"I want to estimate more accurately, but it takes too long."

You need accurate estimates, but a single job can consist of hundreds of items with hundreds of different materials and products. It's just too time consuming to break all of that down to a detailed level, so you end up ball-parking things.

That approach will get you a number you can put down on paper and give to your customer to sign a contract with. But the trouble starts when you start doing the work, and the customer doesn't like a particular detail of the something in the job.

So you look at the contract and see that that particular detail was not defined in the contract; it was "assumed."

Then you begin the process known as "re-negotiating the contract after the fact" - arguing over what you intended the estimate to mean, and how the customer interpreted it. We all know how uncomfortable and time consuming that is. And the less fortunate know that that's a good way to end up in a lawsuit.

Smart Contractor has the answer. Discover how Smart Contractor's construction estimation software features make it easy to generate highly detailed and accurate job estimates.

"I don’t know what it costs for all those materials and products, and I don’t have time to get prices – I want a cost database."

Smart Contractor allows you to integrate with the RSMeans cost database. Please see Smart Contractor integration.

"I’ve tried cost databases but they’re not accurate, so I end up having to check prices anyway. That takes too long."

Smart Contractor gives you a quick and easy way to email quote requests to vendors and subcontractors, and then import their responses so you can easily compare prices from different sources. Learn more about how Smart Contractor's project management software handles quote requests.

"Material costs are constantly changing. The product/price lists from my vendors are huge. How can I manage their changing prices?"

Smart Contractor gives you a quick and easy way to import product/price lists from your vendors. When you import your vendors' product price lists, Smart Contractor will automatically look up and apply the correct cost for each job item. And you can automatically update job estimate prices when you import product price updates. Please see Smart Contractor Product Database Management for more info.

"Every job is different! My customers want so many options!"

Smart Contractor gives you a quick and easy way to include options and alternatives in your job estimates. This allows your customer to easily see how adding various options or selecting various alternatives will affect the job total. Please see Smart Contractor Options and Alternatives for more info.

"How do I track all these allowance items and customer selections?"

Smart Contractor gives you a quick and easy way to manage allowance items and customer selections. All you do is check the "Allowance Item" box for allowance items, and/or the "Customer Selection" box for customer selection items and Smart Contractor does the rest. Please see Smart Contractor Allowance Management and Smart Contractor Customer Selections for more info.

"My customers constantly change things... How do I track all these change orders?"

Smart Contractor gives you a quick and easy way to track, manage, and account for change orders. Learn more about how Smart Contractor's accounting software handles Change Order Management.