up and down in the list. The left and right arrows expand and collapse the list. The ENTER key selects the item and returns it to the spreadsheet. Type the Phase Number for GoTo Within the list, jump to any area of the database by placing your cursor on a phase and typing the phase to which you want to jump. If you don t know the phase, type the approximate phase and it will jump you to the closest match. Select Multiple Items Using CTRL and SHIFT Keys The CTRL and SHIFT keys let you select multiple items. Select an item, press the SHIFT key, and select a second item. All items between the two are selected. Select an item, press the CTRL key, and select more items. Only the items you click are selected, not the ones in between. Sort by Description (Type the Name for GoTo) You can also sort the Item list by description. To do this: Right-click in the list and select Sort by Description. The list is sorted by the item description. To jump to an item, start typing the description. Remember that the list is case sensitive; a capital S is not the same as a lower case s. Set Up Custom Sort You can sort by any database WBS or system code. You can set up to 4 custom item sorts. Set Up Custom Sorts in Database Settings You can search on any word or partial word in the list using the search feature. To narrow the results, add additional words to the search criteria. The active sort is the one used to return items.

11 City Cost Index Use the existing Means indexes. Create new indexes as you wish. Multiple Prices and Productivities You set up multiple prices and productivities in Database editor, by selecting Database > Database settings > Miscellaneous. You can have up to 20 prices and 10 productivities on an item. You set up the default on a spreadsheet, and then you can override in the item and productivity columns.

12 Keyboard Shortcuts for the Spreadsheet Use the following keyboard shortcuts in the spreadsheet. Home and End Keys Arrow Keys Columns F Keys Notes CTRL + Home moves to the top right of spreadsheet. CTRL + End moves to the bottom right of spreadsheet. CTRL + Up arrow moves to the top of the active column (the column in which your cursor is currently). CTRL + Down arrow moves to the bottom right of spreadsheet. CTRL + Right arrow moves to the right edge of the spreadsheet. CTRL + Left arrow moves to the left edge of the spreadsheet. CTRL + L moves to the Labor column CTRL + M, E, S, or O moves to the Material, Equipment, S, or Other categories respectively CTRL + T moves to the Totals column CTRL + Q moves to the Takeoff column F4 opens Totals F7 opens Scan F1 opens context-sensitive Help CTRL + N Notes Other Shortcut Keys are Available in Help To learn about other shortcut keys, type shortcut on the Index tab in Help and select Shortcuts.

13 Totals Page Adjust the Job Total You can adjust the job total and then spread the amount back to the estimate. For example, if your typical price for a warehouse is $1,250,000 and an estimate totals $1,175,000, adjust the entire estimate up to $1,250,000 and distribute the amount back into the estimate. You can distribute amounts proportionally over the entire estimate, or to only specific portions of the estimate. This is especially useful when the owner has an idea of what the project should cost. The adjustment can be positive or negative. Adjust the Job Unit Total You can adjust the cost per unit (such as the dollar amount per square foot) for the entire estimate, and then spread the amount back to the estimate. For example, if your typical warehouse estimate price is $25 per square foot and a particular estimate came in at $22.73, adjust the entire estimate up to $25 per square foot. You can spread the amount back into the estimate proportionally or to specific portions of the estimate. This is especially useful in situations where you have prequoted a project and you don t want to leave anything on the table. The adjustment can be positive or negative. Percent of Total Column on the Totals Page Activate the Percent of Total column to see what percentage of the total each entry on the totals page is. Name the Subtotals You can name the subtotals on the totals page by typing a name in the Description field next to the subtotal amount. Dock the Totals Page You can dock the Totals page using the Dock button. The page can be docked at the top, bottom, or either side. Click the Hide Tool Bar button for more space in the window. Use Undock to have the Totals page float. Totals Page Template This template saves addons, formatting, fonts, and colors. You can save a template with a name, and then select that name to open that totals page. Totals page templates are specific to each database. The Grand Total and Cost per unit appear in the status bar.

