Sigma Labs Blog
Get Deeper Insight Into The World Of EstimationWhy Everyone is so Bullish about 5D BIM
Why Everyone is so Bullish about 5D BIM… 5D BIM (five-dimensional building information modeling) has been lauded in the construction industry for years. In fact, McKinsey has pointed to 5D BIM as one of the next key trends to transform the construction industry ... read more
How Subcontractors Can Choose Suitable Projects & Improve Margins
The topics that we’ve been talking about in the past few blog posts (design, development, communication, common language, and transparency) don’t just apply to general contractors —they are also very relevant to subcontractors. Whether you’re a carpenter contractor who only bids on framing and trim or a piping contractor that specializes in ... read more
Tips for Using Technology to Simplify Conceptual Estimating & Historical Data
Capturing historical data is hugely important, but unfortunately, not enough builders actually do it. Since conceptual estimates are often based on design development drawings or even just verbal descriptions, your historical data can be the basis for the budget estimate. Fortunately, Sigma estimating software has the ability to reduce the ... read more
Improving Collaboration Between GC’s Trades, Owners, & Designers
Communication is one of the primary ongoing challenges when collaborating across teams and project stakeholders like designers, trades, owners, and general contractors. Consider what would happen if you were bidding a job where the owner asked for the price of a curtain wall. As the owner describes how the end result is going to look, […] read more
How to Deal More Effectively With Change Orders & Design Changes
Change orders are one of the most dreaded things that an estimator has to deal with in a project. They could occur when the owner simply changes their mind—someone might decide they want a metal roof instead of the asphalt shingle roof that had originally been chosen, for instance. Changes might also occur when a […] read more
Learn tips and tricks to improve your estimating efforts
Meet our Head of support in the US – Learn tips and tricks to improve your estimating efforts. Before becoming the head of support for Sigma Estimates in North America Bill Carey has been estimating for about 30 years, with projects ranging from half million dollars to over $200 million. He was named ASA estimator […] read more
How to Optimize Takeoff
Items like markup, profit, overhead, and general conditions are all based on the quantity derived from takeoff. Therefore, takeoff is absolutely critical to get right, regardless of whether a contractor is self-performing or taking bids from subcontractors. Self-performing contractors usually calculate the costs in estimates using a production read more
How to Prevent Losses on Construction sites through Estimating
If you are an estimator, chances are that you have been given the speech about how you are the only one in the company, who has the power to singlehandedly bankrupt it. Although it’s a bit extreme, there is no doubt that estimators hold a major key to the success of a firm; they forget something or make a big enough mistake, it could be ... read more
BIM 360 App – Sigma Estimates 3D 5D Cost Model Builder
Construction is so much more than the execution of design. It’s a complicated, labour intensive and highly complex process to bring a construction project to life. There is – what sometimes feels like – an never-ending stream of documents and demands; requirements from the owners, conceptual models and documents from architects and read more
Leveraging Templates in Sigma
Templates are an incredibly useful way to save time when making estimates with Sigma. In fact, we’ve regularly seen companies use them internally as a way to share knowledge. Templates include several aspects of the project, including a breakdown structure that you can use as a starting point. If you regularly do the same type […] read more
