The Story
Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Colorado Civil Takeoffs is a fresh face in the mountainous state’s construction industry. Founded just last year in 2023, it nonetheless still offers decades of rich experience thanks to its accomplished staff. Specializing in the construction takeoff process and estimating for many kinds of civil projects, Colorado Civil Takeoffs promises to bring expert efficiency to the entire Front Range.
The Challenge
With years of experience as an estimator and project manager for fellow Colorado-based companies GLH Construction and NRE Excavation, Colorado Civil Takeoffs owner and head estimator Rick Becvarik has had ample opportunity to build his expertise in project takeoffs and estimating. But after being at the forefront for so many years, Rick decided it was time to take a step back.
“We started Colorado Civil to give me a little more leeway on time so that I’m not in the same grind of working those 10-hour-a-day jobs.”
Wanting to take charge of his work-life balance and have more free time to spend with his family, Rick stepped away from his previous roles at his previous companies, setting himself up as his own boss and using his time as he saw fit. With that done, he began the search for the software that would be best suited for him.
Previous Solutions
“I’ve previously used Bid2Win. We only used it for a short period of time… So I only got a month or two’s use of it, but that was actually the time when I first reached out to SharpeSoft because the owner wanted to do an estimating program comparison. They decided not to do anything at that time, but that was my initial correspondence with SharpeSoft.”
After leaving his previous position, Rick was able to use the knowledge of industry software he had cultivated to find the right products for Colorado Civil Takeoffs. However, a solid estimating solution was missing.
“We invested in various software. The 3D takeoff software we use is AgTek, and the 2D takeoff we use is eTakeoff. We use Bluebeam for all our PDF editing, and then we were using an Excel template for all of our estimating. Having used SharpeSoft in the past, using the Excel template was taking too long to get all our bids put together, and trying to make changes on the fly.”
Usage rates for Excel within the construction industry continue to decline, and it’s not hard to see why. A 2020 survey conducted by LetsBuild found that 85% of the construction industry still makes exclusive use of Excel to keep track of finances and building project estimates. A similar study by the University of Hawaii found that nearly 88% of all spreadsheets contain some error. These errors can have enormous ramifications. J.P. Morgan’s loss of a total of $6 billion dollars in 2012 occurred because two sums were divided in an Excel document instead of finding the average. Purpose-built programs like SharpeSoft have the kind of security systems available that Excel lacks, preventing errors like these before they occur.
Getting in Contact
Remembering the other estimating program he had been asked to review as part of a product comparison, Rick contacted SharpeSoft to get the full story.
“I reached out to SharpeSoft and put a deal together, and here we are. It’s probably the best move I’ve made with software since starting the company. That being said, I worked with SharpeSoft at one of my previous employers, so I knew about the program. I knew what I was getting into, and I knew I was getting into a program I would like. So that was beneficial to me, knowing what to expect.”
Interaction with SharpeSoft
“William, who is a wonderful man and who I can’t speak highly of enough, helped me out. I don’t think we built a full database like you guys do for normal clients. Johnathan jumped in there and took the lead on everything. Johnathan is my go-to guy, and he’s there for me every time I need him, and he’s just been incredible. I even posted a thing on LinkedIn after Johnathan and I did a session, I said: ‘wow, the support was really there when I needed it.’ So he’s got me really dialed in on some of the initial tweaks we had to take in.”
“Because I was a previous user, William thought maybe we could save some time and money. Sometimes I’m not sure, that’s the best way, but Johnathan and I have been tweaking it, and he’s been showing me how to do things on my own.”
“But as far as the implementation, everything went well. We’re basically up and running, we still have a lot of things I want to change here and there, and I’ll reach out when I want to do them. I’ve had some issues with the program, and the support team has been right on it. You’re never left just hanging there, they’re there for you no matter which department or who it’s going to be, someone’s out there to take care of it for you.”
How Has SharpeSoft Helped
“Without SharpeSoft’s support, I wouldn’t be able to do as much as I’ve been doing, in terms of adding companies and all the things I wasn’t used to doing before. But it’s the efficiency of the program that really helps out so much. Yesterday I banged out a takeoff and a bid in about half the time I could’ve if I was working on that Excel sheet.”
“We keep picking up clients. I actually had to hire a part-time guy to help me out when we went through a month of so many bids and takeoffs that were due.”
While Colorado Civil Takeoffs has found professional success since implementing SharpeSoft, Rick says that’s not the only benefit.
“As far as freeing up time, it’s the reason why I reached out to Sharpe. It’s because I knew there was such a time savings. But also just keeping my head sane. With the spreadsheets, when you’re trying to get so many bids done, they just can’t keep up. With that being said, Sharpe has given me the opportunity to copy similar bids, have my template set up already, and modify it really quickly. When you try to do that much, Excel starts getting a little cumbersome.”
Would you recommend SharpeSoft?
“Yes. It’s a good family of people, I think. I think that’s how you guys want to structure it, and I can tell that’s how it’s structured. It’s just a good feeling. You reach out to these software companies, and they want you on and off the phone as quickly as possible. They’re short and want to solve your problem and be gone. SharpeSoft feels like they have more of a family atmosphere.”
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