Question:

“There is an option to add any type of resource to a crew in HeavyBid. When should I use this option? Why would I not use it?”

The Chief Says:

The option to add resources other than labor and equipment to crews (e.g., materials, subcontractors, or non-material purchases) was added a few years ago in response to client requests. In my opinion, the main reason you might want to add materials to a crew is to capture costs for materials that are used every time that crew works.

Examples of this might be PPE’s. Demolition crews that are going to require masks, hazmat suits, gloves, etc, every time they are working would be a good use for adding a resource in the Materials Codebook to cover them factored to an hourly basis and then adding that to the crew. Calculations would need to be done to determine how often these items need to be replaced and use that as the factor. Such that the more that crew works, the more likely they will use more PPE’s.

My Recommendation

I do not recommend making most materials part of the crew. I understand the temptation to add pipe, bedding stone, etc. to a pipe crew. The problem with this is that you are in a never/always situation with this setup. If the crew is made up of labor and equipment only, and resources such as pipe and stone are part of an activity, you have the ability to make adjustments to crew production without affecting resource quantities. The best practice is to pull in a well-designed activity from the activity codebook, either manually or automatically, that contains the right crew and the right materials proportionate to the activity quantity.

Reach out to the HCSS Community

If you have questions about how others are doing what you are trying to accomplish, I recommend joining the network of HCSS users at the HCSS Community. You can also search through the help articles that come from real support cases: Support Help. If you want to learn more about how HeavyBid can help you win more bids, Click here.

HCSS Resources on Crew Setups:

• Help Article: Crew Setups
• HCSS Academy Class: Crew Organization
• HCSS Academy Class: Creating Crew Setup

Ray Zanon

Estimating Success Manager

For the past 30 years, Ray has held positions as an Estimator, Project Manager, or Chief Estimator for civil construction companies operating in Ohio, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Norwalk, Connecticut. He has a heart of a teacher, and takes pride in listening well to others before offering advice.