14 Quick Takeoff and Takeoff Order Enter Dimensions at Takeoff or Later In Quick Takeoff, you can enter dimensions automatically every time you select items. You can also select items, bring them into the spreadsheet, and quantify them later. To activate this option, right-click in the Item list and select Enter Dimensions. Group Non Quantified Items on the Spreadsheet In Quick Takeoff, when you select multiple items, the items might be scattered throughout the estimate. To group the items together for quantifying or review, click the Takeoff spreadsheet sequence tab. The items appear in a group at the bottom of the list. One Time Items Takeoff Drag Add new item to the spreadsheet Change description Enter Quantity Enter category information (Labor, Material, Equipment, Sub, and Other) Save item to the database if desired Turn on add new item feature in Edit>Options

15 Formulas and WBS Formulas The following is important information to gather when creating Advanced Formulas: Advanced formula Variable to gather Dimensions Window example Variable = WindowDimensions Formulas = WindowArea, WindowDim1, WindowDim2 WindowArea = WindowDim1 * WindowDim2 WindowDim1 = TRUNC(WindowDimensions, -2)/100 Formula Tables Use formula tables to replace complex formulas. WBS (Work Breakdown Structures) Value lists You can store a master list of WBS values for any of the three WBS code types in the database. This is especially useful for Takeoff WBS codes. To create the value list, select Database > WBS Values. To access the list after it is created: 1. Either go to the WBS column, click the Default Location/WBS icon, or select the WBS field in the Detail window. 2. Right-click and select [WBS] lists (where WBS is the name of the WBS code for this field.) This opens a list of database values for this WBS code. 3. Double-click the value you want returned to the estimate. TIP: You can multi-select fields using the CTRL or SHIFT key to add values to your WBS dropdown list. Sort WBS Codes Differently on Spreadsheets and Reports WBS codes are sorted in alphanumeric order by default. To change the sort order on your WBS codes, use the code as a numeric value, and then use the description as the actual WBS. Sort by the code but turn the column off so that it does not appear. 40 WBS codes.

16 Crews Multiple rate tables You can assign multiple rate tables to an estimate. For example, if part of your labor is done with shop labor and part with field labor you can assign the shop rate table to the shop items and the field rate table to the field items. You do this by assigning different rate tables to the estimate items. To do this: Reprice 1. Turn on the Labor (or Equipment) Rate Table column. 2. Scroll to the items and select the correct rate table from the drop-down list. You can reprice an estimate. To do this: 1. Select the first item you want to reprice in the Labor Rate Table column and insert the new rate table. 2. Starting with that item, select all items in that column that need to be repriced. 3. Right-click select Fill Down. One Time Crews When you add crews from the spreadsheet, you can add one-time crews, or crews that are specifically for the current estimate and not saved in the database. The crew is available in the crew list under the estimate name. To create a one-time crew: 1. Right-click in the crew field and select Create Crew. 2. Type a name and description for the crew. 3. Select Estimate as the source and add the resources you need for this crew. Accept the crew. The crew name is displayed in the crew field. The one-time crew is available for other items in this estimate only. It appears under the estimate name in the crew list.

