Features

The table below provides you with a summary of the features and benefits of Benchmark and shows you what is in Corporate, Professional, and Lite to help you choose the product that suits your needs.

Summary of Benchmark's Main Features

General

Easy to use A clear, intuitive and consistent interface together with professionally designed icons all help to make for a satisfying and simple end-user experience.
User based security and permissions Each user can be set up with a login and password to ensure your important estimating data is secure. You can also assign many user-specific permissions/restrictions to help ensure that your data and processes are controlled.
Customisable system options Configure many aspects of Benchmark to suit your business. This includes importing your company logo, specifying default Markup percentages and switching functionality/fields on or off.
Customisable drop down fields Customise the options available in your drop down fields to suit your business. These fields may be for important data like Cost Codes, Units, Region and Job Category (to name a few). There is also security over who can edit these settings.
Mandatory fields Nominate mandatory fields which must be completed by your users when an estimate is completed. This ensures that your business analysis reporting is consistent and accurate.
Central register of estimates All estimates you have done are listed in Benchmark’s Project Browser window. This makes finding and opening previous estimates easy and fast. You can quickly search (or filter) estimates by Client, User, Status, Due Date, Location and many other criteria.
Work offline Users who need to work on an estimate when they are not connected to their server can do so with the “Check Out / Check In” features. This uses a “portable database format” for simplicity and portability.
Document hyperlinks Easily create hyperlinks from your estimate to related project documents (e.g. drawings, photos, specifications etc) so that they are easy and fast for everyone to find.
Estimate Notes Add project-specific notes/text in various areas of your estimate. This information can be printed on some of Benchmark’s reports and acts as an excellent reference for all users.
Reports All reports can be viewed on screen, printed, exported to Microsoft Word, exported to Microsoft Excel, saved as a HTML document and saved as a PDF document.
User manual & online help Get the most out of your Benchmark system with easy access to an extensive online help system. All licensees also receive a hard copy, full-colour User Manual.

