Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
How does your pricing work?
Pricing is based on the amount of time it takes to build your takeoff. Our pricing is based on an hourly rate or monthly fee. While some customers prefer to pay for each project, we’ve found that many of our customers prefer a consistent monthly charge which helps them budget and manage cash flow. We will work with you to identify the project volume and amount of time needed to build your takeoffs. We then use that information to create a pricing proposal for you.
How much should I budget when considering your services?
Your budget will be based on your project volume and number of finishes needed for your projects. This can vary quite a bit based on the number of finishes, types of finish, and project volume. Our clients typically budget between $1,500 and $6,000 per month depending on these factors.
Why should I use your services rather than hire an internal estimator?
By hiring us, you are hiring a fractional estimator but getting access to our team of experienced estimators. This provides the benefit of creating a greater ability to manage projects during peak periods. Where an internal estimator may not be able to handle all of your projects during a peak time, we have the ability to distribute your projects across a team of estimators.
Our customers also typically end up paying less by using our services than they would if they were to hire a full-time estimator when considering the cost of a full-time employee including compensation, benefits, software licensing, and other overhead expenses.
How does your process work?
We follow a seven step process: (1) initial dialogue with you to understand your business and specific requirements, (2) creating a communication plan and system setup for your projects,(3) intake of your projects, receiving your project and logging it into our tracking system, (4) reviewing your project, a member of our team downloads the documents, creates the file setup, and prepares the takeoff file, (5) complete a full review of the project documents and creation of your takeoff, (6) final project takeoff delivered to you at least one week ahead of the bid date or within 72 hours of receipt. Turnaround times will depend on the size of the project requested., (7) monitoring of addenda and post-bid changes.
Who prepares my takeoff and can I trust your work?
Our team is unique in that we have experienced estimators located in the United States and supported by a dedicated off-shore team. Your takeoff will be finalized and reviewed by someone in the United States who has years of experience in your trade. Our team is known for preparing takeoffs which are more detailed than many internal estimating teams deliver.
We also have long-term relationships with our customers who have worked with us for many years. Our average customer relationship exceeds 20 years. They value our expertise and the ability to speak directly with the person who prepared their takeoff. When you receive our takeoff, the direct phone number for the estimator who prepared your takeoff is on the cover page. In any given year, we receive calls questioning on our quantities on less than 0.5% of the projects we complete. A history of precision built over many years.
How do I know you’ll catch everything?
Because of the manual process involved in takeoffs, we put additional checks in place to minimize the risk of errors: (1) we review all of the project documents (including all specs and plans) to find obscure notes that affect your work, (2) we use software that scans every project document for key words to provide a secondary check, (3) most takeoffs are handled by two employees, an employee who creates the project and quantities and a second employee who reviews the project. These steps help minimize the risk that something is missed.
What happens if there is a mistake on my takeoff?
We are your first set of eyes and initial review of a project plan. While we remove the time-consuming task of preparing a takeoff, you continue to play a key part in the process and responsibility for your bid. When we prepare your takeoff, you transfer the work of preparing the quantities to us but the risk of bidding and accuracy of the bid, including the materials, remains with you. It is critical that you also review the project to apply your knowledge of the project and provide a final check of materials.
While rare, if there is a mistake, we will correct the takeoff at no cost to you. At our discretion, we may waive or refund the cost of the takeoff. And unique to our business, we carry an errors and omissions policy covering our work.
How do I get started?
Contact us using either our contact form, phone number, or email address listed on our website to start the conversation!