COST CATEGORIES
DATABASE FLEXIBILITY
ESTIMATE FLEXIBILITY
REPORTS
HELP SCREENS
COST UPDATES
OLD ESTIMATES
PROGRAMS REQUIRED
WHAT COST CATEGORIES ARE USED?
Fast Track Estimating identifies four cost categories - material, labor, sub-contractor quotes and other costs. Material cost is the sum of all materials used in that assembly. Labor cost is the product of the time required for that assembly multiplied by the labor rate for the type of work being done. Both sub-contractor quotes and other costs are fixed figure amounts.
HOW EASY IS IT TO ADD NEW MATERIALS OR A NEW ASSEMBLY?
Adding new materials or assemblies is extremely easy. The fastest method is by cloning an existing item and making the necessary changes. If you don't want to clone, it is quick and easy to add new items using a simple form.
HOW FLEXIBLE ARE THE LABOR RATES?
The labor table has an unlimited number of labor categories available. If your labor category isn't listed, add it. If the labor rate shown doesn't match the rates you pay, change the labor rate. The labor cost in the assemblies using that labor rate is changed immediately.
HOW EASY IS IT TO CREATE AN ESTIMATE?
Simply select assembly items from a table. If you have a previous estimate that is similar, you can copy the previous estimate and make the pertinent changes. There are also a number of basic templates already included (and you can add more) that can be quickly added to any estimate.
HOW EASY IS IT TO CHANGE AN ESTIMATE?
Estimate items can be added or deleted quickly. If you are estimating a job with unique costs, you can easily change the cost of any cost category for that one estimate only. This makes it easy to add sub-contractor quotes to an estimate.
A separate markup table allows you to specify the markup for each of the four cost elements (material, labor, sub-contractor quotes and other costs). You can override the markup level for any assembly in an estimate if needed.
WHAT REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE?
A wide variety of reports are available for each estimate, a sample of each report is shown below (reports open in a new window and are in pdf format, requiring the free Adobe Acrobat software to view)
Customer Reports
Price Detail, Sorted by Room Area
Price Summary, Sorted by Room Area
Price, Total with Quantity Detail, Sorted by Room Area
Price, Total Only, Sorted by Room Area
Price Detail, Sorted by Type of Work
Price Summary, Sorted by Type of Work
Price, Total with Quantity Detail, Sorted by Type of Work
Price, Total Only, Sorted by Type of Work
Estimate Reports
Full Cost and Price Detail
Cost Detail, Sorted by Room Area
Cost Summary, Sorted by Room Area
Cost Detail, Sorted by Type of Work
Cost Summary, Sorted by Type of Work
Cost Summary, Sorted by Type of Work with Totals
Material Reports
Detailed Material Purchase List, Sorted by Type of Work
Summary Material Purchase List, Sorted by Type of Work
Material Use Report, Sorted by Material Item
Labor Reports
Detailed Labor Report
Summary Labor Report
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WHAT HELP SCREENS ARE AVAILABLE?
View the complete help files here (opens in a new window, requires Adobe Acrobat). This is content-sensitive and available throughout the program.
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DO YOU OFFER COST UPDATES?
No. Automatic updates, adjusted by a percentage to reflect different parts of the country, may not represent the cost you pay for material at your local yard. For that reason, we believe the best material cost to have in your database is the cost you pay for materials.
Fast Track Estimating ships with most materials already in the database, with a cost for each material. We recommend reviewing the material list and updating the material costs to reflect the costs you see on your invoices.
Updating the purchase price for your materials is quick and easy, and is immediately reflected in the assemblies using that material. If you wish, blanket cost increases can also be made, i.e., increase the cost of all framing materials by a given percentage. Reports are available, allowing you to quickly eyeball the purchase price loaded for material by section.
Similarly, it is easy to update labor costs quickly to reflect your labor rates, and labor cost changes are reflected immediately in assemblies.
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IF I OPEN AN ESTIMATE CREATED IN THE PAST, WILL THE PRICE I PRESENTED TO MY CUSTOMER STILL BE AVAILABLE?
Yes. Estimates are not updated (regardless of changes to assembly, material or labor costs) until you request they be updated.
Updating costs is easy. In the Estimate screen, a "Update/Standard Costs" option will update all standard costs in an estimate to reflect current costs and labor rates. If a standard cost has been overridden (i.e., a sub-contractor quote was added for a specific line item) that cost will not be updated.
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WHAT PROGRAMS ARE REQUIRED ON MY COMPUTER?
Fast Track Estimating requires Windows 2000/XP or higher. All other components required will be installed if they aren't already on your computer. You do not need Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access to operate Fast Track Estimating.
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