This story was originally published by MIKE LANDERS on the Bluebeam Blog.

With smart PDFs now being generated as part of bid packages thanks to a variety of digital tools within the marketplace, end–users can now use technology to boost the visual appeal, accuracy, and overall value of bid packages.

“Bluebeam Revu can actually make use of those smart PDFs by making sure that it allows estimators to take off quantities accurately,” said Deepak Maini, a qualified mechanical engineer with two decades of experience. “The tools that you’ve got available in Bluebeam Revu, the accuracy of picking regions, the accuracy of visually searching items, and the standardization potential make it a great asset to making a successful bid package.”

Three keys to a successful bid

• Accuracy of the scale of the sheet
• The right set of customizable and standardized digital tools
• Accurate cost values associated with materials and labor

Quantity takeoffs and accuracy

Now a noted guest lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and University of New South Wales (UNSW), Maini, the current national technical manager for Cadgroup Australia, advocates for paperless bid packages and credits Revu as a crucial piece of the puzzle.

“In the Australia-New Zealand market, and actually in the global market as a whole, the climate is very competitive,” Maini said. “The process of taking off quantities within today’s market needs to be accurate and needs to be fast. And that’s where Bluebeam Revu plays a massive role. With it, the estimator can take off quantities on one job and then quickly get onto the next job without wasting too much time.”

“There’s absolutely no comparison between Revu and paper,” Maini continued. “We are talking about projects going in hundreds of millions of dollars and billions of dollars as well, which means that you’ve got these PDF sheets getting delivered to you, which are not two or three sheets. You’ve got 100-150 sheets getting delivered and that’s why taking off quantities using an accurate process is really important.”

Ensuring scale can also be achieved within the sophisticated calibration capabilities in Revu. This is crucial when receiving documents as you don’t have to rely on the imagery to be accurate in scale, which could be a huge issue for estimation.

“In Revu, we calibrate the sheet and we find out what scale the objects are at, and then when we are taking off the quantities, it ensures that we use the right scale and we get the right measurements,” Deepak said.

Standardizing

Being able to consistently takeoff accurate quantities is essential to completing bid packages in a timely and accurate manner.

“This is again where Bluebeam Revu is absolutely fantastic,” Maini said. “I create certain specialized and takeoff tools, I can then have them sitting in my own custom toolset, and then I can distribute the toolset within my own team, which means that everybody who’s taking off the quantities will have the same display of quantities. ”

Cost values can also be plugged into Revu, allowing instant dollar projections for the project. “As you take off the quantities, it gives you the dollar value of that quantity right there in front of you,” Maini said. “You can have that displayed as a table on the sheet, which means that you can straight away find out how much it’s going to cost you.”

The ability within the digital tools in Revu to drive accuracy and consistency among estimators allows firms the flexibility to more accurately staff projects, without the risk of lesser experienced estimators using a process of their own, which might hinder the accuracy of the quantity takeoffs and the success of the bid as a whole.

This story was originally published by DOMONIC DIAZ-WESTON on the Bluebeam Blog.

Every construction trade plays a different role in each construction project. As a result, they are likely to find different values in the myriad tools and features available in Bluebeam Revu.

Kaaron Lee-Wah, an electrician in Toronto, is no different. To him, Revu has become essential ever since his boss asked him to explore how to completely digitize his company’s electrical drawings from paper. Revu has allowed him to use tools in the software that make his job more efficient, helping him to save time on previous paper-based tasks.

These are the Revu features that are unquestionably Kaaron’s favorite:

Tool Chest: “This allows you to create custom icons to help identify and create a clean and easy layout for your guys in the field to follow along. When it comes to electricians using Bluebeam, there are many different panels, circuits and devices that we have to account for and include on our drawing. With Tool Chest, you can create icons, color whatever size you need it, all in a matter of seconds—and they look very professional.”

Calibrate: “The Calibrate feature is pretty dope, where you’re able to upload a PDF version of any drawing—whether it be mechanical, architecture, electrical, even landscape—and you can customize that calibration to that specific scale. So, drawings come in many different scales, and other software have a hard time picking up and reading that scale of a drawing. But Bluebeam has a great feature, the Command + M tool, that can measure it, and you’re able to customize and calibrate any drawing or PDF you upload into Bluebeam, which gives you access to finding whatever measurement that you need—whether it be in millimeters or meters or feet—all off the custom calibration once you upload it into your Bluebeam Revu.”