17 City Cost Index, and Multiple Pricing City Cost index Using existing Means indexes Creating new indexes Multiple Prices and Productivities Up to 20 prices and 10 productivities on an item Turn on multi prices and productivities by selecting Database > Database Settings > Miscellaneous Set up multi prices and productivities in Database editor. NOTE: Set the default on the spreadsheet. You can override the default in the item and productivity columns. Bill of Materials Understanding and Using Bill of Materials A Bill of Materials (BOM) is a list of all the materials included in an estimate. Typically, a BOM groups materials by type of material (Material Class) and, within the Material Class, a Bill of Materials description. A BOM can be used for a summarized master list of materials, quantities, and amounts needed for a project, a quote sheet for subs and material suppliers to provide prices and quantities, or as a detail audit of the materials in the estimate. One of the things that has been greatly simplified in Estimating Standard and Extended for Windows is the process of setting up your Bill of Materials (BOM). In Estimating for DOS, assigning items to a Bill of Materials was a complex and challenging process. In Windows, Bill of Material setup is literally as simple as drag and drop. Bill of Materials is a list consisting of the Material Classes, Bill of Materials descriptions and the items assigned to the BOM description. Material Classes are displayed as yellow folders, BOM descriptions as blue folders and items as green pages. Each Material Class can contain one or more Bill of Material descriptions. Items are assigned to the Bill of Materials description, which, during takeoff, accumulates quantities of materials. For instance, you might set up a Material Class called Concrete Products, under which you want to track concrete of various types. Each type of concrete would have a separate BOM description such as 3000 psi Standard Concrete, 4000 psi Standard Concrete, 3500 psi Fibermesh Concrete etc. You would then drag the item for 3000 psi Footing Concrete and 3000 psi Wall Concrete to the 3000 psi Standard Concrete BOM Description. When these items are used in an estimate, the order quantities will be combined and will display on the BOM report as 3000 psi Standard Concrete under the Material Class: Concrete Products.

18 Assigning Items to BOM To set up your Bill of Materials, click on the Bill of Materials option listed on the Database menu. In the left hand pane are the items (Group phase/phase/item) set up in your database. You use the right hand pane to create or edit your Material Classes (Material Classes/Bill of Materials Description). To assign items to a Material Class/Bill of Material description: 1. Expand the item list (left hand pane) to the item level by double-clicking the Group phase and phase that contains the items you are going to assign to a Material Class. 2. Expand the Material Class list by double-clicking the Material Class you want to assign the items to. 3. Highlight the item in the left hand list and, holding the left mouse button down, drag the item to the BOM description you want to assign the item to and release the mouse button. The item in the item list will now have a check mark next to it indicating it has been assigned a Material Class and BOM description. That's all there is to assigning items to Bill of Materials. But what if the Material Class and Bill of Materials Description do not exist? Creating a Material Class To create a new Material Class, 1. Highlight an existing Material Class 2. Click the Add button. 3. Enter the Material Class name and accept the Material Class name. Creating a new BOM Description To create a new BOM description, 1. Drag the item from the item side and drop it on the appropriate Material Class. 2. Highlight the BOM description (blue folder) in the list. 3. Click the Edit button. 4. Edit the description as needed. Moving BOM Descriptions The Bill of Materials report prints in Material Class/BOM description order. If you would like to move the BOM descriptions within the list to change the report order, do the following. Highlight the BOM Description and drag it up or down the list to the appropriate location and drop it there. During the drag process a line will form between BOM descriptions showing you where the BOM description will display if you drop it. Finding Items To see the Material Class/BOM description to which an item is assigned, simply double-click the item in the item list. The item will be highlighted in the Material Class pane showing you what Material Class and BOM description the item is assigned to. Double-clicking an item in the Material Class pane immediately locates the item in the Phase/Item list.

19 Unassigning Items To unassign an item from a Material Class/BOM description, simply highlight the item and press the Delete key. Once items are assigned to the Bill of Materials, the BOM information travels with the items as they are taken off. This allows you to print a Bill of Materials report that shows the material quantities and costs. It also allows you to print a BOM quote sheet in which only the materials and quantities are displayed leaving space for the supplier to fill in the unit costs and extended prices. This report can be faxed to your suppliers to facilitate timely and accurate quotes on materials.

