If you’re like many contractors, your technology toolbox is a hodgepodge of applications that serve one function well but often don’t integrate well with other platforms and likely involve duplicating work or data. It doesn’t have to be that way. Find out how STACK can help you simplify your preconstruction process and get valuable time back in your day.
The Old Way to Estimate
Even with the advent of quantity takeoff software like STACK, the traditional way to generate an estimate and proposal has been something like this:
• Perform your takeoff in STACK
• Generate a report of your material quantities
• Export your report to Excel
• Manually add in sales tax and any other markups
• Calculate a total price for the job
• Type up a proposal in Word
• Convert the Word document to a final PDF proposal
Or maybe you have two tools, and after you perform your takeoff in STACK, you rekey information or do a bulky Excel import into your separate estimating software.
When you have to repeat this process for every project, the time adds up and so does the risk that something gets missed or transferred inaccurately. But there’s been no way around it, so contractors have had to just put up with a cumbersome workflow. Until now.
From Takeoffs to Estimates to Proposals, STACK Does It All
Now you can take advantage of advanced estimating tools that allow you to generate a professional proposal, all within one platform – the same one, in fact, where you do your takeoffs. Just imagine the reduced workload!
If you’re not already using STACK for takeoffs, learn more about our capabilities.
Advanced Estimating in STACK
You can now choose between creating a unit cost estimate – based on your takeoff measurements – or a material and labor estimate – based on items and assemblies.
Add in non-measured costs and overhead as needed, and for material and labor estimates, you can include markup to any line item on your estimate, as well as sales tax. As you make these adjustments, you’re able to easily see the difference among:
• Project cost
• Selling price
• Profit margin
If for any reason your price has come up short of your required profit, make adjustments where you see fit. (Note: these markups do not appear on the final quote generated for your customer.)
You’ll also get a convenient cost breakdown by type so you can visualize what percentage of your costs are due to materials, labor, equipment, and other costs.
Creating a Proposal
Once all your numbers are final, you can download a customizable PDF of your final proposal, containing your pricing, company information (including logo), scope of work, and any terms and conditions.
If you’re bidding the same job through more than one GC, use the same estimate to generate proposals for each one, or create revised proposals if there are change requests before the project is assigned.
The entire process can be completed within STACK, so there are no extra steps to follow or other software needed (we’re looking at you, Excel). All you need to get started is an internet connection, and all your estimates and proposals are stored in the cloud for easy access.
Ready to learn more? See STACK in action firsthand. Create a free account or book a demo.
