Why small MEP contractors should replace spreadsheets for a dedicated estimating solution

August 28, 2024

Tamara Higham

Picture of a man's hands typing on a keyboard with title, "Why small MEP contractors should replace spreadsheets for estimations"

If you’re a small MEP contractor, your estimating team is probably less of a team and more of a single estimating guru. They keep estimates ticking over and have a wealth of experience stored up. When it comes to evaluating the scope of work and estimating total project costs, many will use spreadsheets or good old pen and paper to get the job done.

Why contractors use spreadsheets for estimating

To be clear, we’re not here to knock spreadsheets. It has its time and its place and works well for some small MEP contractors. They are armed with a construction estimate spreadsheet template that they duplicate time and time again with no real issues. Plus, it’s still much quicker than using pen, paper and a calculator to produce estimates. However, spreadsheets can only take estimators so far. It’s not made for estimating, so it doesn’t have parameters and features built in that shave valuable time off each estimate. We’ll share why it pays to replace spreadsheets for your next MEP estimate.

How does MEP estimating software help you win more work?

Faster bids

If you were using a manual MEP estimating solution – such as spreadsheets or pen and paper– to create bids, getting your bids in first would be a) difficult and b) more prone to errors. However, when using estimating software, you know that bids submitted are accurate and feature the latest pricing for components. So, when you get your accurate, thorough, professional-looking bid in early, you put your business in good standing to win the work. Not only that, it helps set the precedent of what the client can expect when working with you.

Healthier profit margins

Let’s face it, profit margins in the construction industry are historically – and continue to be – tight. Between rising labour and materials costs, every penny saved counts. As the old adage goes, time is money, so any minute saved during the bidding process all adds up to a higher profit margin at the end of the project.

However, using spreadsheets for your estimating won’t get you closer to shaving off minutes from every estimate. To make the estimation process quicker, you need to let construction estimating software take on some of the burden.

“We are seeing that we are saving about 50% of time per estimate - it’s a significant improvement for us” Contracts Manager at Shane Mechanical Ltd

The benefits of using estimation software for MEP contractors

An extra pair of eyes

A common justification for continuing to use pen and paper, spreadsheets, or other manual techniques, above software is that the estimator shouldn’t need software. However, we’re only human and no one has a 100% hit rate. It’s good to view an estimation solution as another tool that works alongside you to make sure you’re consistently delivering accurate estimates, even on a bad day. An MEP estimating solution can also ensure that best practice standards are met with each estimate at no extra effort on the estimator’s part.

Automated pricing

Ensuring you always have the latest pricing information from your wholesaler is a chore and in today’s market conditions will often require repeat phone calls. An estimating solution, such as Estimation MEP, can free this time for you by providing your latest buying prices directly in the solution. No more referencing separate lists or having to wait until the wholesaler is open to get the information you need to submit your estimate.

This maintenance overhead is undertaken on your behalf confidentially by Luckins, the UK’s largest specialist in product and pricing data services and seamlessly provided at the point you need it, within the Estimation MEP solution. In addition, this also means that you have instant access to the latest products as they come to market, reducing further the burden of calls to your wholesaler as manufacturer ranges change.

Full records of estimates

However you may be currently doing your estimates, be it paper or spreadsheets, it may not be easy to keep detailed records and then find them if needed. Even the most organised of folder structures can have blind spots and missing records. An estimating solution is another tool in the project management arsenal meaning you can quickly access tenders from previous jobs in just a few clicks.

MEP software made for small contractors

It’s easy to think that if you’re a small contractor, you have no need for an MEP estimating solution. However, when the solution has been tailored to your specific needs as a business, that reasoning no longer applies. Estimation MEP from Trimble does away with the complex functionality you wouldn’t use day-to-day and gives you a simple, clean estimating solution that speeds up the estimating process.