Construction estimating software

A construction proposal is a document created by a contractor that’s sent to a potential client with the goal of outlining a project including estimated costs and a project timeline, while also convincing the client that the contractor’s business is the right one to complete the work.

It’s best to think of a proposal as both informative and persuasive. Doing so will guide the information you include in your proposals.

A typical construction proposal is going to include information like a description of the project, detailed cost estimates, an estimated timeline, and payment terms.

Since a proposal is also a sales document, it should include things like company information, references, and even examples of similar work you’ve done in the past.

It’s important that your proposal appears professional as this can separate you from your competition. You’ll want to ensure it’s formatted correctly, includes contact information, a company logo, and a tagline if you have one.

Lastly, you’ll want to make it easy for your potential clients to receive and sign your proposals. Ideally, your construction management software allows you to create proposals, send them over email, and have your clients e-sign them without having to print the proposal or do any extra work.

Yes, Knowify allows you to easily customize your proposals with your company logo, terms and conditions, and more. If the proposal doesn’t look exactly how you’d like it to, Knowify’s team is standing by to help you customize further, and create a proposal that looks exactly how you’d like it to.

Knowify isn’t just an estimating software. It’s an all-in-one solution that allows you to easily send out professional-looking proposals for signature electronically, and once those proposals are signed and accepted, the job automatically becomes active in Knowify, so you can start tracking your progress and costs against your budget.

If you create a project budget before sending out your proposals, Knowify allows you to easily add markup to that budget, and turn it into a client-ready proposal in just a few clicks. Once you’ve won the project, you’ll be able to easily track material quantities, labor hours, and other key costs against your estimate and proposal using Knowify’s project management and job costing tools. All of your project data, AR, and AP sync between Knowify and your accounting software, so your project financials are always up-to-date, job costing data is extremely accurate, and you can reference it when creating future project estimates.

Knowify also stands out against other construction estimating software by being a cloud based software – meaning you can access up to date estimate information from anywhere with an internet connection – whether you’re in the office or on the job site.

One thing to note – Knowify was designed from the ground-up to integrate with your accounting software, and has key features built specifically for trade contractors. As a result, general contractors may want to explore Knowify’s free version (a 14 day trial) to ensure that the estimating software is the right fit for their business.

Knowify offers tools to easily import takeoff data from construction software like STACK. Once you’ve pulled your data in, it’s simple to create budgets and estimates quickly.

A construction contract is a legally binding agreement between the contractor and the client that outlines the terms and conditions of a construction project. It includes important details such as the scope of work, project timeline, payment terms, and any other specific requirements related to completing the project.

The contract serves as a protection for both parties, ensuring that the project is completed as agreed upon and providing a framework for resolving any disputes that may arise during the construction process.

• Fixed-price contract: These contracts establish a fixed price for the entire project. The contractor is responsible for completing the work within the agreed budget, regardless of any cost increases.
• Fixed-priced contract with AIA-style invoicing – A fixed price contract that uses the invoicing style and official forms maintained by the American Institute of Architects. It’s characterized by a schedule of value, payment applications, change orders, and retainage.
• Cost-plus contract: In cost-plus contracts, the owner pays the contractor for the actual cost of the construction project plus a predetermined percentage as profit. This type of contract is commonly used when the scope of work is uncertain or when changes are expected.
• Time and materials: Similar to a cost-plus contract, the client pays for the cost of the contractor’s time (labor) and the materials needed to complete the project. The time and labor costs are marked up to cover the contractor’s profit margin. Profit isn’t charged as a separate line item like in a cost-plus contract.
• Unit price contracts: Unit price contracts establish a price for each unit of work, such as per square foot or per hour. The final cost is determined by multiplying the unit price by the quantity of work performed.
• Maintenance – A contract to perform recurring maintenance work, typically at set intervals of time, for a set period of time, for a set price.

Contract management in construction refers to the process of managing contracts throughout the entire construction project. This involves overseeing the negotiation, creation, execution, and administration of contracts between various parties involved in the construction project, such as the owner, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers.

The goal of contract management in construction is to ensure that all parties involved adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in the contracts, monitor progress, manage risks, resolve disputes, and ultimately deliver the project successfully.

Knowify’s contract jobs tool allows you to set up custom workflows for managing contracts throughout their lifecycle.