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Here are a few things that I have found.... The best packages are tied into accounting programs. We use two types of programs, one is for take offs and estimating man hrs. the other is tied to our accounting, the latter also allows us to do quanity takeoffs plus gives us pricing for that type of work based on passed history. Pluses to the Take off programs, the estimator has greater control of prices, the accounting package type automactly adjust prices on the fly. Minuses estimators can and do make mistakes...... with accounting type packages a bad week can increase prices that might make your bid too high, a bad week can throw off your pricing structure.
Other thing that can go wrong.....
Even using three production rates, things go well the first day but the second day you get rained out at noon, so your budget is shot....... Plant material..... they had it when you bid the job but now they are sold out and you need 12 matching 4" trees, the only place that has them are 2 hrs farther away and twice the cost.
So there is more to this than what I have written here but this should give you an idea of what can happen.
Estimating packages run from $800 to $20,000, hardware to support them can be from $1000 to $16,000.
Please understand all the work that I do is commerical work.
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