New Construction Estimating Software Increases Profit Potential for
Construction Companies
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Specifically designed to provide the foundation for profitable projects
Enables estimators to work smarter by providing them with the modern tools they need to
deliver fast and accurate estimates
Optimised for small to medium sized construction companies
Available as a standalone module
Launch offer makes upgrading from out of date software or manual systems even more
affordable
Integrates with InBusiness Construction Suite
Following the successful release of the InBusiness Construction and the InBusiness Accounting Suites,
COMSS, the Irish software company, launched today its InBusiness Estimating Module. The new
estimating module is designed to be a lean software application that delivers a streamlined
workflow which maximizes the reusability of estimating building costs and presents it in a clean,
modern interface that makes it easy for building estimators to be more productive.
Not only does this enable faster estimating of building costs– and thus the ability to bid for more
projects – but it also delivers more accurate estimates – thus improving the profitability of
construction projects. It does this by giving construction estimators the information they need to be
sure what price to bid and know what margins can be achieved. Compared with existing estimating
software, which over the years have become clogged up with rarely used functions, InBusiness
Estimating provides only essential functions – making it much easier to use.
John Tallon, Director of Product Development at COMSS, said: “When creating the InBusiness
Estimating software, we focused on what estimators need to do their job. At every stage of the
estimating process we have asked ourselves ‘How can this be done better and how can this be done
faster?’ As a result we stripped out all the unnecessary functions that clog up other estimating
software to deliver a breakthrough estimating tool.
“Our estimating tool gives construction companies the ability to build-in profit from the outset and
then make sure they achieve the expected profit levels”, added Tallon.
InBusiness has been developed by an Irish software company called COMSS that was formed
specifically to deliver new construction software solutions that are optimised for the post financialmeltdown world of today. This breakthrough solution is a result of creative collaboration within the
COMSS team combined with comments and recommendations from various contracting
organisations in Ireland and the UK. The combination has produced a powerful tool designed to help
reinvigorate the construction sector and as a result, InBusiness has been endorsed by the
Construction Industry Federation (CIF).
Post-contract valuations support
InBusiness Estimating also provides support for post-contract valuations and variations, giving the
users far greater understanding of project profitability throughout the construction phase – and thus
improving the control over business profitability.
Robust Solution
As speed is essential for day to day activities in the Construction industry, COMSS tailored its
InBusiness Estimating software to cater for different types of professionals. For example there is an
option to Plug Rates, avoiding the need to add detailed item breakdowns, that provides the ability to
price more jobs more quickly.
The system also provides the ability for extra accurate monitoring of resource costs from the
estimate to the completion of the job. The integrated Construction suite provides a report that
compares work done in a Valuation stage, based on the original Estimate, and compares it to actual
costs.
Profitability designed-in
The InBusiness Estimating software enables increased competitiveness, lower cost and more
efficient operations as well as smarter, more informed decisions. It can be run by fewer staff and
requires less time and cost to implement than traditional estimating software. It is optimised to
deliver enhanced profitability because it has been built with these goals in mind:
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Thinking Lean – COMSS removed any feature or function that was not essential to the
success of the business and as a result has created streamlined workflows for greater
efficiency and effectiveness
Eliminating repetition – COMSS enabled all the modules to draw on a common record so
that data only has to be entered once saving users – and the business – significant time and
money
Improving financial and operational visibility – COMSS ensures that all data included in an
estimate is available to other modules throughout the construction lifecycle so that costs
can be monitored against what has been promised to the customer.
Flexible subscription model
InBusiness Estimating is available immediately. It can be purchased as a perpetual license or on an
annual basis. Subscription licensing removes the need for any upfront payment for licenses and a
fixed annual license fee eases cash flow.
Additional modules can be added to the license at any time during the subscription period. That
means no more software sitting on the shelf unused. Available as a standalone module, InBusiness
Estimating adds even more value when integrated with the InBusiness Construction Software Suite.
The annual subscription includes the use of COMSS Support Services and entitles you to all major
and minor releases that become available during the subscription period.
Launch offer gives early movers even lower subscription cost
Although InBusiness Estimating is already priced to be affordable for small and medium sized
companies, COMSS is offering a further 20% of subscription pricing for the first two years to the first
20 companies that purchase it before September 30, 2013.
Key Features:
• Import Bills from excel or .EOX files
• Subcontractor and full resource tagging
• Flexible rate build-up using constants
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Copy / paste from previous estimates
Create resource libraries
User definable bill formatting
Price through Item breakdowns
Plug Rates in lieu of item breakdowns
Support for composite resources/items
Easy identification of missed or un-priced items
Fast creation of Subcontractor & Supplier enquiries
Automatic updating of rates from subcontractor / supplier quotations
Full support of Valuations and Final Account
Manage claims, payments and retentions
Automatic feeds into Job Costing and Accounts
Extensive reporting and bill printing
Identifies all resources used in a valuation
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About COMSS
COMSS Limited was set up in 2010 to provide breakthrough construction software applications that
enable small to medium sized construction companies to run lean businesses in lean times. COMSS
knew survival required lower cost, more efficient operations AND smarter, more informed decisions.
But when it reviewed what was available, it saw over-engineered, expensive to operate software
with the most important functions clogged-up with non-essential features. As a result COMSS has
developed a suite of applications that not only deliver functional value but can be run by fewer staff
and that require less resources, time and cost to implement.
COMSS development centre is based in Longford, Ireland. It is a Microsoft BizSpark company and its
Construction Suite is endorsed by the Construction Industry Federation of Ireland. www.comss.org
Contact details
For more information please contact Marta Drozdz – marta@onva.co.uk and +44 (0) 208 224 7973
or Setareh Bidar – setareh@onva.co.uk and +44 (0) 208 224 7973 or visit the Comss website
www.comss.org