“The problem with the AIA approach to IPD is it is inherently anti-architect. It explicitly reduces the traditional influence of architects at early stages of a project when the design is being developed. It reduces the influence of the main driver of design excellence, the architect.” While the AIA implementation of Integrated Project Delivery may...Continue Reading

e4Clicks Project Estimator Users, please consider attending our SPOTLIGHT WebCast, 8/23/2012, 3PM EST. Re-pricing an estimate for year-end that wasn’t awarded last fallout? Have a new year-end project similar to an existing one you’ve already done? Come join us! We want to show you how you can shorten down the time it takes to finish...Continue Reading

Maintaining balance across the financial, environmental and operational aspects of every decision, every material and every system. Job Order Contracting – JOC and SABER are great construction delivery methods for sustainability projects. JOC and SABER allow more projects to be done on-time and on-budget, by local contractors who are motivated to succeed.Continue Reading

– e4Clicks Project Estimator Introductory Training – 4clicks.com/training o August 8-9, 2012 – Ontario, CA o August 14-15, 2012 – San Antonio, TX o October 17-18, Colorado Springs, TX – JOC Certificate Program – Alliance for Construction Excellence – ACE – www.ace4aec.com/course/job-order-contracting-joc-certificate-program-08272012 o August 26 – December 10, Phoenix, AZContinue Reading

Some of us may believe that “leaving construction and that in the hands of the professional contractors” is the solution to the inefficiencies of our industry. In reality, lack of a collaborative approach to construction among Owners, Contractors, and AE’s is the primary source of most cost overruns, legal issues, and overall poor project management....Continue Reading

The Value of Dynamic Costs for Job Order Contracts: Adjusting the costs within a Unit Price Book (UPB) on a regular basis, typically each year, helps to mitigate risk for both the Owner and Contractor by more accurately reflecting actual costs. UPBs can be research and republished annually to reflect a higher degree of accuracy...Continue Reading

A professional construction cost estimator in an important team member of any Owner, Contractor, or AE organization’s involvement in a facility renovation, repair, sustainability, or new construction project. A cost estimator’s role is to review the many factors, variables, and information sources associated with a construction project and to present an accurate total cost (the...Continue Reading

While accurate, timely, and transparent cost estimating is critical to the success of any renovation, repair, sustainability, or new construction project, most construction cost estimators (over 55%) continue to rely primarily upon manual methods, hard copy documents, or electronic spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel. Lack of robust business processes, management practices, proper education and training,...Continue Reading

It’s amazing how many cost estimators exclusively use spreadsheets. In end, this practice creates more problems than it solves. Certainly spreadsheets play an important role, however, study after study has proven them to be inefficient and prone to error when collaboration is required, or when relatively sophisticated databases are commonly used. The solution for Owners,...Continue Reading

Unit price books are unit price-based cost databases referenced by a particular JOC or SABER contract. In some cases UPBs can be task-based; however, this method doesn’t provide a level of detail consistent with the practices of most construction cost estimators. RSMeans is used in the majority of JOC contracts in the United States (over...Continue Reading

Traditional methods such as design-bid-build and even “newer” methods such as design-build are not fully collaborative. The net result is information is not shared by all parties and adversarial components of these methods typically lead to mistrust and waste. Integrated project delivery (IPD) and Job order contracting (JOC), the later also referred to as “IPD-lite”...Continue Reading

What is a coefficient? A multiplier? A factor? These terms describe a number which is applied to the unit price book (UPB) to arrive at the contractual cost for JOC / SABER construction projects. A coefficient of 1.08 means that the contractor will perform each and every line item in the unit price book for...Continue Reading

Price coefficients are applied to unit line prices from a unit price book (UPB) to determine the actual cost of JOC or SABER project and/or task order. The contracted price coefficient is applied to all labor and materials line items necessary for each job to arrive at an estimated for the job. Coefficients are important...Continue Reading

Job Order Contracting (JOC), and Simplified Acquisition of Base Engineering Requirements (SABER) are both forms of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). They are collaborative, transparent, performance-based construction delivery methods that significantly improve productivity vs. traditional design-bid-build. Procurement and project timelines are decreased, change orders are virtually non-existent, and longer term relationships exist between Owners, Contractors and...Continue Reading

Owners, Contractors and Subcontractors, 4Clicks is hosting an upcoming Regional Training Class in Las Vegas, and we’d like to invite you and your team to attend! This two day class is perfect for brand new e4Clicks Project Estimator users and those who could benefit from a refresher course. A great chance to sharpen your estimating...Continue Reading

Are you using “old” cost data? Exclusively enhanced 2012 RSMeans Electronic Cost Data is now available, integrated within e4Clicks Project Estimator, for your JOC, SABER, IDIQ, SATOC, MATOC, MACC, POCA, and BOA projects. Approximately 400,000 line items are available, complete with modified, detailed descriptions, references and specifications… all in electronic format and including advanced search...Continue Reading

“All-in-one” software solutions such as e4Clicks Project Estimator are key to improving productivity, transparency, accuracy and collaboration among Contractors, Owners and AE’s. While spreadsheets play an important role, having cost estimating (including visual estimating and QTO), project management, document management, contract management, and an RSMeans exclusively enhanced 400,000 line item database, all within a single...Continue Reading

Reminder to reserve your space before it’s too late! Great if you are new to using e4Clicks for JOC, SABER, IDIQ, SATOC and MATOC projects and RSMeans Cost Data, or simply need a refresher course. Join your fellow estimators, contractors, A/E’s, and contracting professionals for a hands-on and FUN two days of training. Our “teachers”...Continue Reading

Is a Maintenance and Repair under a JOC contract, and/or construction considered “Performance Based Service” or does it have its own category in terms of the FAR interpretation? Administering task orders on an IDIQ Job Order Contract for Maintenance and Repairs should always include appropriate legal review, and we are not qualified to offer, nor...Continue Reading

The 2012 e4Clicks subscriptions are ready to go! We are excited about the new features in release 2.610. Be sure to read the Readme and join our spotlight events during the next few months to see the great new features! Thanks for a great 2011 we wish everyone well in 2012.Continue Reading

When it is crunch time at year end….Would it be nice if you had a tool that could compare your Independent Government Estimate (IGE) to the Contractors estimate? All in one program…..no multi colored pens or pencils? Well if you didn’t already know it you do! Join me next Wednesday, January 11th, 3PM and I...Continue Reading

Masterformat, Uniformat, and reference cost databases such as RS Means Construction Cost Data are important “best practices” for enabling facility Owners, Contractors, AE’s, and oversight groups to achieve higher productivity, accuracy, and transparency for all construction, renovation, repair, and sustainability projects. – MasterFormat is a standard for construction unit price line items for commercial and...Continue Reading

View the recently held RSMeans WebCast on Efficient Project Delivery/JOC at https://us.reg.meeting-stream.com/RBI_111711  Facility repair and renovation projects often arrive suddenly and with tight completion timelines, leading to excessive cost and quality issues. Job Order Contracting (JOC) and SABER are proven construction project delivery method that help facility managers accomplish more with fewer resources— and reduce...Continue Reading

Visit the our new Cost Estimating and Project Management FORUM at 4clicks.com/forums and discuss a wide range of items: Visual Estimating, RSMeans Cost Data, UPBs, BIM, Contract Management, Project Management, JOC, SABER, IDIQs, MATOC, SATOC, MACC, Estimating… it’s up to you! This is an open site for Owners, Contractors, and AE’s to share information. Visit...Continue Reading