Overlay: “It’s kind of similar to Snapshot, but with Overlay you’re able to grab the entire page itself and overlay it on top of a second set of drawings, and then that can help you identify or troubleshoot any issues with architecture and electrical drawings.”

Snapshot: “I find with Snapshot you’re able to now copy a section—let’s say the electrical drawings—and bring them over to the architectural drawings if you want to overlay for a certain reason. So, what we do in the electrical trade is I’ll take a Snapshot of the electrical drawings of let’s say a unit in a condo, and I will overlay it on the architectural drawings, which show you more detail—wall sizes, how long a wall is, how deep the wall is. It’s an amazing feature, and it comes in clutch every time.”

Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAkD-l8v_m8 

This story was originally published by Troy Degroot on the Bluebeam Blog.

I’m a firm believer that every specialty contractor could benefit from implementing Bluebeam Revu in their everyday workflows. For this article, I’d like to highlight a concrete contractor’s position from bid to built.

There are a few important objectives we find in any construction project. I’d like to walk through how Revu meets those requirements. If you’re interested in learning more about how these can be done in Revu, have a look at “5 Ways Concrete Contractors Get the Most Out of Bluebeam Revu.”

Every company is different in how it approaches projects. In this article, I want to highlight the possibilities so you can see where Revu fits and what customizations may be required to make it fit your unique needs.

Let’s look at those project objectives.

From the first time you open the request for proposal (RFP), there are things a project manager starts to think about even before they open the drawings—and even more as the plans rollout.

Project Location: Do we have crews in the project location, or do we need to accommodate for travel expenses? While Revu may not have a “location cost” built into the available tools, it is possible to develop these. Perhaps you want to have a pulldown menu with specific cities or areas where you perform work regularly. Along with the locations in a pulldown, you could also associate a percentage markup to account for that area based on historical project data.

Pour Dates and Schedule: Do we have crews available to meet dates and project phases? For large development projects with phases, we can use the Spaces feature in Revu. Simply draw a Space shape around an area of work and name it “Phase II.” By doing so all the slabs, curbs, etc., will be categorized in the markups list under the Phase name. This makes it easier to allocate crews, materials and equipment based on the specific requirements of each phase. We can also track the progress using the built-in Status column where crews can mark each day’s progress on what slabs, walls or foundations were completed.

Equipment Required: Just like labor availability, we need to consider equipment availability for things like forms, trucks, curb or cross pan machines. Creating custom tools in Revu, you can place a symbol within a “Phase” indicating what equipment is required. You can even allocate a rental price per day for the equipment cost estimate.

Estimate: There are great measurement tools included in Revu allowing you to calculate area of slabs, volume of isolated pad footings or linear footage of strip footings. The versatility of Revu and our ability to customize tools opens the door to personalizing your markups and what data is generated. We can differentiate types of pours by color, linestyle and hatch patterns, or even add labels to display a description right on the drawing. We can also add parameters like design mix, hand vs. machine, or whether fiber mesh or WWF is required. In some cases, we could even estimate the rebar required or the number of trucks need to be scheduled based on cubic yards.

Finish Requirements: We need a clear understanding of finishes like construction/control joint layouts, stamped design, smooth or broomed, color stained or saw cut requirements. Applying different colors or hatch patterns to the markups will clearly identify those areas in a clear and visual way for the estimator and the crew in the field. A custom line tool representing saw cuts allows you to trace them on plan and quickly apply labor and equipment costs based on a linear footage collected in the markups.

QA/QC: As a final walk through you can do a punch list noting any damage cause by other trades. You can easily incorporate images or video documenting these damages and what it will cost to fix them.

Revisions and Scope Changes: Every project has delays for weather, site and utility prep. Often projects have design changes as well and we need to not only stay current but also track and communicate scope changes. These can often change cost and pricing as the scope begins to creep after the original estimate. Revu also has tools called Document Compare and Overlay Pages that will look at two drawings and quickly point out the differences. Document Compare is going to automatically draw clouds around all the changes. Overlay Pages is like the old light tables we used to place physical drawings over one another and see what was different. After finding the changes, your takeoff markups can quickly be stretched or moved rather than starting over. At that point, you have tangible evidence of scope changes for cost updates.

After reading these objectives and possibilities, you could have one of three responses. One, this article helped evaluate Bluebeam Revu as a solution. Two, you already use Revu, but the article sparked ideas on how your current use could improve. Or three, we confirmed you’re already getting the most out of your software investment.