Create systems to organize your estimating and avoid errors.

1. Estimating is a complex effort and it’s easy to miss some details
   1. There are many aspects to every estimate
      1. Contract
      2. General Requirements
      3. Project Management
      4. Work Scope/Tasks
      5. Closeout & Warranty
   2. We can miss things and scope gaps erode profits
   3. Create a system to help avoid omissions
2. Guides and templates help cover the details
   1. Many of you already use templates – add guides to help the process
   2. A guide will help the estimator check on common issues / costs
   3. Break your guide into parts as outlined above
3. Create the estimating playbook
   1. A series of guides and templates to help the estimator check the details
   2. The guides can be a simple as a series of questions and checklists
   3. Create one for each group and individual ones for each scope/task section
   4. Examples:
      1. Contract: what are pay terms? Schedule? Insurance? Bonds?
      2. General Requirements: Trash removal? Testing? LEED? Reporting? Software?
      3. Project Management: Onsite Staffing? Temp Facilities? Oversight?
      4. Work Scope/Tasks: Create a guide for each scope with questions related to the scope – Concrete Mix Design? Winter Protection?
      5. Closeout / Warranty: Special closeout requirements? Warranty? Warranty bond?