Benchmark Estimating User Guide

1. Benchmark Estimating User Guide Defines use of various Tabs, Text Boxes and Buttons

2. Suggested Procedures to try • 1) Review this User Guide with many helpful hints • 2) Click on the Takeoff button and start an Estimate • 3) Click on Components Button and view the 2000+ components available • 4) Click on the Assemblies Button and view the 600+ Assemblies available • 5) Click on the Print Button and view the various Printout Reports • 6) Create a new Assembly • 7) Enter a Component • 8) Enter an Assembly • 9) View the Estimate printed reports available • 10) Finalize estimate by adjusting markups and print

3. Initial Setup Screen is displayed on the next slide

4. Initial Setup Screen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 10 11 14 12 15 13

5. Bullet points for Opening Setup Screen • Takeoff Tab - Click this tab to Open Estimating form to add Components and Assemblies to Estimate. • Summary Tab – Click this tab to view Summary of Estimate. • Tables Tab – Contains lists of Components, Assemblies and other pertinent information

6. Settings Tab – Opens the form below where you can select different Data and Detail Databases. You can have databases for different trades (Carpenter, Plumbing, HVAC etc.) or import a database from other users. Also provides the options to price the Estimate with 4 different Pricing Schemes provided. Competitive, NECA Competitive, NECA Normal and NECA Difficult labor units.

7. Print Tab – Forces a recalculation of the Estimate. Exit Tab – Clicking this tab closes the Estimate Program. New Button – Push this button to Generate or start a New Estimate. Wage Group Drop Down box – Click on arrow to expand list of desired Labor Rates for this estimate. Double Click on this Drop Down box to Add, Edit or Delete Labor Rates. Estimate Selector – Click this item to view all the Estimates in this database. Manpower Text Boxes – Enter the desired number of Tradesmen to match the intended labor force for the project. The Labor Rate at the bottom will show the Total Labor Rate for the blend of entries. Mark-up Strategy Text Boxes – Enter the desired Markup Percentage separately for Labor and Material and local Sales Tax rate. Notes – This notepad area is useful for keeping notes regarding this estimate. Show Estimates Drop Down Box – Click here to open all the Estimates saved in the system. Once the list is opened, double click on any estimate to start that estimate. Sell Price Text Box – This shows the totals value of the estimate based on the markup, wage rates, etc. To force the estimate to compute to a specific price, enter a price in this text box area and the whole estimate will be recomputed to match that price. It is a handy feature where you can see what the resultant markup would be for a selected Sell Price. Square Footage Text Box – Enter the square footage of the project to generate a Square Foot Cost. Bullet points for Opening Setup Screen

8. Takeoff or Estimating Screen is displayed on the next slide

9. Takeoff or Estimating Screen 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 30 28 31 32 29

10. Explanation of Bullet Points for the Takeoff Screen (Refer to Slide #3) • Setup Button – Returns you back to the Setup Page • Pipe / Wire Button – Pushing this button opens the Pipe/Wire form below where you can enter various Pipe Wire Combinations as an assembly to the estimate. After entering the desired number of wires, this program determines the required Pipe Size.

11. Explanation of Bullet Points for the Takeoff Screen (Refer to Slide #3) • Special Button – Push this button to enter an Estimate item that is not in the Database yet • Explode Button – Pushing this button opens the Assembly Builder form shown below, where you can build an Assembly on the fly with the Components or Assemblies located in the database.

12. Explanation of Bullet Points for the Takeoff Screen (Refer to Slide #3) • Chains Button – Click this button to open this Chain Table Builder. Simply select Components or Assemblies that should be included when the Estimate Item selected. Example: Clicking on 75 KVA Transformer chains to the following items shown on the right which will include appropriately sized whips, disconnects and fuses.

13. Explanation of Bullet Points for the Takeoff (Refer to Slide #3) • Delete Button – Click this button to build Chain Tables that include Components or Assemblies that should be included with the Estimate Item selected. Example: Clicking on 75 KVA Transformer chains to the following items shown on the right. • Print Button – See next Slide #14 that contains the various printouts available.

14. Print Tab – Opens form where you can select any of these print outs

15. Explanation of Bullet Points on the Takeoff Screen (Refer to Slide #3) View Detail Button – Opens the current estimate into a spreadsheet view where you can modify any of the enabled cells (the cells shown in black font.) A very powerful feature in the program is the ability to change the Description of a Pipe/Wire Assembly and force a recalculation based on the changes made. Example:Change the description from ¾” PVC 2#12 2#10 ~3 @1 to 1” IMC 2#12 6#8 ~3 @1 and the system will automatically recalculate the feeder based on using 1” IMC rather than ¾” PVC and figure the change in wire counts from 2#10’s to 6#8’s. This program treats the number after the ~ Tilde Symbol to be the number runs (conduit between 2 connectors) in this feed or feeder. The number after the @ Symbol is the difficulty multiplier. Use 1 for normal installation difficulty, 1.5 for a difficult installation or 2 for a very difficult installation. The difficulty number can be any number. This number will be multiplied times the labor only, it does not affect the material cost. Example: If the labor hours of a Pipe/Wire assembly were 6 hours, changing the difficulty number after the @ sign from 1 to 1.5 would force the total hours to be 9 hours. It took the original labor and increased it 1.5 times. See the example Spreadsheet view on the next slide #16.

16. Screen shot of the Estimate after clicking on View Detail button View Detail Button – Clicking this button opens up the Current Estimate in a Database form where you have the ability to modify and of the enabled items shown in black. After a modification the Estimate will automatically re-calculate the disabled cells in gray.

17. Tables Button – Forces a recalculation of the Estimate. • Last Record Button – Push this button to Generate a New Estimate. • Units Form – Click on arrow to expand list of desired Labor Rates for this estimate. Double Click on this Drop Down box to Add, Edit or Delete Labor Rates. • Calculator Button – Enter the desired number of Tradesmen to match the intended labor force for the project. The Labor Rate at the bottom will show the Total Labor Rate for the blend of entries. • Utilities Button – Enter the desired Markup Percentage separately for Labor and Material and local Sales Tax rate. • Components Button – Clicking this button expands the various Components listed by Category to choose from. • Left List Box – Shows the various Components or Assemblies to choose from • Assemblies Button - Clicking this button expands the various Assemblies listed by Category to choose from. • Unit Prices Button– This shows the totals value of the estimate based on the markup, wage rates, etc. To force the estimate to compute to a specific price, enter a price in this text box area and the whole estimate will be recomputed to match that price. It is a handy feature where you can see what the resultant markup would be for a selected Sell Price. • Right List Box – Shows the various Components or Assemblies entered for this estimate.