Builder-BOS Estimator

Re: update in BBOS Estimator to version 24.01

Release date: September 10, 2024

In response to a subscriber request, some changes have been made in the way the Footings and Foundation Walls are calculated in the “Take-Off” tab.

There is now greater flexibility in the sizing of the Footings and the Foundation Walls.  This was done to accommodate different sized engineering requirements for different regions.

If you load an existing estimate into the updated BBOS Estimator (version 24.01), the platform is likely to throw an error in the “Footings & Foundation” and in the “Concrete Flatwork” line items in the Construction Budget tab.

If this happens, you have two options:

1. Select the previous BBOS Estimator version on which the original estimate was created.
   • Go to the BBOS Estimator home page;
   • Select the “BBOS Estimator Previous Versions” button;
   • Select the gray “BUILDER-BOS ESTIMATOR 23-1015” button;
   • Load your existing estimate into this platform, which is the same platform you have been using.
   • You will need to access the previous platform version each time you load the existing estimate (i.e. to add Change Order or Monthly Expenditure information).
   • Use the new BBOS Estimator v24.01 platform for all NEW estimates you create.
2. Use the new version – BBOS Estimator v24.01
   • Load your existing estimate to the new platform.
   • Check the “Const Budget” tab to see if there is an ERROR in the “Footings & Foundation” or the “Concrete Flatwork” line items.
   • If so, go to the take-off tab, at the “FOOTINGS” section, and check the “Width” and “Depth” choices. If a default is correct, you don’t have to make any changes here.  If no defaults match your use case, change the inputs to match your regional requirements.
   • Follow the same process for the “FOUNDATION WALL” section.
   • Then go to the “ConcFoundation” tab. At the “FOOTINGS” section, open the drop-down menu in the first column, and select the option that you wish to use. Check the quantities and pricing to make sure they are correct.
   • Follow the same process for the “FOUNDATION WALL” section.
   • Depending on how you use the “OTHER FLATWORK” section in the Take-Off, that section may throw an error. It is corrected in the same way. Access the “Flatwork-Landscape” tab, determine where the error is, access the dropdown menu, and select an available option.
   • Without getting too far into the weeds, all that has happened is that the options in the dropdown menu have changed, and the Detail Page just needs to be re-aligned.

You should UPDATE YOUR COMPANY TEMPLATE using the instructions in Option 2, above. The only changes you will need to make will be to the “ConcFoundation” and, possibly, the “Flatwork-Landscape” tabs. Save the new COMPANY TEMPLATE after making the changes.

I apologize in advance for this extra work, but when a subscriber makes a request which has benefit for all other subscribers, it is sometimes necessary to update the platform.  This was deemed to be the case for this revision.

If you cannot update or use previous estimates, please let me know by using the “Feedback on BBOS Estimator” link at the bottom of the BBOS Estimator page, and I will be happy to walk through the process with you.