Computers have pervaded our society, and it is time to consider how they can best serve the concrete construction business. As computing hardware has shrunk from room-sized to pocket sized, capabilities have skyrocketed. Computing speed and the capability to both process and store data have grown rapidly. We can get (and afford) RAM and hard disk storage that was unimaginable even a few years ago. So, today, are computers holding you back or helping you? According to Lee Clark, president and CEO of Garber Brothers Precision Concrete, Greenville, Ohio, computers have allowed his company more accurate estimates than ever before. Speaking at CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION'S CEO Leadership Forum in July 2003, Clark described how his company has built a job-cost database over a number of years. His estimators can now put together bids based on past costs and productivity, which have been tracked by crew as well as by particular type of work. He says sharing information with both the managers and the workers keeps productivity high and finger-pointing low.

Clark's system also exemplifies how computers have become more interconnected. Today the company uses an integrated Web-based system of re porting time and other job-related information for payroll and accounting. Managers and workers complete daily electronic timesheets and can review their own files at any time.

Tools for the rest of us

A custom-made information system is fine for a company with a computer expert on staff, but good tools are also available for contractors who don't want to build an information system from scratch.
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Like computer hardware, software programs--the specific instructions that tell the hardware what to do--have evolved. As mainstream computing has gravitated toward the Windows operating system, many program features have become more standardized. Unlike the all-text days of DOS, when learning each new program was a major undertaking, today's applications often look and feel similar. Performing similar functions in different programs is often nearly identical. For example, copying and pasting text are very similar operations in many programs, as are printing, changing text format, and controlling the document's look.

Some special purpose programs, such as QuickMeasure from San Diego--based Tally Systems, build on what you already know about a mainstream program, such as Excel. Designed to automate the measuring process, this program links the input from a roll-up vinyl digitizer and pen directly to your Excel spreadsheet. Using the pen to trace shapes allows you to quickly determine areas and quantities of even irregular shapes. The digitizer feeds the data into your existing spreadsheet so you don't have to learn and adapt to a new estimating package. The result is speedier and more accurate blueprint reading.

As part of the integration, the program adds several new tools into your Excel toolbar, including buttons to select whether you are measuring a line, an area, or a segment, or just counting. Selecting the "eyeball" tool shows an outline of the area represented by the spreadsheet cell. Because this information is stored in the cell, the outlines can be recalled at any time and printed out as needed.

The accuracy of digitizing has also benefited from advances in computer hardware. The digitizer provided by QuickMeasure has a resolution of 2540 lines per inch, which permits very accurate takeoffs.

Time and materials

Contractors are finding time-tracking systems useful. One is Jobclock, offered by Exaktime Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif. The package consists of a rugged, battery powered job clock; color-coded key tabs; two software programs; and a key tab reader that connects through a PC's USB port.

This system allows workers to record job time by simply touching the appropriate tab to the job clock--green tab to check in, red tab to punch out. Additional colored tabs can be assigned to track the start and stop times of various other activities, for example, time in transit, by simply assigning different colored tabs to specific activities.

Jobclock Reader, Palm Pilot software, allows the foreman to collect (but not edit) the data from each job clock. Back in the office, a simple Hot Sync operation loads the data from the jobclock into a data base in the PC. The PC software, called Jobclock Manager, offers a dozen pre-configured, customizable reports and allows the data to be exported to your accounting software. Most Jobclock customers are reporting that they recover their investment in about 6 weeks.

For those who prefer a more integrated, turnkey approach, Houston-based HCSS (Heavy Construction Systems Specialists Inc.) first offered a large-capacity bidding and estimating program in 1986. The package can prepare a detailed cost estimate and easily convert it into a bid, while also allowing last-minute changes. A more limited version is available at entry level pricing for smaller contractors.