Company: Perry Reid Construction
Company Type: General contractor and construction management
Specialties: Commercial and civic construction, multifamily residential
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
ProEst Users: 3
Years in Business: 4
Before activating ProEst in June of 2021, Perry Reid estimators were using a competitive construction estimating solution to prepare and submit their project bids. But they were quick to notice its shortcomings— specifically, it was more geared to homeowners than general contractors—and after just a few months, they recognized the need for a change. Key to success for a new solution was the ability to fully integrate with the company’s Procore project management software down the road, and after narrowing their choices down to two, the Perry Reid team chose ProEst.
We really liked the versatility of ProEst and it’s takeoff functionality put it over the top."
Like any decision-maker tasked with selecting the right technology platform for a growing business, Perry Reid’s Craig
Beebe did his homework, conducting online searches for construction estimating products that were affordable, available and had all of the capabilities the company was looking for. He had been disappointed once before, having been “sold” on software that failed to meet their needs, and was determined to find a solution that legitimately checked all the boxes. “I did my research on the internet,” he said. “We’re getting ready to implement Procore and I really wanted
something that would integrate with that.” Sage software was also under consideration, says Beebe, but ultimately,
ProEst won out. “We really liked the versatility of ProEst better, and it’s takeoff functionality put it over the top.”
Perry Reid has found a much-needed niche in midwestern markets as a builder of large, multi-family developments, partnering with a project owner who calls on the company to create and submit bids for every new project they undertake. With 50% of their revenue generated from a single source, Perry Reid estimators rely on ProEst to produce estimates that conform to specific reporting preferences and requirements, an important factor in facilitating a long-term working relationship. According to Beebe, bid requests for other kinds of projects—schools, medical facilities and government installations—has also been non-stop, making ProEst efficiency all the more important to the Perry Reid estimating team. “It’s been crazy,” he said, “things have not slowed down for us in terms of projects coming in and out. Even with all of the material shortages and price escalations, we’re busier than ever.”
We’re getting ready to implement Procore, and I wanted something that would integrate with that."
While Perry Reid’s onsite teams often work in four states simultaneously, the company’s estimating process takes place exclusively in their Lincoln, Nebraska headquarters. “Our estimators, project managers and project engineers are here 90% of the time,” he said. Since activating ProEst in June of 2021, the company has completed 45 bids ranging in value from $500,000 to $30 Million, new levels of estimating productivity that ProEst has helped support. And while Beebe can foresee the day when project superintendents use ProEst in the field, he acknowledges that it remains a goal for the future. In the meantime, Beebe hopes to make the integration of ProEst and Procore a reality, an objective that was firmly in mind when he chose the ProEst platform. “We’re not there yet,” he said, “but that was always the plan.”
Verifying quantities with integrated takeoffs, when the numbers are right in front of you, has been a huge help."
Compared to the solutions they’ve used in the past, Perry Reid estimators are especially impressed with the versatility of the ProEst program. Before ProEst, says Beebe, adding cost codes, modifying descriptions and addressing other client-facing estimating data was difficult, if not impossible. “I like the versatility of not showing our general requirements, which we couldn’t do with other programs,” he said. “When we would send an estimate out before, we could only send a schedule of values, not an estimate with general requirements being one line item and everything else broken out. That was one of the selling points of ProEst.” And because every client has different expectations, ProEst versatility comes into play on a daily basis, helping Perry Reid produce reports that conform with differing client needs. “ProEst reports are pretty robust; we’ve had no complaints from owners,” said Beebe.
Of all of the features ProEst brings to the table, Craig Beebe perhaps most values the system’s integrated takeoff function, a benefit that saves Perry Reid estimators and project engineers the time and trouble of moving volumes of complex data from a standalone takeoff program to their project estimating platform. “We do takeoffs mostly for quantity verification on subcontractor quotes,” he said, noting that in most cases, trade-specific project tasks are assigned to multiple subcontractors who bid on the work. “Verifying quantities with integrated takeoffs, when those numbers are right in front of you on bid day, has been a huge help.” Even better, Beebe finds that the integrated takeoff function gives his team more time to dig deeper into drawings and focus on business strategy—a far more productive use of their time.
I like the versatility of not showing our general requirements, which we couldn’t do with other programs."
Pointing to their latest building project, a residential complex in Grand Junction, Colorado, Beebe is pleased that that with ProEst on board, Perry Reid can respond to the growing demands for housing where little or none existed. “We’re finishing up the seventh of eight buildings and then the developer has sixteen more buildings to do,” he said. “There’s just nothing out there, and with interest rates the way they are, it’s easy for them to make the profits they need.” Even better for Perry Reid, the multi-family residential building boom is not limited to Colorado. The company is entertaining the possibility of expanding their reach to the Northeast, where demand for housing is high and inventory is low. “We’re looking at projects [for the same developer] in Connecticut and Massachusetts. That’s where there’s a real shortage and a need for housing.” With ProEst as an integral part of the estimating process, Perry Reid is well positioned to rise to the challenge.
