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Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Spring 2004
Estimating & Field Management Software for Infrastructure Contractors
T
User’s Group Meeting 2004 - All we can say is, “Wow”!
he energy was incredible. Customers
everywhere talking about HeavyBid and
HeavyJob. 480 customers from 216 companies
learning about, discussing, and giving feedback
on all of the new HCSS products. How can we
ever go wrong with so many of you helping us?
We had so many new products and so much
interest in them, that it was like the excitement of
a busy trade show. Customers really liked some
of the new features to HeavyBid such as the audit
trail, the automatic connection to bidhistory.com
for average prices, the voice takeoff software
product, and the new interfaces to Microsoft
Word for quote solicitations and purchase orders.
We found that most customers were not really
aware of how to make their own calculation
routines, assemblies, and link HeavyBid data to
Excel Spreadsheet cells. After classes on these,
many customers could not wait to get back home
and try them.
“The User’s Group Meeting is a
great opportunity to learn how to
use features in such a way as to
get more value from your
investment in the software.”
- John Voss, APAC
Six years ago we introduced the idea of foremen
using computers to compare their work to the
estimate on a daily basis and then pass that
information up to management and the payroll
system. At that time we were laughed at by
customers, prospects, and competitors alike.
Clearly back then we were ahead of our time, but
since last year this concept has taken root on a
large scale. Well over 1,000 foremen use
HeavyJob today and
we expect that number
to approach 3,000 by
the end of 2004. It
seemed like everyone
was talking about it
this year. The new
ability
to
attach
photographs, scanned
documents, Word and
Excel documents to the
diary was a hit as well
as the new cost-tocomplete projection
He’s obviously had
routines for managers.
We also announced
HCSS training!
that we would be progressing from document
collection to document management later this year
as yet another new tool for management.
Our revolutionary new Dispatcher software was
a phenomenal success; EVERYONE seemed to
be interested in it. One customer told us he has
already integrated GPS with it on his own, so we
are sending employees out to visit. This is yet
another example of how customers influence
HCSS development. The Dispatcher is a very
attractive product because it maps jobs onto
colorful and familiar Microsoft MapPointTM
maps. Many clever suggestions came up in
classes that had not occurred to us, such as (1)
mapping the homes of employees so they could
be dispatched to job sites near them, and (2)
mapping the locations of hundreds or thousands
of suppliers, quarries, etc., so The Dispatcher can
instantly find, for example, the closest Home
Depot to any particular job site.
Our bidhistory.com internet site, where we keep
over 4,000,000 historical DOT prices, was very
popular. The bidhistory classes were very large
and the booth was always full. Customers said
this is a really useful product.
This year we changed the Saturday meeting to a
more interactive format the way it was many
years ago when we only had one product. Now
we spend 1/2 day on HeavyBid and 1/2 day on
HeavyJob and have an interactive discussion on
how we can improve these products. Customers
seemed to like the opportunity to make
suggestions in front of everyone and we liked the
feedback. Therefore, this is the format we will be
using in the future.
The Wild West theme for Saturday night was a
smash! The introduction of the mechanical bull
was a HUGE hit. With gambling, karaoke,
dancing, and bull riding going on concurrently all
night long, customers were well rewarded for all
of the hard work from previous days. It looks like
the bull will also be back next year.
Other than the Super Bowl, this meeting was
the happening place in Houston for 2004. See
you in 2005!
HCSS Commitment
We are committed to helping you improve
your business through the use of our
innovative software and outstanding support.
While other vendors struggle just to make
their estimating software work, we are
integrating estimating software and other
products into the rest of your business. Last
year we made giant steps toward this goal
and now have the structure to continue this
kind of progress.
