Timberline Forum

We’ve got great news for Estimating Standard and Extended customers! The Sage Construction and Real Estate group has entered into an agreement with Tech Unlimited, Inc., to distribute PlanSwift and PlanSwift for Sage 2D construction takeoff solutions. Tech Unlimited, Inc. is a leading provider of electronic plan takeoff for construction industry professionals.

PlanSwift allows builders to calculate and takeoff dimensions electronically using digital plans. PlanSwift for Sage, offered only through Sage, integrates exclusively with Sage’s Estimating Standard and Extended products to provide you with enhanced productivity and cost-savings.

Learn more about PlanSwift by clicking here. 

I am posting the press release issued by Sage Corporate.  If you would like to know more please contact Ed Ledgerwood or Daren Baldwin.

Sage Timberline Office Estimating and PlanSwift, Help Builders Swiftly Streamline Processes
Integrated solution helps builders improve efficiency, enhance collaboration and control construction costsAtlanta, Ga., June 8, 2010 – Sage North America announced today its Construction and Real Estate group has entered into an agreement with Tech Unlimited, Inc., to distribute PlanSwift and PlanSwift for Sage 2D construction takeoff solutions.  PlanSwift allows builders to calculate and takeoff dimensions electronically using digital plans.  PlanSwift for Sage, offered only through Sage, integrates exclusively with Sage’s Estimating Standard and Extended products giving Sage customers enhanced productivity and cost-savings.  Tech Unlimited, Inc. is a leading provider of electronic plan takeoff for construction industry professionals.  Sage Construction and Real Estate product lines have been recognized as the most widely used applications for construction estimating, job costing, accounting, payroll, and project management, according to the Construction Financial Management Association’s (CFMA) 2010 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry.

“As the construction industry fights to regain its lost footing from the economic downturn, builders need every opportunity to drive efficiency into the business. The combination of  PlanSwift and Sage’s Estimating Standard and Extended products creates a powerful offering that provides builders with an easy to use, cost effective and streamlined process from plans to estimate”, said Jim Walter, vice president of development, Sage Construction and Real Estate. “Today’s announcement further communicates our commitment to the construction industry by offering a wide range of estimating tools designed to help increase accuracy and productivity.”

PlanSwift and PlanSwift for Sage help construction industry professionals:

• Save time and increase productivity using electronic plans and digital takeoff tools
• Reduce costs by eliminating the cost of duplicating and shipping paper plans
• Improve collaboration using comparative overlays and the ability to share and email plans and supporting job details

“Our customers continue to look for ways to leverage technology to cost-effectively and efficiently address industry challenges,” said Jon Newsom of Contractor Business Solutions NW, a Sage CRE Business Partner. “The integration of PlanSwift and Sage’s suite of construction-specific solutions allows us to present a unique offering to our customers that will empower them to bid projects faster, more accurately and take their estimating processes to the next level.”

By offering PlanSwift and PlanSwift for Sage, Sage Construction and Real Estate continues its commitment to provide construction industry professionals cost-effective solutions that support mission-critical operations such as estimating. These powerful tools help estimators bid and win more work without adding overhead.

“At PlanSwift, our number one objective is to streamline the estimating process and we feel that our ultra tight integration with Sage Timberline Office Estimating provides contractors with the complete solution,” said James Purpura, PlanSwift’s President/COO.

ASA-NM Trade Show

For the second year in a row, Ledgerwood Associate’s Daren Baldwin spent the day in Albuquerque attending the American Subcontractors Association of New Mexico Annual Trade Show. One of our clients, Yearout Mechanical invited us to attend and how can we say no to them? 

This year it was held at the Sandia Resort and Casino.  Despite the current economy, New Mexico seems to be somewhat sheltered from the downturn.  Daren says he spoke with plenty of attendees and said he thought the event was well-attended.  He even got to play Santa Claus by giving away an iPod to one lucky visitor.

Daren loves going to New Mexico because it gives him an opportunity to see our many New Mexican clients and chat with them in a relaxed environment.  If you didn’t make it out there this year, don’t worry we already plan on sending Daren out there again next year!

In Utah, those annoying orange traffic cones and all those construction slow-downs and rerouting as a result of heavy highway street improvements are getting a different reception.  They are actually making a lot of people SMILE.  Why?  They’re the reason many construction companies are able to keep their doors open and their employees busy.  With today’s economic climate, more and more construction companies are heading into unfamiliar territory of government-funded stimulus jobs.

LAI consultant Gary Jacobson was in UTAH last week to provide Sage Timberline Project Management training to a company that will be working on the $1.7 billion expansion to include all-purpose auxiliary and express lanes and interchange construction.  Construction will take place along Intestate 15 in Utah County.

Gary spent several days training Project Managers on ways to make the most of their Sage Timberline system and ensure that not only do the projects stay on time and on budget but that they also keep the meticulous documentation the Federal Government is demanding of all companies working on Stimulus projects.  The government has promised to audit any and all companies using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  It’s promise of unprecedented transparency requires extremely detailed records be kept by those companies working on ARRA projects.

Want to more about Sage Timberline and how it can help you with your government-funded projects?  Email Daren@LedgerwoodAssociatesUSA.com.  He’d be glad to help.

To read more about the I-15 expansion project, click here.