Checklisting your way to accuracy

How a Checklist Can Help You Achieve Accuracy in Estimate

Accurate and timely bids are closely linked to your company’s top and bottom lines, so you simply cannot leave it unchecked. Developing an extensive checklist and setting up a process for check listing will help you maintain foolproof accuracy.

Who should check the estimate

The person who has worked on the estimate shouldn’t ideally be the one checking it, as this person would tend to oversee the possible issues and mistakes. Have a secondary team member review the work. However, if there is no one else available, they should take at least half an hour break after finishing the estimate. This gap will help you clear your head and examine the estimate with fresh mind.

Preparing the checklist

Any checklist should essentially include some items. You need to ensure that the estimate…

  • covers the scope of work
  • includes the drawing scale on each page
  • presents the complete and latest set of drawings and addendum’s

Making a list of possible errors

In coordination with various team members within of your company,  create an extensive list of possible errors. Don’t just think about the possible mistakes done by seasoned estimators. Consider the possible mistakes of new trainee estimators. This list will serve as your checklist.

You can make the tasks scheduled on your list very specific. For instance, you can mention if the height of the wall has been correctly applied to the application for calculating wall area.

Setting up a process

It will help to develop two documents, instead of one, when it comes to creating and refining the checklist. One of these documents will be brief as it will just list the actual tasks. The other document will elaborate on the individual tasks on the checklist. These twin sheets will be particularly helpful when training new estimators. They’ll be able to further understand the specific nuances of estimating.

Revisiting of checklist

No checklist is final. Keep revisiting the checklist to ensure it meets the changing circumstances of the industry, specific project requirements, and the needs of your company.

Summing Up

Preparing a checklist boosts your efficiency and accuracy in estimating and project bidding. That bit of extra time that you spend utilizing a estimating checklist, will help you make many more accurate bids. Accurate bids leads to landing more projects.

Start creating accurate construction takeoffs and estimates today