Page 2
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Spring 2004
2 0 0 4 U s e r ’s G r o u p M e e t i n g A t t e n d e e s
A.P. Construction . . . . . . . . . . . .NJ
Aecon Group Inc . . . . . . . . . . .ON
Aggregate Industries . . . . . . . .MD
Allan A. Myers, Inc. . . . . . . . .PA
Alpine Site Services . . . . . . . . .CO
American Asphalt/Grading . . .NV
Angelo Iafrate Constr. . . . . . .MI
APAC, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GA
APAC-Atlantic, Inc. . . . . . . . . .NC
APAC-Alabama, Inc. . . . . . . . .AL
APAC-Carolina, Inc. . . . . . . . .NC
APAC-Florida Inc. . . . . . . . . . .FL
APAC-Kansas, Inc. . . . . . . . . .KS
APAC-Mississippi, Inc. . . . . . .MS
APAC-Missouri, Inc. . . . . . . . .MO
APAC-Oklahoma, Inc. . . . . . . .OK
Archer Western Contractors . . .TX
Armstrong Construction Co. . .NM
AUI Contractors, L.P. . . . . . . . .TX
Balfour Beatty Constr. . . . . . . .PA
Balfour Beatty Constr. . . . . . . .TX
Balfour Beatty/Nat’l Engr . . . ..OH
Banzer Construction . . . . . . . . .OR
Barrett Paving Materials . . . . .KY
Batterson, LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX
Bob Propheter Construction . . . .IL
Boh Bros. Const. Co. . . . . . . .LA
Brayman Construction Corp. . .PA
Broce Construction Co. . . . . . .OK
Byrne & Jones Constr. . . . . . . .MO
C. W. Purpero, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .WI
C.W. Matthews Contracting . . .GA
C.W. Roberts Contracting . . . . .FL
Capital Excavation . . . . . . . . . .TX
Central Paving Inc. . . . . . . . . . .ID
CH2MHILL Constructors . . . .CO
Charles Jergens Constr. . . . . . .OH
Chicagoland Paving . . . . . . . . . .IL
Clark Construction Group . . . .MD
Cobourg Development Svcs. . .ON
Coffman Excavation, Inc. . . . .OR
Columbus Asphalt Paving . . . .OH
Columbus Construction . . . . . .NY
COMANCO Environmental . . .FL
Constructors, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .NM
Cooke Construction Svcs. . . . .CA
Crowder Construction . . . . . . .NC
Dakota Contracting Corp. . . . . .SD
Dayco Construction Co. . . . . . .TX
DeSilva Gates Constr. . . . . . .CA
Dixie Construction Co., Inc. . . .MD
DK Contractors, Inc. . . . . . . . . .WI
Double Z Construction Co. . . .OH
Dutra Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CA
E.E. Cruz Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .NJ
E.S.Wagner/Thrift Bros. . . . .OH
Earle Asphalt Company . . . . . . .NJ
Earthworks Oregon . . . . . . . . .OR
Ed Kraemer & Sons . . . . . . . .MD
Edward Kraemer & Sons . . . . .WI
Edward Kraemer & Sons . . . . .UT
Edward Kraemer & Sons . . . . .CO
ESS Engineering . . . . . . . . . . .CA
FCI Constructors (North) . . . . .CA
Fluor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX
Fluor-Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SC
Forsgren, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AR
Fru-Con Construction . . . . . . . .CO
Fru-Con Construction . . . . . . . .VA
G A Blocker Grading . . . . . . . . IL
GA & FC Wagman, Inc. . . . . . .PA
Garey Construction Ltd. . . . .TX
George & Lynch, Inc. . . . . . . . .DE
George Harms Construction . . .NJ
George J. Igel & Company . . .OH
Gilbert Engineering Co. . . . . . .NC
Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. . . . .PA
Gohmann Asphalt . . . . . . . . . . .IN
Gunther Construction Co. . . . . .IL
H.M. Nunes & Sons Constr. . .MA
H.E. Davis Construction, Inc. . . .UT
Hawaiian Dredging Const. . . . .HI
Hayes Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . .IL
HBG Flatiron, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .CO
Herlihy Mid-Continent Co. . . .IL
Herzog Contracting Corp. . . . .MO
Holm II, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OR
Holman Construction Co. . . . . .AR
Hubbard Construction Co. . . . .FL
IHC Construction Companies . .IL
IMCO General Construction . .WA
Independent Construction . . . .CA
J. D. Posillico, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .NY
J. F. Shea Construction, Inc. . . .CA
J.F. White Contracting . . . . .MA
J. H. Rudolph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IN
J.D. Abrams, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .TX
Jack L. Massie Contractor . . . .VA
James Construction Group . . . .LA
Jet Concrete, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .AR
Job Construction Co. . . . . . . . .OK
John Carlo, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . .MI
John G. Walton Const. . . . . . . .AL
John L. Thompson . . . . . . . . . .TX
Johnson Bros. Corp. . . . . . . . .MN
JPC Group, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .NJ
Ken Leahy Construction . . . . .OR
Kenny Construction Co. . . . . . . .IL
Kinsley Construction . . . . . . . . .PA
Knife River Corp. . . . . . . . . . .ND
Kokosing Construction . . . . .OH
L.L. Pelling Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . .IA
L.N. Rothberg & Son, Inc. . . . .NJ
Lake County Grading Co. . . .IL
Lambert Sand & Gravel . . . . . .GA
Lien Transportation Co. . . . . . .SD
Lind-Exco, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .SD
Longview Bridge & Road . . . .TX
M.J. Menefee Construction . . .CA
Marshbank Construction . . . . .WA
Martin K. Eby Constr. . . . . . . .FL
McAllen Construction . . . . . . .TX
McGeorge Contracting . . . . . .AR
McLean Contracting . . . . . . .MD
Meridian Engineering . . . . . . .AZ
Milestone Contractors . . . . . . .IN
Miller Bros. Construction . . . .OH
Miller/Watts Constructors . . . .CA
Mission Contractors Ltd. . . . . .BC
Modern Continental . . . . . . .MA
Modern Continental . . . . . . . . .UT
Moretrench American Corp. . . .NJ
Mowat Construction Co. . . . . .WA
NAC Construction . . . . . . . . . .AZ
Nylund Construction Eng. . . . .CA
O.C. Jones & Sons, Inc. . . . . .CA
Otto Baum Company, Inc. . . . . .IL
P.J. Hoerr Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .IL
Pennsy Supply, Inc. . . . . . . . . .DE
Pennsy Supply, Inc. . . . . . . . . .PA
Performance Site Mgmt. . . . . .OH
Pioneer Associates . . . . . . . . . . .IN
Pirtano Construction Co., Inc. . . . .IL
Placo Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX
Quality Asphalt Paving . . . . . .AK
R. E. Monks Construction . . . .CO
Ram Construction . . . . . . . . . .WA
Ramirez & Sons . . . . . . . . . . .NM
Ranger Constr.-Central . . . . . . .FL
Ranger Constr.-North . . . . . . . .FL
Ranger Constr.-South . . . . . . . .FL
Rankin Construction Inc. . . . . .ON
RCI Construction Group . . . . .WA
Reilly Construction Co. . . . . . . .IA
Robert M. Simon Constr. . . . . .ON
Robinson Construction Co. . . .OR
Rose Integrated Services . . . . .TN
Rubloff Excavation . . . . . . . . . .IL
S T Wooten Corporation . . . . . .NC
Bold Indicates 2004 President’s Advisory Board Members
S.W. Rodgers Co. Inc. . . . . . . .VA
SCI-Sorensen Construction . . .UT
SEMA Construction, Inc. . . . . .CO
Shoreline Grading, Inc. . . . . .NJ
Silva Contracting Company . . .TX
Silver Star Construction Co. . .OK
Slusser Bros., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .PA
Southern Pavements . . . . . . . . .FL
Specialized Landscape . . . . . . .WA
Sporer Land Development . . . .KS
SPS New England, Inc. . . . . . .MA
Stacy and Witbeck Inc. . . . . . . .OR
Stark Excavating, Inc. . . . . . . . .IL
Summit Constructors, Inc. . . . .TN
T & C Contracting, Inc. . . . . . .KY
Taggart Construction . . . . . . . .ON
Tarco, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CO
TCW Construction, Inc . . . . . .NE
Terry Construction . . . . . . . . . .TN
The Allen Company, Inc. . . . . .KY
The Ashton Company, Inc. . . . .AZ
The Beaver Excavating Co. . . .OH
The Fishel Company . . . . . . . .OH
The Levy Company, LP . . . . . .TX
The Mosser Group . . . . . . . . .OH
The Ruhlin Company . . . . . .OH
Tobey’s Constr. & Cartage . . . . .IL
Toronto Zenith Contracting . . .ON
Trader Construction Co. . . . . . .NC
Traylor Bros..-Underground . . .IN
Traylor Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . .CA
Tri State Steel Constr. . . . . . . .OH
Trucco Construction Co. . . . . .OH
Trumbull Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . .PA
TW Construction Co, Inc. . . . .NV
United Brothers Devel. . . . . . . .FL
United Contractors Midwest . . .IL
Urban Contractors, Inc. . . . . . .OK
Utility Contractors, Inc. . . . . . .KS
Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. . . . . .WV
Velting Contractors, Inc . . . . . ..MI
W. Jackson & Sons Const. . . . .FL
W.W. Clyde & Co. . . . . . . . . . .UT
Wallace C. Drennan, Inc. . . . . .LA
Weaver-Bailey Contractors . . .AR
Weeks Marine, Inc. . . . . . . . . . .TX
Werner Construction Co. . . . . .NE
Wilder Construction . . . . . . . . .WA
William Bowman Assoc. . . . . . .NJ
Woodward Excavating Co. . . .OH
Yerba Buena Engineering . . . . .CA
Spring 2004
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Page 3
2004
Attendee
Survey
(122 Companies Responding)
Dollar Amount of Largest Estimate
Size of Company
Dollar Amount of Typical Estimate
HeavyBid Plans
Here are some of the highlights of what is going on with HeavyBid:
Major new features for April (since the December update)
• Audit Trail of changes
• “Odd Check” to catch unusual conditions
• New User Security by estimating function
• Interface to Fastlane voice utility takeoff
• Optional SQL database version
• Solicitation Letters in MS Word format
• Selected Vendors Report in MS Word format (Purchase Orders)
• Ability to send all biditems to subs in HCSS XML format (So HeavyBid
customers can easily help HeavyBid/Express customers avoid typing in items)
• Rewritten scheduling to use days rather than weeks
• Rewritten cash flow to be easier to use
• Integration of subscription bidhistory.com options such as
filters with HeavyBid
• A new Joint Venture Comparison System
Major plans for 2004
• Perfect the Quote integration with HeavyBid/Express so both the
prime and sub benefits substantially
• Concentrate on more improvements to the Quote System so that it is
clearly one of the best working set of features in HeavyBid
• Interface to more web data such as we currently do with bidhistory.com.
The next interface is to automatically update your DOT BidMaster every
time your state adds a new code.
• Provide more integration with Microsoft Word wherever it seems appropriate
• Improve the copy routine for “Parent” biditems
• Streamline the “Advanced Equipment” Options so more customers will use it
to fine tune equipment costs
• Add more filters throughout the system
• New cross-estimate reporting capability
• New enterprise edition for companies with multiple divisions
Some of the suggestions from the Saturday User’s Group Meeting that
have already been scheduled:
• In the estimate selection lists, add a search on the estimate name
• Make the “Copy Biditems/Activities” screen default to the estimate
last copied from
• On crew selection lists, provide a way to quickly see the makeup of each
crew that you might choose
• Flag non-additive biditems and activities so they are more obvious than just
type “N” on the screen
• On the Check Estimate Routine, give the Print button the option to print all 4
tab’s worth of data instead of having to press print 4 times
• Just like a cost report can be printed of the current biditem, be able to print
an analysis of the current quote class without going to a report
• Add an option in the Quote System to populate selected classes with items
and vendors rather than always doing all of them
• Add a preference to always run the Indirect/Markup Spread routines after
every Bid Summary
• Provide a report that shows the low, average, and high historical prices
alongside the current price when sorting by the optional summary sort fields
• Add a way to determine whether 0 or plugs should be used when entering
quotes for a supplier or sub who has no quote for a particular item
• Automatically show the totals of parent biditems without having to
hit the calculate icon
• Add the ability to have more than one library estimate referenced
from the Biditem Codebook
Page 4
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Spring 2004
Spring 2004
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Page 5
Page 6
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
HeavyJob Plans
Here are some of the highlights of what is going on with HeavyJob:
Major new features for April (since the
November update.)
• Forecasting of Cost-To-Complete
• Button to add digital photographs,
scanned documents, and Word and
Excel documents to the diary and
quickly recall them
• New codes for employees on the timecard to identify showup-time, vacation,
excused and unexcused absences
• New job setup costing factors for
employee showup-time, etc., and for
equipment downtime, repair,
idle time, etc.