Pricing

Three Point Estimating (TPE) TPE is designed for authorities responsible for delivering large or complex capital works projects and/or programmes. Using cutting-edge three point estimating techniques and Monte-Carlo simulation, Benchmark’s TPE feature provides you with a clearer and more accurate picture of the potential price variation for capital projects and/or programmes.		Add on	Add on
Regionalisation Regionalisation is ideal for organisations that operate across a wide geographical area, and where costs vary across this area. Regionalisation allows you to have different prices for the same Resource in your Resource Library. It also allows you to “regionalise” the many other Libraries in Benchmark so users only see the data that is relevant to them. When estimating, the price used for a Project is automatically based on where the Project is being constructed. Together with the power of a Microsoft SQL Server database, Regionalisation helps you to achieve a single (or reduced numbers of) estimating database(s); this offers many benefits including greater control of costs, greater consistency, more efficient administration of data and better business reporting.
Auto Allocate If you price many schedules of items from the same client (like an Engineer or Government body) and their standard schedule/specification rarely changes, then Auto Allocate is a must for your business. Auto Allocate can bid an entire estimate in minutes, by automatically pricing the Items in your estimate using the same (or similar) Items from your Item Library.
Quantity Takeoff Sheets Perform detailed Item quantity calculations by using Takeoff Sheets. These sheets are in a spreadsheet format and can be based off standard sheets from a Library, or created on a project by project basis.
Variables Adjust key parameters and see the instant effect on your project price. Variables are ideal for parameters that regularly change on a project due to changing site conditions. They can apply to individual Items in an estimate or can have a Project-wide scope.
Sub Items Sub Items are ideal for crews, assemblies or breaking down your items of Plant/Equipment into more detail. These are a great time saver for power-users and enable you to produce more detailed estimates.
Subcontractor Manager Import quotations from Subcontractors/Suppliers electronically to save time and increase accuracy. Compare quotes in a comparison screen and automatically update your estimate with your selected Subcontractor/Supplier.
Project Specific Price Adjustments View all Resources used in an estimate in one simple window, and make project specific price changes quickly and easily. Ideal for fluctuating material prices.
Power Routines If you price large Projects where you have many sites (e.g. streets, parks, pipelines, rail lines, buildings etc) and where there is a similar operation at each site, then Power Routines will save you many, many hours. Power Routines automate these types of estimates and can build the estimate for you in seconds, not weeks!!
Add Items from a Library Add standard Items from your Item Library to an estimate. This saves you re-inventing the wheel, saves time and ensures you don’t leave important costs out of an estimate. All of your Resource requirements are worked out for you, and you have the flexibility to tailor the Item to suit your Project if required.
Create new Items Create brand new Items in a Project by adding Resources to them; you can create new Resources or pick Resources from your Resource Library (this is known as first-principles estimating). If the new Item you create is one you could use again, simply Duplicate it to your Item Library and you can re-use it over and over again.
Import/export a schedule of Items Save time and eliminate typing errors by importing a schedule of items (bill of quantities) from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. After you have priced your Project you can also save your submission rates directly into the same spreadsheet.
Routines If you ever price repetitive tasks with many parameters, Routines are the ideal function for you. Equally suited for day-to-day Quotes through to more complicated Items in larger estimates, Routines take the guesswork out of estimating. They provide the user with a list of Questions (like a checklist) and all the user needs to do is answer questions; Benchmark does the rest.
Allocate Resources from the Item Library Allocate one or many Items from your Item Library to a single Item in your Project. This feature is ideal if you need the flexibility to handle different clients who specify their tenders in different ways.
Production Rates Adjust production rates for Items on a job by job basis to ensure you obtain a realistic, accurate price suitable to the project site conditions.
Quantity Calculator Perform simple or detailed quantity calculations for Items or Resources with ease. Your calculations can include text and are automatically saved with your estimate. They can be printed on estimate review reports and they eliminate the errors and wasted time associated with working out calculations by hand or on paper.
Resource Factor This feature was originally designed to calculate total weights of Resources used in a Project. It is ideal for the scenario where you purchase Steel per Metre (for example) and you want to know the total weight in Tonnes on a Project.
Rate Only and Provisional Sum Items Add Rate Only items and Provisional Sum items in your estimate at the click of a button.
Locking your estimate Benchmark has a “Complete” function which locks in your estimated price. Complete can also act as a management tool on larger tenders by helping you keep track of where you are up to.
Cartage calculator Automatically calculate the cost of cartage based on the cartage distance for the Project. This feature can take into account a flag fall and distance included for each cartage-based Resource.
Cost Check This feature is ideal for updating previous, completed estimates with current prices. You can see which prices are out of date and elect to update all, or just some, Resources at the click of a button.
Duplicate a estimate If the Project scope changes or your Client asks for different options, duplicating your original Project is a powerful tool so that you can make changes quickly and retain your original estimate(s).
Estimate formatting Utilise text and bold text lines, sub totals and group totals to present your estimate in a very clear format.
Project Variations Easily add Variations to your Project; these can then flow through to your Progress Claims.

Profit, Overheads & Contingencies

Add Profit Add Profit (Markup) in a variety of ways including as an overall % of the Project, as a lump sum, and you can also nominate different Markup % to your Labour, Materials, Plant and Subcontract components.
Add Indirect Costs (Contingencies and Overheads) Add Overheads and Contingencies (Risks) on your Project by entering % or lump sum amounts. For Site Overheads you can also build these up from first-principles.
Spread The “Spread” feature allows you to manipulate your submission price on an Item by Item basis. You can effectively over-ride the Submission Rate or Amount for any Item in your estimate. This feature is great if you wish to “front-load” your tender for optimum cash flow early on in your Project.

Estimate & Project Management Reporting

Estimate review and project management reports Select from over 70 reports for any estimate. Reports available range from a high level summary, a bill of quantities, detailed resource listings item by item, resource listings summarised by group, and resource usage summaries.
Partial estimate reports Various reports can be generated on individual Sections or even Items within a Project.
My Reports Set up your most commonly used reports in the one easy to access menu. You can print all of your favourite reports to the printer (or display on screen) with the click of one button.

Authorising, Producing & Following Up Quotations

Microsoft Word Quote templates Benchmark can export your estimate data to Microsoft Word automatically and create a professional Quote for you. This feature utilises templates which you can set up to suit your business. You can have multiple templates for different types of submissions.
Authorisation of Quotes Take control of your quote authorisation processes. If a user does not have approval to authorise a quote, the system can notify their manager automatically.
Follow up Record details of discussions with clients and enter reminders on when to follow them up. The Follow Up feature helps you track and close more opportunities as well as share information amongst your estimating team.
Quotation reports Benchmark generates standard quote reports including Quotations with/without tax, Rate Only Quotations, a Schedule of Rates submission and a Tender Letter.
Quote with Options report Depending on the project and/or client, you may want to hide certain data. This report provides you with many options so that you can quickly produce a professional quote in the format and with the data you require.
Company Logo on Quotes You can include your company logo on your Quote reports.
Standard and Project Specific Conditions on Quotes You can include your Standard Conditions and Project Specific Conditions on your quote reports.

