The Concept

Ben Cropped.JPG BHSestimator

The Greatest Discovery Since Electricity

On a stormy afternoon in 1750, Ben Franklin set out with a key, a kite, and a revolutionary idea. In a single stroke, Mr. Franklin opened a new world for mankind.

Some two hundred years later the folks at BHS, Inc. set out with a "key"board, a computer and another revolutionary idea. For the electrical contractor BHS's discoveries are no less extraordinary or important.

Franklin's work of course led to electricity. BHS's efforts have led to the smartest, speediest, and most complete computer program ever devised for the electrical estimator, the BHSestimator.

When it comes right down to it, the only reason to convert to any computer estimating system is to save money. And the BHSestimator does just that - for the big contractor as well as the one-man shop. By cutting the number of hours spent estimating a project, the BHSestimator boost productivity. With the BHSestimator a company can produce more bids, and it can produce them more accurately, leaving more time to do the work and managing the business. That's money in the bank; and we all know what Ben would say about that.

Chief among the many unique feature of the BHSestimator is its user friendliness. Even a first-time computer user can master the system quickly. In fact, you don't even have to know how to type to get the full benefit of the system.

The program is set up to guide the user along, so, an estimator should never feel "lost" within the system. And since revisions to the system may be made quickly and easily, the user need never fear making a mistake.

The BHSestimator follows the format of the time-proven electrical estimating worksheets. But there is no writing, no figuring.

Material listings are categorized by three-digit codes and stored in the computer. To add material to a job the user simply enters the three-digit code (like EM- for EMT), or picks the category from a list on screen. The user then picks the correct size or type of that category and the quantity. The program prompts you for the next logical item and it's quantity. The most time-consuming aspects of estimating have been eliminated - lookup and extension. The prompt feature ensures nothing is forgotten and you can modify the chain of items to order you are comfortable with. Material cost and labor hours are extended and totaled for you on screen. All material in the database defaults to a particular (user-defined) Phase of Construction. This provides a great job management tool!

The BHSestimator allows the user to enter take-offs item-by-item or by assembly. The assembly lists are already compiled and, like the material items, are stored in three-digit category codes. Many of our hundreds of customers, use the database just like it comes out of the box, but you may add up to 65,000 items or assemblies if you really want to. You can of course modify pricing and labor in the database to suit how you do business also.

Material Pricing Updates are available through BHS. Unlike many of the competitors, you do not have to purchase updates every month if you don't want to. BHS updates it's entire database monthly so you can schedule updates for any frequency that works for you - monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or on request. We can mail the update to you or send it via email. See our order form for pricing.

Once your takeoff is entered, the BHSestimator offers several recap sheets. They allow the user to add a profit margin, adjust overhead, enter allowances, and anticipate expenses and more.

The Recap Page provides a floor-by-floor or location-by-location breakout of costs, making add and deduct alternates a breeze. Simply by designating a page of the estimate "Inactive" the estimator may prevent its cost from appearing in the final bid.

The Labor Distribution Page lets the user divide the labor hours (automatically totaled and carried over from the estimating sheets) among the job crew. By assigning a certain number of hours to certain pay levels, the estimator can create a realistic picture of the actual labor costs.

A Summary Page gives the user a quick overview of the estimate. Importantly, if changes are made anywhere in the bid, the summary will automatically adjust itself to reflect those changes. With extensions and totals right on the screen, the BHSestimator is the ideal tool on the work site for those quick bids and modifications. No printer is needed.

Once a bid is complete, a buyer's report and a warehouse report make orders a snap. An Administrative Report makes labor scheduling and job maintenance easy too.

The BHSestimator can be quickly installed on any computer running Windows 32-bit or 64-bit platforms. New system users receive a free half-day training session and free support for a year. To schedule a demo, contact us email or just call us at (800) 491-0868. We are a small business and know each of our customers by name. We would love to talk to you today!

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