• New filters on the job selection list
• Search diary & cost notes for words
and phrases
• Billing Summaries to Excel
Major plans for 2004
• Document Management
• Templates of forms that can be inserted
into the diary
• Mobile Manager for a level of Manager
between the Field systems and the main
company Manager system
• Better way to enter mechanics’ time
and parts used
• Tighter Integration with The Dispatcher
• Enterprise edition for companies with
multiple division
Some of the suggestions from the
Saturday User’s Group Meeting that
have already been scheduled:
• Add a “what if” time-card ability
foremen can use for experimentation
without changing the real time-card
• Add more filters so lengthy cost code
selection lists can be navigated
more quickly
• Add an inquiry that verifies that all
operated equipment has an operator
• Identify “lump sum” and “extra work”
cost codes and give them special
treatment
• Add an option for more supporting
detail in the body of the time and
material billing reports
• Add shift differentials to the labor rates
• An option to automatically re-arrange
the cost codes on the time card so cost
codes with hours come before cost
codes without hours
• Send billing information to a
pre-formatted system of Excel
Spreadsheets
New SQL Version
The upcoming release of HeavyBid 2004 can optionally be
run with an SQL database. This should be of interest to you if
your company regularly has 4-5 users in the same estimate at
the same time. We have found HeavyBid to run 15-20% faster
with the SQL database in that scenario. If your estimators
typically work on jobs independently or with only 1-2 helpers
you should not really consider switching databases if you are
looking solely for a speed increase.
Many of our customers with IT staffs who have many other
applications using SQL may prefer to use this version to keep
database uniformity. Because of their familiararity with this
database, they can often write custom reports and exports
directly from SQL Server. This also helps reduce the different
technologies they are required to manage.
Training In a City Near You
New in 2004, HCSS will offer HeavyBid and HeavyJob training
classes in cities across the United States and Canada. HeavyBid
Beginner training makes it easier to bring your new estimators up
to speed. Some of the cities include:
• Atlanta
• Denver
• Philadelphia
• Baltimore
• Detroit
• San Francisco
• Boston
• Kansas City
• Seattle
• Chicago
• Orlando
• Toronto
• Cleveland
• Newark
HeavyJob Training in the following cities will help you
implement HeavyJob in your company:
•
HeavyBid/Express for Your Subcontractors
We’ve been working with subcontractors
in the Houston area for the past several
months to perfect HeavyBid/Express so
that when you recommend it to your subs,
you are recommending something that
will truly help them and at the same time
help yourself.
It’s a challenge to make a program that
clearly will help almost any sub, even
those not currently using a computer.
Here are some of the recent changes as a
result of working with these subs in our
“Pilot Program”:
• We reversed the logic of the program so
that instead of an estimating program
with bidding, it is now a bidding program
with estimating. This is to recognize that
presently most smaller subs do not appear
to make formal estimates.
• We took out the quote class level to make
it easier for the sub to setup and price.
• We now read the subs’ e-mail Inbox so
that solicitations of items can be read
directly into HeavyBid/Express without
opening the e-mail.
• We now have a custom report where
subs can add their own logo and make
the quote more attractive.
• In Texas, we worked with two firms,
Whitley-Siddons and Amtek, who
provide bid information that is now
downloadable in HCSS XML format.
Any subcontractor who subscribes to
these services can now easily download
items into HeavyBid/Express. We will
work with similar firms in other states.
• For those subs who cannot get biditems
from any other source, we have modified
HeavyBid to be able to quickly e-mail
the biditems to the sub in HCSS XML
format. The idea is that if you help your
sub avoid typing in biditems, he might
show his appreciation by quoting to you
electronically.
We are committed to the concept of the
subs quoting to you electronically, and
will do whatever it takes to make this
succeed. We think the April version of
HeavyBid/Express is ready to be
promoted on a large scale.
Spring 2004
Chicago
•
Philadelphia
•
San Francisco
Exact dates will be available on www.hcss.com in early April!
Why Use Citrix?
Our early adopters of thin-client technologies such as
Terminal Services or Citrix were primarily companies with a
need to have smaller satellite offices have access to the
HeavyBid or HeavyJob application in their main office. Now,
Citrix has become popular for:
• Letting estimators use HeavyBid at home without having to
maintain stand-alones in their residences.
• Having Foreman enter their daily information directly into
the main HeavyJob system.
• Using Citrix NFuse to give web-access to HeavyBid or
HeavyJob users anywhere and anytime.
• Combining multiple offices into using one install of
HeavyBid or HeavyJob.
• Saving IT costs by running HeavyBid or HeavyJob on a
bank of Citrix servers in one centrally maintained location
for multiple companies under the same corporate umbrella.
This last scenario was particularly intriguing to us because the
companies that do this may have a hundred or more people
entering information into one installation of HeavyBid or
HeavyJob simultaneously. It has been so successful that we
are adding an Enterprise Management edition to both
HeavyBid and HeavyJob for our companies running these
large systems. If you have a question about running HCSS
products in a Citrix environment feel free to give us a call.
