Case Studies
Because Time is Money, R.E. Heidt Uses BID2WIN
A self-proclaimed “jack of all trades,” Occie Norton spends only a portion of his time as primary estimator for R.E. Heidt, an asphalt manufacturer and paving company in Westlake, Louisiana. The remainder is spent working in an engineering or project management capacity for the company, so time is indeed precious as he balances these different roles.That’s where BID2WIN comes in. R.E. Heidt became a BID2WIN customer nearly 10 years ago when it purchased PowerBid, the first estimating program designed for the paving industry. Norton has been using BID2WIN for the six and a half years he’s been with the company. Prior to purchasing the software, R.E. Heidt’s estimates and bids were done by hand – a labor-intensive and often error-prone method that would not have given Norton the extra time he needs to juggle his different job responsibilities.
“BID2WIN streamlines everything for us,” Norton said. “In particular, we take advantage of the DOT bid download from the Louisiana state website and import it right in to BID2WIN. That saves us a lot of time when you are talking about projects that can have 200 to 250 items in a job.”
BID2WIN’s task templates are also significant time-savers because they are quickly customizable and can be easily plugged into new bids. According to Norton, this affects the bidding process to the extent that “what would have taken a couple of weeks can be done in two days using the software.”
Efficiency is even more tangible when it’s combined with a high degree of accuracy. The $35 million worth of bids R.E. Heidt has “on the books” right now was all won using BID2WIN. Norton reflects that the level of detail that can be placed in each bid is a contributing factor to winning jobs and maximizing profitability, particularly in the narrow victories.
“The software, at times, has actually helped remind us of costs that we were going to incur with a particular type of job,” Norton said. “That degree of granularity helps to eliminate the guesswork and provide a more accurate reference point for future jobs.”
Norton adds that BID2WIN’s “reporting capabilities allow for more detailed information out in the field. We get a package together for our crew supervisors so they have every bit of information that we do.”
R.E. Heidt will be one of the first companies to upgrade to the new Microsoft .NET/SQL Server version of BID2WIN when it’s released later this fall. Codenamed Epiphany, the software maintains the core functionality of BID2WIN while offering nearly 200 new features and even greater speed and flexibility.
“We are really excited about Epiphany,” Norton states. “The technical software world is changing, and BID2WIN seems to be on the cutting edge of every front. From our standpoint, the application, and the people behind it, give BID2WIN what it needs to blow their competition out of the water.”
About R.E. Heidt Construction Company, Inc.
R.E. Heidt is a privately-held company founded in 1945. It is headquartered in Westlake, Louisiana and employs 130 people. The asphalt paving contractor, which serves all of southwest and southcentral Louisiana, also operates two asphalt manufacturing facilities. For more information, please contact R.E. Heidt at (337) 433-4466.
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