Every day, you make business decisions that affect your company's efficiency, productivity and, ultimately, profitability. Among those important decisions, there is one that is especially challenging—purchasing software. At some point, you probably have thought, "Should I buy an estimating software program?" And if you decide to purchase a program, a more challenging decision has to be made—which one.
NRCA receives numerous inquiries asking which estimating software is the best. NRCA's response to this question is similar to its answer for another commonly asked question, "What is the best roof system?" Simply put, there isn't one product that is best-suited for every company's needs. There is an assortment from which to choose with a wide range of prices and multitude of features.
Cost
For many, purchasing an estimating software program is a significant investment, so it is important to select the right one for the right price. Software companies vary on how they determine prices. Some companies offer one-time fees, and others have annual or monthly charges. Prices also vary depending on how many people will use the software.
Some companies also include fees for customer support. Support typically is free for a limited time, such as 30 days to 12 months. After that, users usually can continue support for an annual fee. However, because customers have different training needs, software companies realize training programs must be customized. Therefore, training typically is not included in software's initial price. Future software upgrades also often are not included with an initial purchase.
Features
Although it is important to consider price, you also must consult employees who will be using a program before researching programs and making decisions. If you don't, you may hear complaints from employees after a program has been purchased, such as: "Why did we get this program? It doesn't do what I need. Why didn't anyone ask me what I need?" If you are the potential user, there are questions you should ask your information technology staff. For example, you will want to verify the software you choose will work with your company's computer system.
The following list of questions can help determine your software requirements:
In addition to purchasing estimating software, you may want to consider software that has other features. Additional features could include the following:
Several programs can be used as is, and others require users to receive moderate to extensive formal training. An issue to consider when comparing companies' training options is where training will occur. Some companies provide on-site training or have training centers that typically are located at company headquarters. There are a few companies whose instructors travel throughout the United States to train users.
When considering a software program's features, remember estimating is a complex process that typically relies on an estimator's personal expertise. An estimating program only is as good as the person who uses it. A program only is meant to be a tool for estimators; it does not guarantee accuracy.
Helping you
In an effort to help roofing contractors research estimating software programs, NRCA compiled a limited list of software companies. Companies were found by researching advertisements in magazines that market to roofing contractors and searching the Internet. Also, NRCA attempted to include products offering different operating formats, unique features and varying price ranges. Keep in mind, this list is not all-inclusive. Inclusion or exclusion of any software does not imply endorsement or condemnation.
Click here for information about companies, their estimating programs and features they offer. A majority of the information was found on the companies' Web sites at the time this article was written. I encourage you to review the products, visit software companies' Web sites and contact the companies for further information.
Selecting the right estimating program can be overwhelming. However, by listening to your employees, thoroughly researching programs and having lots of patience, you should be better prepared to pick the software best-suited for your company.
Joan P. Crowe is an NRCA manager of technical services.
Business management
In general, business-management software programs are for accounting, such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, purchase orders and inventory; scheduling; job-cost reports; and tracking proposals and service calls. In some cases, estimating programs also are built into these software packages. Following is contact information for business-management software companies (lists are arranged by product, company name and location, company telephone number and company Web site):
CoreOffice 8.0 Enterprise Contractor
GC dataBay, Houston
(281) 500-4070
www.gcdatabay.com
Basic Builder, Profit Builder Millennium, Bid Team, Basic EST, WIPnet and iLandlord Property Management
Construction Data Control Inc., Atlanta
(800) 285-3929
www.cdci.com
OSAS, Traverse
Open Systems Inc., Shakopee, Minn.
(800) 328-2276
www.osas.com
CAP—Contractors Application for Payment and CPR—Certified Payroll Reporting and BidTrack
PEM Software Systems Ltd., Windsor, Conn.
(800) 803-1315
www.pemsoftware.com
Quicken for Contractors
Craftsman Book Co., Carlsbad, Calif.
(800) 829-8123
www.craftsman-book.com
Service Management Series, Job Cost, TimeTrack, eCustomer Portal and eTimeTrack
Wennsoft Inc., New Berlin, Wis.
