HCSS vs. On-Screen Takeoff®

Our operation uses several pieces of what we call specialty equipment (not used every day on every job). The foreman when finished will give a location of where this equipment is left, this many times can be very vague and lead to a lowboy driver trying to block around to find the piece or driving down a street he cannot get turned around in. With the GPS devices, the driver can pinpoint exactly where the unit is and if he has room to turn around at that location.

Incentivized

• I would recommend On-Screen Takeoff to any contractor that is not using it for estimating purposes. It helps the process in so many ways.
• I guess if it was something straightforward, it might not be the most cost-effective solution. For what we do, it is indispensable.

Incentivized

• #1 is support! HCSS is by far the best software support of any product we have ever used. Unlike most software companies HCSS utilizes their support calls to help upgrade their software. When you here them tell you that they will write down a particular issue you come across during a support call if they can't help you then and there they will research and get an answer to you extremely fast. If the software will not do it, you can bet there is a good chance it will be on the list of enhancements you will see come out in the near future.
• Estimating software is very extensive. Their software is capable of handling the smallest estimate all the way to the largest joint venture estimate. It has advanced features that make it extremely useful for analyzing job materials, subcontractors etc.
• HeavyJob is an extremely useful tool for the field to keep the office up to date with job costs. Everything is at the Foreman's fingertips on Tablets to allow the information from the field to get uploaded to HeavyJob manager which then can export to accounting. We are also able to give our Foreman the ability to deal with the Daily and weekly safety needs (Tailgate Meetings, incident Investigation, observations etc.) right on the Tablets thru HeavyJob.

• User-friendly and easy to learn. You can sit down and figure out how to do simple takeoffs and counts with minimal training.
• It is very accurate and it is great that you can do several calculations for each condition you make.
• The colors and shapes provide a great visible audit trail.
• The layering feature helps from keeping the screen too busy if you are doing several conditions on one page.
• The worksheet tab keeps tallies of all the takeoffs from each page nicely.

Incentivized

• All their apps are on mobile devices. Although there is not a clear company policy on Android versus iPhone. Updates for features lag behind on Android. Some apps are exclusive to one platform making it hard to fully interconnect all programs.

• How documents are uploaded to the program. On-Screen Takeoff will locate the files from whatever path you originally save it to. Therefore, if you move the location of the document, OST will not be able to open your project until the path is redirected.
• Taking off curved shapes.
• If you could apply a unit cost to a quantity, it would eliminate the need to export takeoff to Excel.
• It would be nice to be able to apply a different scale to the same page i.e. if there are two different details on a drawing at two different scales, I have to duplicate the sheet and make sure I make each sheet scale to the specific detail on the sheet.

Incentivized

It provides invaluable communication, organization, and flexibility to generate a project overview both visually and by the numbers. In addition to the overview it makes getting into the project details easy and quick, so our takeoff is accurate and correct every time

Incentivized

As mentioned, user interface appears messy and complicated at initial onset. Training is necessary but becomes easy to maneuver through after solid daily use.

Incentivized

On Screen Takeoff is a valuable tool for what it does. Across the board it can keep track of the critical data and corresponding values without extra legwork. While powerful, it is prone to user error, and the problem can compound quickly if not realized up front. Overall a great project tool, but not without limitations

Incentivized

The people at HCSS who I interact with, whether it is a support technician, product manager, or the HCSS President, Mike Rydin, are as passionate at making construction management for heavy civil contractors a valuable experience as I am. They want to get us emphatic, project management addicted people in to tell them why their product is not working, and work with us to design the software to work for us. HCSS is good for the heavy civil contractor; it is going to help us to manage our projects with precision, accuracy, and accountability.

I have had very few issues with the software which is probably the first sign that there is a good customer support team, since I am sure they are working and fixing problems for everyone when they get a report from somewhere. The few times I have had to reach out to support they have been knowledgeable and on top of helping me quickly get my issues resolved.

Incentivized

It is critical to select the right team to take to HCSS for implementation. They take very good care of you and your team and listen to all of your concerns. During implantation we often discuss wants and needs with VPs and Officers as they pass through to check on our progress.

Implementation was as simple as setting up the program and creating databases. Everything else was already in use and this was a supplement to the final organization of the system

Incentivized

We researched other software companies but none provided the depth of support and knowledge that HCSS brought to the table. HCSS is also always growing and listening to its customers. Customer support seems to remain the backbone of the company that is always striving to grow with the industry.

OST is still the most efficient and quick way of doing 2D takeoff. The software mentioned above all have their positives and negatives and they all have things which are far superior to OST. But OST really takes the cake when it comes to usability and a simple and useful interface. It's just so easy to create a condition on the fly and start taking something off. When it comes to actual 2D takeoff, OST is by far the easiest and most efficient way of getting the work done.

Incentivized

• The biggest ROI for us was the ease of adoption by field personnel.

Incentivized

• The main benefit for using this software is that our estimating takeoff productivity has gone way up from where it was before allowing us to compile bids and estimates in a quicker and more accurate way.
• The ease of use has allowed us to reduce the time and investment we have had to put into training new hires on the software.

Incentivized