Progress Claims

Progress Claims Generate Progress Claims directly from your Benchmark estimate. This includes the ability to do your claims by % or Quantity complete, and also handles Retentions.
Progress Claim Reports Multiple Progress Claim reports including a one-page Summary (cover sheet), detailed reports Item by Item, a Claim Report with Options so you can customise the format of the report, and a report showing summary data for the last four claims.
Claim Variations Claim Variation Items on your project.

Exporting to other systems

Resource-based Export to Microsoft Project Automatically create a gantt chart in Microsoft Project. This powerful export automatically calculates the duration of each Item (activity) in your Project and exports the Resources and costs as well.
Export to Microsoft Word Set up your own Quote Report Templates in Microsoft Word and automatically export your estimate data to these templates.
Export to Microsoft Outlook When printing a report you can elect to email it via Microsoft Outlook. The selected report is converted to PDF and attached to the email. (If you do not use Microsoft Outlook an alternative email method does exist). All emails are also recorded in an Email Log for all users to review.
Exports to Microsoft Excel Various purpose written exports to Excel including Resources by Cost Code for budgets, Resources by Subcontractor/Supplier for ordering, and the Project Review/Analysis for estimate review and what-if analysis by project managers.
Job Costing Export to Microsoft Excel Exports your complete estimate breakdown into Microsoft Excel; Project Managers can then enter actual Resource usage and get comparisons of the estimate versus actual to help them run projects.
Exports to Accounting/ERP systems Purpose written exports to various other systems including Projection Scenario, Oracle Projects, Timberline and Microsoft Great Plains.

Sales & Marketing Analysis

Quickly update market data View and update key Marketing data (e.g. won/lost) for all quotes quickly and easily in the one window, saving time and helping you to produce more accurate business reports.
Marketing reports and graphs Generate powerful marketing reports and graphs (e.g. won/lost/pending, reason for loss, competitor comparison) to help you analyse and grow your business.
Business reporting Standard business reports including Projects by Estimator, Quote KPI per Estimator and Winner Not Registered.

Libraries

Three Point Estimating Libraries Users with the Three Point Estimating (TPE) add-on module have Libraries for Risks, Risk Reasons, Cost Elements and Ranges.		Add on	Add on
Variable Library The Variable Library is ideal for important Variables (such as Densities, Wastage % or even common production rates) that are used over and over again in many calculations. This Library captures and shares these very important values for all Estimators to use.
Quantity Takeoff Sheet Library The Quantity Takeoff Sheet Library stores your standard takeoff sheets. These can be called on by users when performing detailed quantity calculations for Items in an estimate.
Resource Library The Resource Library is a central list of your Labour, Plant, Material and Subcontract costs; these costs are the building blocks of your estimates.
Item Library The Item Library stores the list of standard services you provide. Each Item contains a build up of Resources and can include standard production rates and notes/text. This Library is a key repository for your corporate knowledge.
Routine Library The Routine Library is where you create and maintain your Routines; Routines can be used for many estimating tasks and work by presenting the user with questions about the task/project. Routines too are a key repository for your corporate knowledge.
Section Library The Section Library stores the main work breakdown headings for the standard estimates that you prepare.
Conditions Library Standard Conditions and commonly used Project-Specific Conditions can be saved in a library to save re-typing, and reduce the risk of forgetting important contract conditions.
Client and Subcontractor/Supplier Libraries Store details (i.e. address, phone, contact, mobile, email etc) and notes about your Clients and Subcontractors/Suppliers in central Libraries.
Library security Access to all Libraries can be granted on a user by user level. Some Libraries can also be configured for read only access.
Library export/import You can export your Library data and open this in Microsoft Excel. You can also import data into your Libraries electronically.

Technical

SQL Database All of your estimates are stored in a SQL database to help you share data amongst your team members. The SQL database format offers you excellent integration and data extraction and reporting opportunities.
Multiple database support You can have multiple databases (for different business units for example) if required.
Flexible Installation Benchmark can be installed and operated by a single user on a laptop/PC, or set up over a Local Area Network with a shared, central database. For organisations with many offices and/or remote users, you can deploy Benchmark via Windows Terminal Server or Citrix.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express is included with your Benchmark CD. The installation CD can even install and configure Microsoft SQL Server Express for you.