(262) 821-4100
www.wennsoft.com
CAD
Roofing professionals increasingly have had more contact with computer-aided drafting (CAD) drawings. This has occurred, in part, because manufacturers and organizations, such as NRCA, have provided their details in CAD format. By having a CAD program, you efficiently can produce construction documents, shop drawings or report figures.
When selecting a CAD program, an important issue to consider is compatibility. It is wise to select a program that opens and saves most drawing file formats, such as .dwg and .dxf. Following is contact information for CAD software companies:
AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT and AutoSketch
Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, Calif.
(800) 538-6401
www.autodesk.com
Cadvance and Cadvance LiTe
Furukawa Information Technology Inc., Anaheim, Calif.
(714) 956-3171
www.cadvance.com
DataCAD and Datacad LT
DataCad LLC, Avon, Conn.
(860) 677-4004
www.datacad.com
IntelliCAD
CADopia LLC, San Diego
(866) 295-1091
www.cadopia.com
Assessment
Many contractors have developed formal roof system maintenance programs. If you offer such a service, you can better serve your clients' needs by using software programs specifically designed for roof system condition assessment and facilities management. These programs can maintain a database of work history, assess roof system conditions, perform life-cycle cost analyses, track warranty information and perform other tasks. In addition, some programs have limited CAD capabilities or allow users to incorporate photographs. Following is contact information for roof assessment/facilities management software companies:
Roof inspection and assessment, retrofit design and life-cycle cost-analysis software
CADAFIS, Columbus, Ohio
(614) 444-9851
www.cadafis.com
IRP 3.0 (formerly InfoRoof)
Digital Facilities Corp., Acton, Mass.
(978) 266-1725
www.digital-facilities.net
RoofManager
Propeller Head Software Inc., Matthews, N.C.
(888) 508-4353
www.roofmanager.com
Roofer
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(217) 333-5414
www.conted.uiuc.edu/techctr/software/roofer/roofer.html
Miscellaneous
You also can check out some of the following unique software products available:
RoofWise—Version 2.0
NRCA, Rosemont, Ill.
(800) 323-9545
www.nrca.net
RoofWise—Version 2.0 allows users to analyze the energy efficiency of low-slope roof assemblies. Users can determine buildings' heating and cooling costs, proper vapor retarder placement and minimum thermal insulation requirements based on ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999, "Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings."
TravelEyes2
Advanced Tracking Technologies, Houston
(888) 279-4577
www.traveleyes.com
TravelEyes2 is a tracking system used to record where an automobile has traveled. The system includes a receiver that uses global positioning system technology and companion software to track miles driven daily and daily travel routes. The software can produce comprehensive reports about all travel activities.
Advanced Estimating Systems Inc.
47 S.E. Fifth Ave.
Delray Beach, FL 33483
(561) 276-9100
www.edgewin.com
Product summary
The Edge software offers estimating software for a variety of construction trades. Each trade has a stand-alone program. The roofing program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free support is available for the first 12 months; yearly support also is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
The company will come to your office for installation, startup and training.
Cost
Call for pricing.
Amplify Software
2222 Francisco Drive
MS 510-171
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
(916) 933-7700
www.amplifyllc.com
Product summary
OneQuot is a sales productivity program that works with Microsoft Word. The program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free telephone, fax and e-mail support is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Free telephone training is available.
Cost
Standard version—$39
Professional version—$149
Professional version for network:
Four seats—$700
10 seats—$1,570
AppliCad USA
1340 U.S. Highway 1
Suite 102
Jupiter, FL 33469
(800) 966-1698
www.applicad.com.au
Product summary
AppliCad offers estimating software for different roof systems that can be purchased individually or bundled together. Users can draw roof plans and prepare estimates. The following products are available: Roof Sorcerer (all roof types), Roof Wizard (metal roof systems), Roof Magician (steep-slope), Roof Maestro (low-slope), Roof Master (drawing) and pocketROOF media (personal digital assistant estimating software).
