Estimating Formulas

Estimating Formulas

The BidMagic construction estimating software provides three different formulas for each line item in Specifications.

To see the formulas for any item, follow these steps:

1. In Specifications, choose any pop-up button, and choose Edit Unit Prices from the bottom of the menu.
2. In the Unit Price Editor, select the desired item from the list on the left side.
3. The formulas are listed in italics at lower right, under Suggested Quantity, Labor Adjustment and Material Adjustment.

NOTE: If there is no formula for an item, None will be displayed.

The formulas are used as follows:

The Suggested Quantity calculates the quantity that is used for each line item in Specifications when the item is locked.

EXAMPLE: The suggested formula for Exterior latex is ExtWallPaintArea, which is the calculated area of exterior painting, as shown on the Finish Dimensions card (see page 243).

The Labor Adjustment adjusts the labor price for some items, based on dimensions such as stud spacing or slab thickness.

EXAMPLE: The labor adjustment for Exterior Latex is *Extcoat, which multiplies the labor unit price by the number of exterior paint coats shown on the Finish Dimensions card.

The Material Adjustment adjusts the material price, based on dimensions such as stud spacing or slab thickness.

EXAMPLE: The material adjustment for Exterior Latex is *Extcoat, which multiplies the material unit price by the number of exterior paint coats shown on the Finish Dimensions card.

The formulas use short names for each of the quantities set in Dimensions. For a listing of all dimension names, see page 428.

The formulas may also include arithmetical operators (+, -, * and /), along with the AVERAGE, MIN (minimum), MAX (maximum), and SQRT (square root) functions (see page 267).