Just months after starting his own construction company, Sean Donohoe of DDS Constructors bid successfully on a $105,000 commercial site construction project. It was the first job he'd bid on using BID2WIN, which had been implemented in his company only two weeks before the July 6 bid.

The job, which will entail reconstructing two acres of parking lots, sidewalks, and drainage, was of a typical size for the young company.

"BID2WIN saved me a great deal of time in putting the bid together, and has allowed me a greater level of consistency in preparing all of my bids," said Donohoe, who is not only DDS's owner, but also its sole estimator. "One big strength was that I was able to double-check item unit prices very simply, without having to rely on past history."

"After I created my resource database, it took no time at all to bid this job," he added.

Donohoe isn't new to the concept of computerized estimating; he had previously been using his own privately developed spreadsheets to prepare bids. As the need to simplify this process became more and more pressing, Donohoe decided it was time for a change. He evaluated several estimating software packages, including HeavyBid and WinEst, but in the end, it was BID2WIN that prevailed.

"I saw the demo and knew I could jump right in," he said.

Because he purchased BID2WIN in the middle of the busy season, Donohoe had yet to take advantage of training arrangements at the time of this job. Self-admittedly computer literate, he figured out how to use the software right away. He said he's reserving his training time for the future.

"The strong point of this program is its simplicity," he said. "Anyone who uses computers for estimating can be up and running in no time. It's very easy to follow."

DDS Constructors, a commercial site contractor, is located in Victor, New York and has been in business since May 2001.

To learn more about DDS Constructors, visit www.ddsengineers.com.

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