Support
Free telephone support for the first 30 days is available; yearly support also is available. Unlimited fax and e-mail support is offered.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
On-site training and training courses are available. Tutorials are available on the company's Web site.
Cost
Roof Magician, Roof Wizard and Roof Maestro—$4,495
Roof Sorcerer—$7,595
pocketROOF software—$395
pocketROOF software and PDA—$995
Monthly subscription service is available.
ConTractor Software Solutions Inc.
66 Cherry St.
East Hartford, CT 06108
(888) 599-4032
www.contracker2000.com
Product summary
The ConTracker EZ program was written for small to midsize companies. Estimates are derived from quantity take-offs and not a drawing interface.Estimates are derived from quantity take-offs and not a drawing interface. The program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free telephone and Web support is available for the first 90 days to lifetime (depending on which version is purchased).
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Tutorial comes with program. One-on-one Internet training is available.
Cost
ConTracker EZ—$395
Special edition—$695
Premium customized edition—$1,195 plus $145 per year.
Intac International Inc.
P.O. Box 446
Burlington, MA 01803
(800) 724-7899
www.intacinternational.com
Product summary
The Wintac Pro program includes estimating for plumbing, electrical and roofing projects. The program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free telephone support for the first 12 months is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
On-site training is available.
Cost
Single—$2,495
Multiseat—$3,995
On Center Software
1400 Woodloch Forest Drive
Suite 400
The Woodlands, TX 77380-1100
(866) 627-6246
www.oncenter.com
Product summary
On-Screen Takeoff and QuickBid software give users two methods of estimating for most construction trades. Each program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Yearly support is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Free telephone training is available.
Cost
Call for pricing.
Residential Technologies Inc.
420 W. Oak St.
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(800) 547-9747
www.residential.com
Product summary
Roof Quote software is estimating software that uses a drawing interface. The program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems. The product still is being developed.
Support
Free support is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Future plans include online tutorial and traveling training sessions.
Cost
Call for pricing.
Specwise Inc.
100 S. Dixie Highway
Suite 200
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(888) 264-8865
www.topviewsoftware.com
Product summary
Top View software offers estimating and drawing programs for low- and steep-slope roof systems. Top View ME is for metal roof systems, and Top View LE is for tile, shingle and other steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free telephone support for the first 12 months is offered; yearly support is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
On-site training and training sessions at the company's office are available. A user manual and free tutorials are on the company's Web site.
Cost
Top View LE—$1,500
Top View ME—$3,500
(Leasing is available for ME.)
Software uses a hardware lock.
Tally Systems
3990 Old Town Ave. Suite B107
San Diego, CA 92110
(800) 748-6636
www.tallysystem.com
Product summary
QuickMeasure software allows users to do quantity take-offs from drawings or use information from existing spreadsheets. The program can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free support is available.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Authorized dealers handle training.
Cost
Call for pricing.
Timberline Software Corp.
15195 N.W. Greenbrier Parkway
Beaverton, OR 97006
(877) 225-2753
www.timberline.com
Product summary
Timberline Software's estimating software offers a suite of modules allowing users to customize estimating for any construction trade. The core module uses a spreadsheet format and can produce reports. The programs can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
The company offers different support plans; call for specifics.
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
On-site training is available, and training centers are located throughout North America and Australia.
Cost
Call for pricing.
True North Estimating Systems Inc.
100 Broadview Ave.
Suite 308
Toronto, ON M4M 3H3
Canada
(416) 778-0843
www.roof-ware.com
Product summary
True North Estimating Systems offers three modules for estimating and drawing needs: RoofWare—Estimating, RoofCAD and RoofCAD—Digitizer. The programs can be used for low- and steep-slope roof systems.
Support
Free telephone support for the first 30 days is offered; yearly support is available (price includes upgrades).
Special features
Training (not included in product cost)
Training sessions are available at the company's Toronto office, or sessions can be customized.
Cost
RoofWare (single)—$5,500
(each additional)—$2,500
RoofCAD (first two seats)—$895
(each additional)—$695
Digitizer software—$2,000
Software uses a hardware lock.
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