20 Bid Grid You can enter multiple subcontractor bids for an item or group of items. To do this: 1. Select the items on which you want to receive subcontractor bids. Use the CTRL and SHIFT keys to select multiple items. 2. Compare the subcontractor bids with your costs for the work. 3. If you have amounts on the items, the bid grid displays the sum of those amounts as self performed. 4. Hold the mouse over the amount column. The difference between the subcontractor bid and the self performed amount shows as a tool tip. 5. To sort the subcontractor bids by any column, click the column header. 6. To select a subcontractor, right-click and select Use Subcontractor. NOTE: You can replace the self perform amount with the subcontractor bid, or you can add the subcontractor amount to your bid. Re-selecting self perform restores your LMEO amounts. However, it does not restore subcontractor amounts. Plug Numbers 00Need Price Sub You can easily find all the plug numbers in the estimate by assigning a subcontractor to them when you enter the plug number. Then sequence your spreadsheet by subcontractor. If you create a subcontractor with a subcontractor name of 00Need Price or 00Plug Number, the items for which you need prices appear in a group at the top of the spreadsheet when you sort by subcontractor.

21 Reporting Field Reports for hours Minimize Overline Columns Minimize Overline Columns allows you to create a nicer looking Spreadsheet report and fit more columns on the page. The Minimize Overline Columns check box is on the Report Options tab of the Spreadsheet Report Options window. Print Totals on the Same Page A checkbox on the Report Options window allows you to choose to print totals on a separate page or on the same page. Headers and Footers You can customize the headers and footers on reports by inserting graphics or text. Graphics Insert graphics such as your logo in the header. For a nice sales tool, insert your logo on one side of the header and the client s logo on the other. Text Insert text in the header and footers. In the sales example above, you could place your logo on the left, the client s logo on the right, and a report title such as Custom Report For. Fields You can also insert most of the cover page fields as well as several others. One such field is estimate path, which could be set as a footer and displays the location of the estimate from which the report is run. You control the font style, color, and size on text and fields in the header or footer. You also control the number of lines and columns in the header and footer by changing the header layout in the upper right hand corner of the Edit Report Header Footer window. Audit Report Prints Pass Information The Audit report prints pass information, pass notes, reversing passes, and so on. Cost Variance and Cost Comparison Reports The Cost Comparison report allows you to compare up to 10 estimates quantities, unit costs, and totals. If the addons are exactly the same and in the same order on all estimates that are compared, you can get a comparison of addons by addon. If they are different, the comparison appears in one summarized line. The Variance report allows you to compare the variance between two estimates. Both reports allow you to group the columns by column title or by estimate. Both reports print a table of contents. You can also have the report print all levels at once. For example, you can print a report in Group Phase, Phase, and Item sort. The report would first print a Group Phase summary, next a phase summary, and then a detail report. Print Totals Page Only Occasionally you need to print just the totals from an estimate, without the detail. To do this, go to the Totals page and click the printer icon at the top of the page. The Spreadsheet Report The Spreadsheet report in Estimating is essentially a simple reporter. Select Reports > Spreadsheet and click Report Options. Four tabs appear on this window, allowing you to control the way the report prints. Customize the report to print gridlines or change fonts and colors. You can determine whether to print the cover page, totals page, or overline totals as well as the sort sequence. You also determine how information is summarized.

22 Prefill From Spreadsheet If you want to print the layout exactly as it appears on the spreadsheet, click the Prefill from Spreadsheet button and then click the Print button. Loading a Layout You can print saved spreadsheet layouts from the Font/Layout tab on the Report Options window. In the lower right corner under Prefill from layout, select a layout from the drop-down list and click the Print button. Save as Default Save the report layout that you use most often as a default. 1. Configure the report the way you want it, then click Save as Default. 2. When you want to print this report, select Reports > Spreadsheet and then click Print. The default layout can contain a header and footer. Share Views and Report Layouts Among Users You may have certain required spreadsheet and report layouts. Spreadsheet and report layouts are stored in the PEWin.opt file. To share the layouts, copy the PEWin.opt file to each computer. In a network installation, you can change the Options file location path (Edit > Options) to the location of the shared PEWin.opt file. Save Setup as a Named Report Layout Set all the check boxes and layouts as you wish, and save as a named report to simplify and speed up report printing.

