Why Contractors Should Invest in Integrated Tools
Whether your construction business is focused on roofing or concrete, your bidding process may involve lots of moving parts. While you may already be using a digital takeoff tool to eliminate paper blueprints, your estimating workflow may still include a mixed bag of supplier and vendor spreadsheets. Inevitably, this can make bid day a mad scramble—especially […]
Setting and Achieving Your Construction Goals
As a construction professional, what kinds of goals did you set for yourself in 2019? Did you resolve to get a promotion or to take on more responsibility in your current role? As we round out this year and head into another, where do you stand with your goals? Whether you’re an estimator or a […]
6 Do’s and Don’ts for Sharper Listening Skills
Construction is a complex business with many moving parts. Getting the details of each project correct is critical for your productivity, ability to win bids, and overall business position among competitors. This is probably why almost every job posting for estimators and project managers cites “listening” as a critical skill for success. Ask any estimator […]
What Type of Training Is Right for You?
If your company recently purchased new takeoff and estimating software, your next step is to choose the best type of training. Do you want to attend an in-person class, participate in online (virtual) training, leverage other “self-study” resources, or some combination of the three? You’ll want to weigh a variety of factors. I may not […]
Navigating the Ever-Tightening Labor Crunch
It’s been a long, hot, busy summer for most everyone in the construction industry. If you’ve had a moment to catch your breath, you’ve probably noticed backlogs are still running nearly nine months and demand for all types of construction workers—from hourly craft jobs to emerging roles like construction technologists—has held steady. Officially, the U.S. […]
6 Tips and Tricks to Ace Your Estimator Training
OK, it’s time to learn the new takeoff and estimating software that your company recently purchased. But where do you start? How big of a learning curve will you face? How long will your ramp-up take? If you’re asking these questions, you’re not alone. Most estimators, project managers, and other construction-industry professionals share these concerns […]
Why You Should Be Training Your Estimators
When I first joined On Center about four years ago, I was surprised to learn how many contractors were still doing takeoffs manually. I quickly discovered this meant their days were spent hunched over dozens of paper drawings, armed with a set of colored pencils, a slide ruler, and a bottomless cup of coffee (not […]
Let Project Express Rescue Your In-Box
For many estimators, the days of working with full-size plans and a single digitizer are a thing of the past. Today, they no longer check for faxes from subcontractors or distribute multiple sets of printed plans to complete a final bid. Instead of taking weeks to complete a bid, they can now do it in […]
Transitioning from Pre-Civil War Paper Plans to the Digital Age
A History of the Blueprint Blueprints were invented a generation before the Civil War by John Herschel, a chemist, astronomer, and photographer, in 1842. Herschel developed the cyanotype process that started with a drawing on semi-transparent paper, weighted down on top of a sheet of paper. The paper was coated with a photosensitive chemical mixture […]