Thousands of contractors across North America are already using the reliable suite of estimating software programs by FastEST, Inc. to streamline and improve their estimating process. Yet, the advantages of FastEST’s programs reach far beyond the realm of bidding.
Save time and money by avoiding printing plans
Printing entire sets of drawings just to perform takeoffs on prospective projects incurs costly expenses. With all three of FastEST’s estimating programs — FastPIPE®, FastDUCT®, and FastWRAPTM — the On-Screen Digitizer feature comes standard. With this feature, users are able to directly import PDFs and several other digital plan formats into their estimates, eliminating the need to print out a plan set—at least prior to being awarded the job. Numerous FastEST customers have observed that the monthly cost of their software is actually less than what they previously spent per month on plan printing.
Improve field productivity with colour-coded plans
Materials taken off in FastPIPE®, FastDUCT®, and FastWRAPTM can be colour-coded for ease of identification, especially on more intricate or in-depth plans. For example, in the FastDUCT® program, many contractors will highlight their supply ductwork with one colour, their return ductwork with another, and so on. When an entire job is completely taken off, the estimator has a neat, easy-to-read, and colour-coded set of plans that can be exported and printed with the coloured mark-ups included.
Make it Easier to Track Materials and Labour
Upon award of a new construction job, project managers can utilize the programs for referencing the original estimate takeoff, calculating quick and easy change orders, and even tracking productivity. Takeoffs can easily be selected from the plan pages, and tagged with a label—for example, “Installed March 2017.” A report calculates all tagged items and the information is compared to material purchase orders and
labour hours logged during that month. It’s an accurate and beneficial way to compare an original estimate to current job performance.
Stay flexible for quick budgets, design-build projects, value engineering, and more
Countless customers both small and large (some FastEST customers own 1 system, while others own upwards of 60 seats) use the estimating programs for things like quick budgetary calculations, on-the-fly change orders, design-build projects, and value engineering. If an HVAC estimator using FastDUCT® has taken off some ductwork as lined, and it actually needed to be wrapped with insulation, it’s as simple as a couple of clicks, and recalculating a report, and the numbers are revised.
The same applies to9nd industrial sheet metal, FastPIPE® for plumbing, mechanical and site utilities, and FastWRAPTM for piping and ductwork insulation, FastEST has an estimating solution for all types of mechanical, plumbing, and insulation contractors, with numerous corollary benefits as mentioned above.
Find out more about FastEST, Inc. and its user-friendly estimating programs by visiting https://fastest-inc.com.
