It’s summer. That means 100° temps in the field—and 100 open bids in your inbox. If you’re a concrete estimator, you’re not alone. This is your crunch time: change orders flying in, fall and winter bids stacking up, and tight GC deadlines leaving no room for error.
So how do you stay sharp, move fast, and avoid burnout? Here are five hacks to help you survive the summer rush with STACK Takeoff and Estimating—without sacrificing your sanity (or your margins):
1. Build a Bid-Ready Template Library
Stop reinventing the wheel. Save time with STACK’s prebuilt Items & Asssemblies for common concrete scopes like:
- Sidewalks and curbs
- Slabs on grade
- Walls and footings
- Tilt-up or precast panels
STACK Pro Tip: STACK’s Items & Assemblies let you drag-and-drop entire scope packages into your takeoff in seconds.
2. Speed Up Plan Reviews with Smart Search
Manually scanning 80+ plan pages? That’s a productivity killer.
Use STACK to automatically search for key terms like “slab,” “curb,” or “concrete washout” and jump straight to the callouts.
STACK Pro Tip: STACK’s smart search and automatic hyperlinking gets you to the data faster, so you can focus on pricing, not page flipping.
3. Track Real-Time Cost Shifts
Summer = volatile pricing. Between material escalations, tariffs, and supplier delays, yesterday’s quote might not hold up today.
Update your cost database regularly and create quick-adjust formulas for:
- Cement and rebar pricing
- Mix design variations
- Crew productivity in extreme weather
STACK Pro Tip: STACK lets you adjust costs on the fly—so your estimates stay accurate as market conditions change.
4. Prioritize High-ROI Projects
Don’t bid every job. Focus on projects that are worth your team’s time.
Ask yourself:
- Is the GC a reliable partner?
- Is the job close to your batch plant?
- Are the specs realistic for your crew?
STACK Pro Tip: With STACK, you can review project plans faster and flag risks earlier—helping you make better go/no-go decisions.
5. Collaborate Without the Chaos
Estimating is a team sport, especially when field feedback matters.
Use cloud-based tools that let your team collaborate in real time—no more emailing spreadsheets or chasing down the latest version.
STACK Pro Tip: STACK allows multiple team members to work on the same bid simultaneously, with changes synced automatically.
Ready to Clear the Pileup?
STACK’s Takeoff & Estimating platform was built for fast-paced concrete teams like yours. Whether you’re buried in change orders or racing to hit fall bid deadlines, we’ve got the tools to help you bid smarter—and win more. Check out a demo today.
