Estimating With Electronic Documents Kevin R. Miller, Ph.D. Brigham Young University

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Estimating With Electronic DocumentsKevin R.
Miller, Ph.D.Brigham Young UniversityRon
CovarrubiasNorthstar Management
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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.

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What Are Electronic Docs?

• Same thing as paper, just on a computer screen.
• Specs are typically PDF files.
• Drawings are often TIF, CALS or DWF files.
• They are not the computer automatically
  calculating all the quantities.

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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

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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

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Drawing File Types

• The print driver for each file format comes
  standard with AutoCAD.

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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.

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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.

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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

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How Takeoff Viewers Work

• The original drawing files are not changed.
• An additional file is created to store the
  measurements and the drawing markups.

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Takeoff Viewer Features

• Digitizer like Features
• Count
• Lineal measurements
• Area

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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.

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Electronic Document Benefits

• Contractors can review the docs to decide if
  they want to bid the project.
• Receive project documents quicker
  (Internet/Email).
• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Takeoff Viewer Companies

• Product Company URL
• On-Screen Takeoff On-Center Software
  www.oncenter.com
• Takeoff Tool US Cost Inc. www.uscost.com
• Max View MaxView Corp. www.maxview.com
• BidScreen XL (Excel Add-in) Vertigraph Inc.
  www.vertigraph.com

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Thank You