Assessing Industry Estimating Software Utilization Practices to Improve Construction Education

Abstract

Estimating is an essential part of any construction firm and a core subject in construction management education. Construction faculty should make every effort to align their courses with the needs of industry. A survey was completed by members of the American Society of Professional Estimators and the McWhorter School of Building Science Industry Advisory Council to determine what software was most prevalently utilized in industry for material quantification and cost estimating. A total of 186 practitioners responded to the survey. On-Screen Takeoff and Bluebeam were found to be the most commonly used software for material quantification and Microsoft Excel for cost estimating. Most respondents did not utilize BIM for material quantification but did consider that functionality as valuable when assessing new software. The results of the survey built on similar previous research both of industry and academic practices. Specific differences in the research findings are highlighted, and recommendations for construction faculty are provided. Future research should seek to understand software utilization by construction estimating faculty to compare with industry practices.

Investigation of Cost Data Management Practices in the U.S. Construction Industry

“…The authors first conducted thorough research to identify estimating and project cost management platforms on the current market (Collins and Redden, 2022). The authors then established inquiries regarding the various identified platforms and the management protocols for data derived from those various identified platforms.…”

“…A couple of questions in the survey investigated the process of data transfer from estimating to the project cost control in project management systems which is traditionally known as an operations function in the United States. As stated previously, the literature identified Microsoft Excel and Sage Estimating as the most widely utilized software for creating, managing and/or finalizing project estimates (Collins & Redden, 2022;JB Knowledge, 2020). This study investigated the software used for project cost management after the project award.…”

“…A simple search engine query into "best construction software" will provide a myriad of options, including established platforms, and new up-and-coming solutions. Interestingly, instead of utilizing newer software to build and manage project cost estimates, contractors continue to use two that have been on the market for over thirty years: Microsoft Excel and Sage Estimating (Collins & Redden, 2022;JB Knowledge, 2020). Both are considered clunky and static with considerable front-end, manual processing time required to conduct data extraction and/or data transfer with newer project management software.…”