chapter 7 & 8

A single-user license for a quality estimating software system costs between ______.

$1,500 and $10,000

To determine the dollars required in sales to cover the purchase of estimating software, use the following formula: ______.

Sales Increase Required per Year = Software Cost/Gross Profit Percent

Unit pricing is not suitable for jobs where outlets are not located at standard intervals.

True

An alternative to the detailed estimating method and bid process is called the "______" method.

Unit pricing

Estimating software reduces estimating ______, partly because you no longer need to price, labor, extend, or total material and labor manually.

a & b

A project manager can make a few mouse clicks to update the ______ in real time.

all

Unit pricing consists of developing a(n) ______ price to install a given electrical component.

average

When you submit a sufficiently detailed bid, you give your customers more reason to be confident in your ______ knowledge of their projects and ability to complete those projects in a timely and competent manner.

company's

Regardless of how well estimating software is designed, do not expect optimum results without ______.

complete training

Verify the ______ customer support and the hours they are available for phone and/or e-mail support.

cost for

Another benefit of a detailed bid is that you set the ______ expectations for the job.

customer's

Software should provide the capability of factoring labor and/or material cost for every line of the take-off to reflect ______ installation conditions.

diverse

A standard computer-assisted estimating system requires the estimator to take the time to learn how it works and, in addition, requires ______.

effort to build the right material items and assemblies in the database

Only someone who has been trained in ______ contracting can adequately explain how a particular estimating software program works, and discuss with you how it does or does not fit your needs.

electrical

To most effectively use ______, you need to subscribe to a Material Pricing Service to gain assurance that you have current material prices.

estimating software

Software should be logical, intuitive, simple to use, inflexible, and easy to understand.

false

The biggest advantage when using unit pricing is that you do not need to complete a take-off to determine the number of luminaries, switches, receptacles, and so forth.

false

Using an old, outdated computer to run new, super-charged software will result in ______.

frustration and disappointment

If you do decide to use a pricing service, be sure you select one whose prices are broken down by ______.

geographical area

Unit pricing is relatively accurate on repetitive jobs where many ______ items of electrical equipment will be installed under the same (or fairly similar) conditions.

identical

Estimating software does not eliminate the need to ______.

learn how to estimate

Once the take-off is complete and you have entered the quantities, you can easily generate a report of all the ______ required for the job.

material

The "unit price" is ______ by the number of units on the drawings to arrive at a total bid price for the installation.

multiplied

The ability of an estimator to bid more jobs in the same amount of time reduces estimating costs relative to ______.

revenue

Once verified, a well setup database can increase the speed and accuracy of the ______.

take-off

A "count entry" function requires typing in and/or clicking a button for the correct value and can be more work than handwriting a symbol or note and then placing a figure underneath it.

true

When looking at software options, pay close attention to the types of reports it will allow you to generate.

true

Make your decision based on the value you will receive for your investment and how ______.

well it fits your business needs