Why We Decided to Create TurboBid Estimating Software

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Prior to September 11th, 2001, construction projects were plentiful and profit margins were high. It allowed subcontractors to use estimating systems that failed to accurately identify and account for all of their costs. The prevailing attitude was "Most of the projects that we’re awarded will make money but we’re willing to accept that some of the projects we’re awarded will end up losing money. It’s just the way it is. We’re not worried about it because at the end of the year, we always seem to be okay."

Shortly after 9/11, we found ourselves in the midst of an uncertain economy. While commercial projects and new home construction had not yet come to a complete stand-still, competition among subcontractors was getting fierce.

We were actually an electrical contractor during this time. Competition drove profits into the gutter. No longer did the days of "Win some – Lose some" apply. In this new economy, losing money on a single project could have a devastating effect on your company.

We knew that in order for our company to consistently win profitable jobs, we had to have a systematical method to help us identify and account for ALL of our costs to do a project.

Because our contracting company provided a multitude of services, such as service work, remodeling, new homes, commercial build-outs, etc., we simply could not find anything that fit our needs. That’s when we made the decision to create our own estimating software. Enter TurboBid.

In all honesty, TurboBid helped our company thrive during difficult times. It allowed us to accurately calculate how much it would cost us to complete a project so that we could decide on a reasonable bid price. More importantly, it gave us an advantage when it came down to negotiations. By knowing our break-even cost, we knew when to walk away. We never lost money. 

The impact that TurboBid’s bid package had on the success of our contracting company during this time cannot be overlooked. By providing TurboBid’s bid package, which was far more professional and detailed than what our competition was submitting, we gave our customers a reason to want us to do their work. They were left with the impression that we were far more professional and detailed oriented. These are the qualities that they want on their jobs. They want their jobs to go smoothly and they’re willing to pay more for it. Think about it. If your bid package doesn’t give your customer a reason for them to want you to do their job, what other reason do they have? The only other possible reason they can have is price. Who submitted the lowest bid? I’m sorry but if you have to rely on being the lowest price to win jobs, you will ultimately fail and slowly go out of business.

After the success that we were able to achieve using TurboBid, we decided to produce a version that we could market and sell to other contractors. Within a short period of time, we were able to move away from contracting all together. We had found true satisfaction in being able to help other contractors become more successful. We understand what it’s like walking in their shoes. We understand the pressure to succeed. There’s great satisfaction in helping someone start winning profitable jobs. To help them start to regain balance in their lives.