Spring 2004
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
A College Visit with My Son
M
y high school senior and I recently took
a formal visit of a university together.
It was an all day affair with one track for the
admitted students and one track for parents.
by Mike Rydin, HCSS President
my day’s experience, occassionally gave an
opinion and also tied in some of my life
experience. He didn’t seem to mind listening
to some of my experience as long as it tied
into what we were talking about and didn’t
Starting home in the car on the three hour trip, seem to be a lecture.
he turns on his music. Rather than telling him
to turn it off so we could talk, I just turned it It turns out that he liked this school and has
down so we could hear each other.
decided to go to it thus ending our college tour
at the first school.
We started comparing our experiences for the
day and perhaps he forgot that the music was One thing all of the students on campus
turned down, or perhaps he was enjoying the emphasized was that you had to get your
conversation. In any event, he never turned it priorities straight and budget your time. I had
back up and we talked the entire trip. I asked told him I would get him a $10,000 car if he
him questions about what he had learned and made a 3.0 GPA his first semester, but he was
told him what I had learned. It turns out many not pleased about that. After the tour he
of the things I had learned were not covered in admitted that he would have to make some
his sessions so he was actually interested in them. transitions from his high school study
behavior to succeed and that perhaps a car the
This seems like a very good way to have a first semester would be a distraction. I was
conversation with a teenager. Most teenagers impressed with his understanding.
(I assume), don’t want to be lectured by us but
don’t like to be questioned by us either. This With teenagers, it seems there are so few
format was simply talking about an opportunities to talk without distractions that
experience that we each had independently long trips in the car seem to be one particularly
that was of some interest to him. I discussed good way to communicate with them.
The Dispatcher
The Dispatcher was introduced
in December and dozens of
customers are now using it.
February was spent working on
features and reports to help the
first customers be able to use it
in their particular environments.
One report feature that we are
particularly excited about is the
ability to select custom fields,
apply filters, and select the sort
orders to display a grid THAT
CAN HAVE COLUMNS
DRAGGED AND DROPPED
IN DIFFERENT ORDERS
before being printed. This
feature that helps The
Dispatcher customers prepare
a wide variety of reports is a feature we can’t
wait to get into all other HCSS Products.
March will be spent networking
The Dispatcher so that customers can start
using it on a large scale for everyone who
needs to know the location and schedule of
all resources.
We will continue to work with our early
customers to make The Dispatcher
Page 7
Bid News
(HeavyBid Customers Noted in Green)
California
Resurfacing Ave 416 in Tulare Co.
Menefee Construction’s bid of $1,690,918.00 left only
0.77% on the table!
Georgia
Lane Widening - Hudson Bridge
C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. . . . . . . .$24,067,619.54
Archer Western Contractors . . . . . . . . . .$24,784,972.69
APAC-Southest, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25,188,274.69
Pittman Construction Company . . . . . . . . .$25,296,465.18
E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .$25,802,290.63
Gilbert Southern Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$28,131,807.90
Maryland
I-95/I-495/MD-210 Interchange
G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .$18,732,718.75
Facchina Construction Co., Inc. . . . . . . .$18,955,026.35
Shirley Contracting Co., LLC . . . . . . . . . .$18,984,676.33
Cherry Hill Construction, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .$20,609,299.56
Michigan
Resurfacing Lot on M-66 - Calhoun County
Rieth Riley Construction Co., Inc.’s bid of $1,669,096.11
left only 0.06% on the table!
New Jersey
South Jersey Port Corporation - New Pier Facility
EIC Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$16,866,000.00
PFK Mark III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$16,949,000.00
Weeks Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17,921,260.00
New York
Deck & Bridge Rehabilitation (D259506)
Judlau Construction, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .$42,721,246.00
Yonkers Contracting Co, Inc. . . . . . . . . .$42,911,872.00
Defoe Corportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$44,360,099.00
ECCO III Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$47,732,316.00
Perini Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$49,948,278.00
Modern Continental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$58,977,219.00
EE Cruz & Co, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$60,375,620.00
ALL are HCSS Customers!
indispensable to a wide variety of dispatchers
and managers. This summer we will be
working on integrating The Dispatcher with
HeavyJob starting with collecting equipment
hours and then collecting mechanic hours and
parts usage. From that, we will be able to see
the repair history and utilization of any piece
of equipment.
