Construction material takeoff is considered as a very important part of the overall cost estimation in any construction project. Without a price estimation, it is not only difficult to provide a layout but lack of material estimation also raises a lot of doubt later. In this process, the contractors are required to use the actual blueprints of the building to be prepared and calculate the quantity of material that will be required for the overall price and the supplies that are needed. According to this information the project budget is calculated later, which is the main reason it is very important to have an accurate estimate. Without proper estimation, the process of construction will be very slow and the supply of material at all times cannot be ensured. Depending on the material estimation and construction takeoff, the supply order is formed and pre-planning constituents are done accordingly.

The process of generating material takeoff is quite difficult and it requires an expert to complete a material takeoff and estimate. The detail information required for executing the material takeoff plan can be quite a time consuming process and this is the reason contractors are hired. However, hiring contractors is a traditional method and where a team of contractors or just one contractor uses a printed plan, calculators, ruler and pencil to calculate the takeoff. However, there is software available where companies can now estimate the material takeoff on their own without any help. The only issue is that to run this software, specific training is required and the software is quite expensive. So, it is better to find a good material takeoff company for professional services instead.

With so many different material takeoff and estimating companies, it becomes quite confusing for the beginners to select a good company that provides an accurate estimate but stays within the budget limit when it comes to compensation. For selection of a good company, every client has his own criteria and the criteria differ from project to project also, it depends on the type of process that the company is using.

Here is a complete guide that can help the beginners in finding out about the best construction estimating services provider or company. Starting from the basics, this guide will cover all the ways most of the clients are finding the best material takeoff companies to hire.

Sorting Names

When selecting a good company, it is very important to start with sorting out names. Check the best names in market, how good are they at their work most of the companies have details on their online portfolio. However, required information is not available in company profiles so, it is important to just stay at the company profile and not explore anything else at this stage. Once, all the companies have been listed then the management can move towards the second part.

Company Profile

The second step of the process is going through the company profile. In most cases the company profile has their biodata, how long have they been working and what are few of the projects that they have done so far. Most companies like to flaunt their work and this comes handy in the process of research. Without proper research, it is quite difficult to shortlist a good candidate.

Look for Experience

One thing that matters the most is experience, if the company is experienced they will provide work on time and they must have some way of ensuring the work quality. Most of the companies use traditional method and then use software to complete the process and ensure the quality. These companies are better because they are using a mix of traditional and modern method. Overall, these components add to the process and weightage of the company during the assessment process.

Professionalism

In the case of material takeoff companies, professionalism cannot be measured by how well the market knows the company. Instead, professionalism is associated with the accuracy of their work. They must have proper training and certification to perform and offer the services. The staff has to be properly trained to run the software of doing everything manually. The idea is to get the best value of the money that you are going to spend for hiring the company.

Company Credibility

Credibility of the company is very important, to evaluate this reputation of the company in market is assessed. The process is a little longer but in most company profiles, added clients can provide testimony to prove that these clients were satisfied with the company and their work experience was good enough. For the material takeoff and estimation companies, the PR and marketing budget is not so big because their audience is very limited. Their work is the only thing that gets them better and more clients when required. This is the reason, while the estimation of the company credibility work ethics and the overall work of the company is compared.

Overall Quote

Estimation cost is one of the most important things that the company looks for in a material takeoff company. Their compensation fee is obviously important because the company will not like to hire another company that can drain their budget. The idea is to hire a company with the lowest quote as compensation, however, experts remind that some of the newly formed companies provide low quotes to attract more projects and build their profile. These companies are not good enough, so they cost low as compared to others. It’s better to keep in mind the price during the whole process, but solely focusing on the price while selection can become a major problem.

Final Verdict

The benefit of outsourcing the material takeoff company is that you will receive the work on time and there is a guarantee that the services will be performed by professionals. These companies have specialized and properly trained teams, the members of the team are familiar with the work and services that they are offering. These companies do not depend on the money of the other companies to learn the work.  These companies are good enough to afford the investment in better technological options and expensive software. Moreover, they don’t demand a lot of time or resources for delivering their work. 

Author Bio (John Smith)

John is a passionate civil engineer and project manager who loves to write and share his engineering knowledge and project management skills by writing on different blogs.