Construction project success depends on accurate project estimation and planning. This means setting up every project for success from the start to ensure better outcomes for your customers.

Often, business executives report their quotes don’t represent what is actually required for a project. The problem results in losing deals because they've overpriced projects or are losing money because they’ve underestimated. And then, when it’s time to execute a project, contractors end up having to renegotiate with the customer, add change orders and make other adjustments—when they should have had it right from the start.

What it Takes to Enhance the Sales Process

There are several crucial capabilities in the project estimation and planning process that are needed to enhance the sales process.

• Fast turnaround: A salesperson, estimator or project manager should be able to build complex project plans and price estimates in minutes, not days. Contractors need to be able to create multiple drafts/versions as options for your customers.
• Accurate quotes: Quotes and project plans should be realistic and accurate. When contractors can develop more accurate plans in less time, ultimately, they drive better outcomes for customers.
• Instant transition: When the project plan and pricing is accurate, contractors can immediately transition from proposal to live project.

To achieve these capabilities, construction companies need to standardize their sales estimating process around best practices. While every project is unique, it’s important to have standard ways to develop those projects.

Construction companies also need to integrate their project financials and operations. Once a plan is created, the cost and pricing should automatically follow. Contractors should know exactly the cost for every workflow item in the schedule automatically.

Lastly, companies should systemize project estimations. It’s important to capture planning and estimating best practices, and scale and automate them through a system built specifically to do just that.

Better Estimating and Planning Leads to Better Outcomes

A better estimation process in a construction company results in better results for clients. It strengthens governance by enabling best practices to be distributed throughout the enterprise, which in turns produces standardized, measurable outcomes. Having a more-accurate estimation process allows contractors to accelerate the sales process and build projects faster. Now, contractors can eliminate sales proposals based on guesswork and create an optimal project structure every time.

The Solution: Project Modeling

Project modeling is a new approach to the sales and initiation phase of a project. Project modeling allows contractors to create optimal project schedules and financial estimates right from the start. When they can ensure speed, accuracy and a process repeatable by everyone, it’s a win-win situation.