Ohio
ODOT-82(04) Road Resurfacing - Wayne County
Ruhlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$13,863,216.00
Kokosing Construction Co, Inc. . . . . . . .$13,986,824.00
Great Lakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$14,469,838.00
Shelly Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15,922,356.00
ALL are HCSS Customers!
Texas
FM 2759 to FM 1462 - Fort Bend County
Silva, Inc.’s bid of $1,541,918.57 left only 0.16% on the
table!
UserTips
Page 8
Heavy Construction Systems Specialists, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Get Avg Prices from bidhistory.com
ALL users of HeavyBid, starting with versions
3.2f (Nov.), can do a FREE search of
bidhistory.com for average prices directly from
Biditem Setup. This feature does not require that
you have a subscription to our bidhistory.com
service. Simply click the “Get Avg. Prices from
bidhistory.com” button on the Biditem Setup
screen and select either the Current Biditem or
All Biditems. You may enter a Quantity Range if
you would like to limit or expand your results.
Click OK to see your results. Average bid prices
are generated from bid tabs posted during the last
12 months. If you want to save these prices to the
Price Range tab, click “Close and Update”.
Clearing Changes
Did you know that by simply pressing F5, you
can clear any un-saved changes? F5 can also be
used to completely clear a new, unsaved record.
Add Subtotal to Reports
To add a simple subtotal to your reports, on the
Bid Report tab within the Biditem Setup screen,
click on the biditem below the last biditem you
want to include in the subtotal. Choose Insert
Subtotal (or use the right-mouse click) and a
screen will appear asking you to give the
subtotal a description. Click OK and all the
items above this subtotal (or until you reach a
previous subtotal) will be added together in the
summary reports.
6200 Savoy, Suite 1100
Houston, TX 77036
(713)270-4000 Fax (713)270-0185
Spring 2004
Copying a Single Biditem or Activity
In Estimate Entry - Tree View, if you want to
copy a biditem quickly, right-click on the biditem
and choose Copy/Move Biditem. To copy an
activity, right-click on the activity and choose
Copy/Move Activity. After each copy you will be
asked if you want to copy it again, so you can use
this to quickly copy an item to multiple places.
Custom Reports
The screens under the Query menu provide the
ability to generate many custom, filtered reports
of the costs in your estimate. Each screen has a
Customize tab which allows you to display the
information you want right on the screen. After
you’ve chosen all the fields you want in your
report and clicked OK, click the Filters button to
apply filters to the items that appear in the list.
Finally, click the Report button to print the
information that is currently on the screen.
Expand Biditem or Estimate
In Estimate Entry - Tree View, you can expand a
biditem to see all of its activities and resources
without using the mouse by highlighting the item
and hitting the * key on the numberpad. If you
highlight the estimate name and hit the * key, it will
expand all of the biditems in the entire estimate.
Freezing Multiple Biditems
The ability to lock bid prices is a valuable tool in
the Bid Pricing screen. To freeze or unfreeze the
bid price for a single item, highlight the bid item
and click the “Freeze” button. To freeze or
unfreeze multiple biditems, in the Bid Pricing
screen click Options, then select Freeze/Unfreeze
Multiple Biditems. Then choose the appropriate
options to freeze or unfreeze multiple biditems.
Tracking Jobs Already in Progress
If you start using HeavyJob/Manager to track a
job that is already in progress, go to the Entry
menu and select Beginning Balance. Enter
starting values in the Beginning Ledger Entry
screen for cost codes that already have progress
and costs. These entries have a revision number
between 900 and 999 in the Cost Ledger.
The top panel presents previously entered
opening balances of the selected cost code.
In the bottom panel, you can make the
adjustment. Select a Date before the first
timecard or matl-sub-expense transaction and a
Foreman. Enter the quantity, costs, and hours
completed or expended for this cost code in the
Desired Totals fields. HeavyJob will calculate
the required Adjustment amount. Any notes you
enter will be seen in Cost Ledger Inquiry.
You can determine who has access to this feature
through the User Administration screen.
Changing A Cost Code
To change a cost code on the Time Card without
losing the hours previously entered, click into
that cost code’s field and press F4. This will bring
up a selection list to change only that cost code.
Quality Estimating & Field Management Software
For Infrastructure Contractors
www.hcss.com 800-683-3196
PRE-SRTD
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Houston, Texas
Permit #3917
6200 Savoy, Suite 1100
Houston, TX 77036
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