23 Export Files to PDF or Excel To save estimating reports in a read-only electronic format that can be ed, export the files to a.pdf file. These files can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat reader (available for free) Select the report you want and select the options for how you want it to print. 5. Click Export. 6. Name the report and select Portable Document Format from the drop-down list. 8. To Save information to an Excel Spreadsheet 9. Select the report you want and select the options for how you want it to print. 10. Click Export. 11. Name the report and select 12. Select Excel as the file type. This method saves all of your formatting, fonts, colors, and other settings. 13. Three tabs are created: The first tab is the cover page. The second tab contains the main body of the report. The last tab shows the Totals page. 14. Save this file as a.csv file for easy import

24 Interfacing with Job Cost Estimate Information Get a list of jobs that exist in Job Cost from the MWBE & Misc tab of the Coverpage or the first tab of the integration wizard Create a new job. You can create a job during the inport by entering a job that doesn t exist in Job Cost (providing you have the necessary permissions in Job Cost) Assigning job cost codes to items Assign cost codes from the standard cost code list to items in the database. Spreadsheet move/copy, move items into the correct job cost codes, get correct list live from Job Cost Add Phase level information for tracking in JC. No $, just quantities. File Tools Mapping extras using a WBS code. Automatically start import during interface. ing Estimates Replaces Windows Explorer for file maintenance Because of the file structure used in Estimating, you cannot use Windows Explorer for file maintenance. File Tools lets you back up, restore, delete, rename, move and copy Estimating files safely. Backing up your data Use Files Tools to back up of your database or estimate files. Backing up is a critical part of any upgrade. Whether you are installing new hardware a new Estimating version, File Tools lets you archive and restore your data quickly. Moving and renaming Do you need to move or rename your database locally? Use File Tools for all Estimating file administration.

25 Adding Custom Menu Items You can add menu options to your Estimating or Estimating Tools menus. You do this by creating a text file called PEWin.mnu (for Estimating) or PTWin.mnu (for Estimating Tools). Add the following information to the files: 1. The first line is the menu name. 2. The second line is the application name. 3. The third line is path to executable file. For example, to create a menu option to get to Estimating Explorer from the Takeoff menu, open the pewin.mnu file in Notepad and type the following: Takeoff Estimating Explorer C:\Pxwin\Explorer\PEX.exe If you want to add more than one entry, start the next line with the next menu name. Digitizer and Merge Estimates Digitizer Tricks You can preset variables to automatically enter the proper mode. To do this, in the Edit Variable window click the Digitizer Mode button and select the mode in which you want Digitizer to open. For example, if you need to digitize a variable called Area SF, click the Area button in Digitizer. Digitizer opens in Area mode if you set the Digitizer Mode on the variable to Area. Keyboard Commands for Digitizer Use these keyboard commands to help you navigate in Digitizer. BACKSPACE to remove line segments. PLUS and MINUS keys to add and subtract quantities You can save an image as a bitmap file. To do this, select File > Save As or File > Export. Dimension List Save Dimensions Do you find that you are digitizing the same building elements multiple times? Using Digitizer Extended, you can save a dimension and the associated image and add them to the dimension list. You then access them during takeoff. Recall Dimension speeds takeoff, reduces errors, and streamlines the quantification process. Edit Dimension List Create a dimension list and then do all digitizing before you start the takeoff process. Standardize the process for gathering information from the digitizer.

26 Import Dimension List Once you have created a dimension list, you can import it and use it for future estimates. Auto Save Dimensions Automatically saving dimensions allows you to save the image with the variable each time you send a value back to Estimating. The image is visible when you click the Digitizer icon next to the variable in Review Assemblies. Select Edit > Options and click the Miscellaenous tab to activate Auto Save Dimensions.