Notes
Outline
Maintenance Contracting
Bidding and Estimating
Introduction
This tutorial is designed to give you instruction on how to enter a bid and to discuss the many options available
What you will learn in this session is how to create an estimate in the SLICEplus software
What you will see are various screen shots from the SLICEplus software and associated notes about the screen in the notes section at the bottom of your screen
Information on how to set up the software is covered in classes, in the SLICEplus manual, and the F1 function key online help feature
Before Beginning
Before we create a new estimate, we must first set up the defaults to be used in estimating.
We will set up the starting bid number,default overhead percentages, and a few other standards needed for bidding
To access the defaults, right click on the Main SLICEplus screen and select Control Tables (or press your F5 function key from the Main screen). Select Default Setup
Defaults
Defaults – Labor Rates and Ratio
Defaults – Current Values and Increments
Defaults – Tax Code
Defaults – Factor Table
Defaults – Use Factor Labor Rate with Equip.
Defaults – Labor Overhead %
Defaults – Material Overhead %
Defaults – Net Profit %
Determining Overhead Percentages
To determine what this figure should be take last year’s financials and compare the total of your Overhead expenses to the total of your Job Wages account and/or Materials cost.
The combinations of the Labor Overhead percent and the Materials Overhead percent should cover your overhead costs
These percentages are add-on percentages, meaning that 100% will just double the amount.
Determining Overhead Percentages
You should recover more from Labor than from Materials, so your Labor Overhead% should be a higher number
This will make you more competitive on the highly intensive materials jobs, and less competitive on the highly intensive labor jobs
You will make more money on the less intensive labor jobs so those are the jobs you want.  The more labor intensive, the longer it takes to complete, the fewer jobs you can do
Net Versus Gross Profit
If you recover your overhead using the Labor and Materials Overhead percentages, then you will be using a Net Profit %.  The range will be 3-15%
If you do not enter a percentage in those fields, then you will be calculating a Gross Profit.  The percent you enter in the Net/Gross % field will be in the 25-55% range
Defaults – GP for Subs %
Defaults – Degree of Difficulty
Estimate/Bid
The ESTIMATE/BID portion will allow you to estimate the plant costs, labor, equipment and other materials needed on a job simply by entering the plant list and operations from a design lift off or bid specification
From the Main SLICEplus screen, click on the Estimate/Bid  Button
Then click on the New button in the middle of the screen at the top, to clear the screen, for entry of a new bid.
Estimate/Bid – Estimate #
Estimate/Bid – Project Phase
Estimate/Bid – Master Project # and Name
Estimate/Bid – Client Info
Estimate/Bid – Project Site Info
Customer Type Codes
Estimate/Bid – Customer Type
Estimate/Bid – Salesperson
Estimate/Bid – Current Standards
Estimate/Bid Screen 2 Outline
Entering Items – what each column means and where the information comes from
Special Buttons on Screen 2
Right Click Options
Forcing Bids
Entering Items in a Bid by Lookup
Entering Items in a Bid by Cross Reference
Cross References
Cross References
Bid Item Entry – QTY Column
Standard Maintenance Schedules
Standard Maintenance Schedules
Standard Maintenance Schedules
Bid Item Entry – Frequency Schedule
Bid Item Entry – Req. Day
Bid Item Entry – Factor Column
Factor Codes
A factor is the labor, other materials and equipment needed for planting a certain caliper of tree or for performing an operation. A factor is a default code that is set up to pull all miscellaneous materials, equipment and labor hours together as a set. This factor is then entered on inventory items that correspond with its information. When that inventory item is placed on a bid, this factor information is automatically added into the bid
Factor Codes for Operations
Factor Codes cont. – Labor Hours
Factor Codes cont. – Materials
Factor Codes cont. – Equipment
Equipment Codes
Bid Item Entry – Labor & Equip Columns
Bid Item Entry – Cost Column
Bid Item Entry – PC Column
Bid Item Entry – Price and X-Price Column
Bid Calculation
Bid Calculation
When each item on the Estimate/Bid is "calculated," several costs, hours, rates, ratios and margins are used.  The following is a description of what processing occurs on an item when the Estimate/Bid calculation is performed.
 For purposes of this example, the process is divided into 5 steps.
Bid Calculation – Step 1
Step 1 is the Computation of the Costs associated with each line item
Item’s Standard Cost
Labor Cost by line item
Supervisor Cost by line item
Material Cost by line item
Equipment Cost by line item
Bid Calculation – Step 2
Step 2 is the Computation of the Material Overhead
Bid Calculation – Step 3
Step 3 is the Computation of the Labor Overhead
Bid Calculation – Step 4
Step 4 is the Computation of the Total Costs and Overhead before Profit
Bid Calculation – Step 5
Step 5 is the Computation of the Total including Profit
Adding Items to the Bid
Subcontractors – How to Bid
Deleting Bid Items
Deleting Bid items is easy.
Highlight the item to be deleted using your mouse and clicking on the line
Once the desired line is highlighted, click the Delete Button
Click Yes on the warning message to confirm the item’s deletion
Make sure to select the All button and recalculate
Extensions Button
Print/No Print Toggle Button
Right Click Options
Extended Description
Individual Line Item Markups
Sequencing by Seq. #
Sequencing by Seq. #
Sequencing by Item Entry
Sequencing by Item  #
Group Heading Descriptions
Group Headings in the Bid
Item Notes
Forcing Bids
One of the special Bid buttons that was not covered earlier in this tutorial is the Force Bid button
The 'FORCE UPDATE' check box can be used to adjust your total to a predetermined figure, either higher or lower than the calculated figure.
It may also be used to “hide” the cost of an item into the others without changing the overall price of the bid
Forcing Bids continued
Forcing Bids – Adjusting item pricing
Forcing Bids – An Example
Forcing Bids – An Example after Forcing
Estimate/Bid Screen 3
Estimate/Bid Screen 3
Bid Utilities
Combine 2 Bids into 1 New Bid
Combine 2 Bids into 1 New Bid
Copy a Bid to a New Bid
Delete Current Bid
Delete Multiple Bids
Estimate/Bid
Proposal
Proposal
Proposal Codes
Proposal
In-house Bid Reports
Bid Sheet
Summary
In this session you have seen how to enter a bid, all the various options available, and which reports display the results
To apply this training, open your own SLICEplus application and minimize this tutorial.  Then maximize the tutorial on your screen.  Follow the tutorial step by step, entering a real bid into your system and taking it through to the Reports, working back and forth between the tutorial and the actual software
Please send any feedback of this session to: Attn: CD Tutorial,Maintenance Bidding, 5300 Dupont Cir, Suite D, Milford, OH 45150 or fax to (513) 576-8540
Where to Get More Information
Attend SLICEplus classes
Have an onsite trainer come to you
Use your software manual and the F1 online help feature
Call our Help Desk team
Check out our other CD Tutorials
Return to List of All Tutorials