Carter Lumber: The unique use of takeoff and estimating products by one of America’s biggest suppliers

OUTCOME

When talking about how other building suppliers and manufacturers operate, Woodie Bryan, Carter Lumber’s Regional Director of Commercial and Multifamily Sales, says, “If they’re not using (On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid), I don’t know how they’re keeping track of everything. I really don’t. It’s really a time-saving tool.”

His team now saves up to five hours on each takeoff they perform for their customers, versus their earlier procedure of manually updating spreadsheets. What’s more, with On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid they can also pull numbers from one project to another, instead of having to do new calculations each time. Referencing the time savings from these front-end steps, and how they allow his team members to deliver for customers more quickly, Bryan said, “How you finish is best determined by how you start.”

Bryan noticed cost savings for Carter Lumber, as well. “The waste feature in Quick Bid on products that are calculated in linear footage is a very useful tool,” he tells ConstructConnect. “It allows us to account for waste in the raw cost of the product without inflating the quantity. This tool prevents project managers from over ordering material and wasting product in the field.”

Moving forward, every new employee that joins Carter Lumber’s Commercial and Multifamily Sales division will be trained in using On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid.