We’re excited to present TurboBid 5.5!

Highlights

• Revised the look and feel of the software’s User Interface. (View)

• Revised the look and layout of the documents.

• Added Item and Assembly Images to the documents.

  • This allows you to show your customers pictures of what is included in your proposal.

• Revised Item Editor.

  • Vendor Price Tab.

    • This is an incredibly cool new feature. The Default Price Source for each item will automatically be used in your estimates and material screens. An estimate’s items will automatically contain a mix of List Price, TurboBid Price, Default Vendor Price or the Lowest Cost Vendor!

  • Users can select to use their own images.

• Revised Assembly Editor.

  • Users can select to use their own images.

• Added a new Material Screen for Viewing Material and Creating Purchase Orders for your vendors. (View)

• The new material screen Displays Labor Hours for Each Job Phase.

• Revised the Material Vendor Price Update by File feature to update prices in mere minutes.

• Add Unlimited Material Vendors to each item.

• Removed the Software Upgrade and Support Plan and TurboCloud subscription requirements to view images in TurboCloud’s grid view.

More….

Interested in trying a shiny new version? Don’t forget to Renew Your TurboBid Software Upgrade & Support Plan! Renew now.

---

New look and feel to software

1. Fresh looking Graphical User Interface. (View)

Revised document (Reports) designs

1. Revised the Documents (Reports) tab. (View)

   1. Format Documents section.

      1. Added a General Options button.

         1. This is used to select the Documents Footer. The footer has been revised to display a message at the bottom of the last page. Certain information in this location is required by law in some states.

         2. Select the location of your Company Logo.

      2. Added a Quote & Option Text button. This was moved from the Bid Price > Overhead, Profit and Misc. Adjustments Tab.

      3. Added a Combine Multiple Estimates button. This was moved from the Bid Price > Overhead, Profit and Misc. Adjustments Tab.

   2. Manage Documents section.

      1. Added a Create Purchase Order button. This opens the new Purchase Order Settings screen that is used to Create Material Purchase Orders.

2. Revised all of the Documents (Reports) to include a fresh looking color scheme. You can select to display Item and Assembly Pictures in the Documents. This allows you to show your customers exactly what they’re getting.

   1. By Category - Per Tab (View)

   2. By Category - Tabs 1 and 2 (View)

   3. By Column - Per Tab (View)

   4. By Column - Tabs 1 and 2 (View)

   5. Tab 2 - Add / Delete (View)

   6. Bid Price by Phase (View)

   7. Work Order (View)

   8. Invoice (View)

   9. Options Price List (View)

   10. Formal Proposal (View)

   11. Take-Off Analytical Details (View)

   12. Purchase Order (View PO Settings) (View Purchase Order)

   13. Flat Rate Price Book (View)

3. Your Company Name, Address, Phone #, and License # displayed at top of documents. The information is added from the Setup Wizard. This is required by law in some states.

4. Clearly defined Customer Information section at the top of the documents. This information is added from the Customer Info tab.

   1. Customer’s Company Name (If applicable).

   2. Customer Name.

   3. Address.

   4. Phone #.

   5. Email Address.

5. Clearly defined Project Information sections at the top of documents. This information is added from the Project Info tab.

   1. Project Name.

   2. Project Contact.

   3. Project Address.

   4. Project Contact’s Phone #.

   5. Project Contact’s Email Address.

6. Renamed Reports.

   1. Renamed "Flat Rate Price Quote: With Quantities” to "Work Order”. "Work Order” is displayed in the top right corner of the document.

   2. Renamed "Flat Rate Price Quote: No Quantities” to "Options Price List”. "Options Price List” is displayed in the top right corner of the document. This document is intended to show your customers items that they might want to add to their project. Upselling has a tremendous effect on profit margins.

7. Added the ability to Add Sales Tax to the Following Documents. This is required by law in some states.

   1. Bid Price by Phase document.

   2. Work Order document.

8. Added a New Footer Message to the last page. The footer can contain whatever message you need to display. This is required by law in some states.

9. Your Company Information that is displayed in your Formal Proposal can be changed for a specific project from the Format Proposal Screen.

10. The Old Material List Report has been replaced with a New Purchase Order Document. (View PO Settings) (View Purchase Order)

    1. Displays the Vendor’s Information.

    2. Displays the Project Information.

    3. Displays the Delivery Information.

    4. Displays all of the items that are to be ordered for the Selected Vendor.

11. The Column Headings in the Take-Off Tab are displayed in many of the documents. The reports were revised to allow the Column Headings to wrap up to two lines. This is especially helpful to display descriptions for service work.

Revised Item Editor

1. Video Tutorials

   1. Toolstrip Icons and Information

   2. Overview Pricing Detail

   3. Labor Details

   4. Additional Info and Images

   5. Pricing Details Tab

   6. Descriptions Tab

   7. Specifications Tab

   8. Other Options Tab

2. Overview Tab (View)

   1. Multiple documents are displayed beneath the Item’s Image (Catalog, Instructions, Spec Sheet, etc.).

   2. A large image of the item is displayed.

   3. Assign Your Own Company ID # to items. (View)

   4. Price Details. (View)

      1. List Price (Trade) and TurboBid Price (Target) will always be displayed.

      2. If the TurboBid Price is set as the Item’s Default Price Source.

         1. An * will be displayed before TurboBid Price. The * indicated that it is the Default Price Source.

         2. The TurboBid Price name is a link that will take you to the Default Price Source settings.

      3. If a Vendor has been set as the Item’s Default Price Source.

         1. A new row will be displayed beneath the TurboBid Price, and an * will be displayed before the Name of the Vendor. The * indicated that it is the Default Price Source.

         2. The Vendor Name is a link that will take you to the Default Price Source settings.

   5. New Pricing Unit of Measures. (View)

      1. Per: Assembly, Bundle, Bag, Bulk Pack, Box, Case, Carton, Coil, Dozen, Foot, Gallon, 100 Linear Feet, Inch, Jar, Jug, Kit, Pound, Meter, Pail, Piece, Pint, Quart, Rod, Reel, Spool, Yard.

   6. Added a Standard Package Quantity. (View)

      1. Even though an item might have a Per Each unit of measure, the item might be priced for a case of 12 bulbs, or a jar of 50 anchors. The new Standard Packaging Quantity is for these situations. Enter the quantity of items that are in the Per Each package price, and your estimates will use the correct price for each individual item in the package.

   7. Labor Details. Select one of the following. (View)

      1. TurboBid Labor Unit.

      2. Use Global Adjustment (x.xx%)

      3. Custom Labor Unit

   8. Change Item’s Image. (View)

      1. Three icons have been added to the top left of the image.

         1. Select Image File.

            1. Use this to select a new image for the Item. File Explorer will open and you simply browse to and select the image you want to use.

         2. Select Image from Image Catalog.

            1. This will open your Image Catalog. This only includes Images that you have added. Select the Image that you want to use for the Item.

         3. Clear Image.

            1. This will Clear any Image that you had previously selected to use. Once you Clear an Image, the Default TurboBid Image will be displayed.

3. Pricing Details Tab (View)

   1. You can now assign an Unlimited Number of Material Vendors to an item. (View)

   2. You can select one of the following Default Price Sources for each item in your database. (View)

      1. List Price.

      2. TurboBid Price.

      3. Lowest Vendor Price.

      4. Default Vendor.

   3. Added a Vendor SKU # for vendors who use an SKU # instead of UPC # (Home Depot). (View)

   4. Added a Manage Vendors section where you can manage all of your vendor’s information. (View)

4. Descriptions Tab (View)

   1. Added a Catalog Description.

      1. The Catalog Description will be a longer, more detailed description of the item.

   2. Added a Quantity Take-Off Description.

      1. By default, the documents will use the Item’s Description. If you want to use a different description, enter it into the Quantity Take-Off Description.

5. Specifications Tab (View)

   1. Added a Properties Section that will be used to define what items are displayed in TurboCloud. This will allow you to quickly display items with Wiring Properties such as EMT, Romex, MC, PVC, etc., or to display only White devices. While properties are in this version, the new filter system will be available in the next version, which should be released in about a month.

      1. Properties will be grouped into categories such as Manufacturer, Brand, Series, Color, Wire Type, Material, Type, Size, etc.

      2. All Properties that are included in the selected TurboCloud folder will be displayed on the left side of TurboCloud.

      3. Each Property will be displayed with a checkbox.

      4. Checking a Property checkbox will cause all items with that property to be displayed.

   2. Added a Specifications section that will be for informational purposes only and will not be used for filtering.

6. Other Option Tab (View)

   1. This is where you select Applicable Options for the item.

Manage Vendors (View)

1. Added the ability to Manage Your Material Vendors.

2. Create and manage an unlimited number of vendors.

3. Your vendors information will displayed in your Vendor Purchase Orders.

Revised Assembly Editor (View)

1. Video Tutorials

   1. Add Items to Assembly

   2. Replace Assembly Items

2. Added a Company ID field. (View)

   1. This can be used to add your accounting system’s ID number.

3. Each Item will display the price and name of the selected Default Price Source. (View)

   1. List Price.

   2. TurboBid Price.

   3. Lowest Vendor.

   4. Default Vendor.

4. Each Item will display the name of the Lowest Cost Vendor. (View)

5. Added a new method for Replacing an Item in an Assembly. (View)

   1. Click the Add Item to Assembly icon in the top left section of the editor.

   2. The view will switch to TurboCloud’s Items Tab.

   3. A "Drop Item Here” target will appear floating over the Item Grid in TurboCloud.

      1. You can Drag and Drop an Item from the Folder Tree or from the Image Grid onto the Target.

      2. You can select to Replace the Item in all Other Assemblies.

6. Added a new method for Replacing an Item in an Assembly. (View)

   1. Select the Item in the assembly that you want to replace with a different item.

      1. Select the Item in the Assembly and click the Replace Selected Item icon in the top left section of the editor.

      2. Or Right click on an Item within the assembly and select Replace.

   2. The view will switch to TurboCloud’s Items Tab.

   3. The Item that you have selected to replace will be expanded and highlighted in the Item Tree. Typically, the Item you want to use to Replace the selected Item will be in the same area of the Item Tree.

   4. A "Drop Item Here” target will appear floating over the Item Grid in TurboCloud.

      1. You can Drag and Drop an Item from the Folder Tree or from the Image Grid onto the Target.

      2. You can select to Replace the Item in all Other Assemblies.

7. Change Assembly’s Image. (View)

   1. Three icons have been added to the top left of the image.

      1. Select Image File.

         1. Use this to select a new image for the Assembly. File Explorer will open and you simply browse to and select the image you want to use.

      2. Select Image from Image Catalog.

         1. This will open your Image Catalog. This only includes Images that you have added. Select the Image that you want to use for the Assembly.

      3. Clear Image.

         1. This will Clear any Image that you had previously selected to use. Once you Clear an Image, the Default TurboBid Image will be displayed.

New Material Screen (View)

The new Material Screen has several purposes.

1. Video Tutorials

   1. How To Open

   2. View Material and Order Groups

   3. Grouping

   4. Replace Items

   5. Order Quantity and Additional Cost

   6. Price Source

   7. Purchase Order

2. View the Material in your Estimates.

   1. You can view the Material for Each Take-Off Tab. (View)

   2. You can view the Material for Combined Take-Off Tabs.

   3. Each item will display the Item’s Default Price Source. (View)

      1. List Price.

      2. TurboBid Price.

      3. A Default Vendor.

      4. The Lowest Priced Vendor.

3. Group the Material Screen by. (View)

   1. None. (View)

   2. Category. (View)

   3. Job Phase. This is a great feature that displays the Total Labor Hours for each Job Phase. (View)

   4. Manufacturer. (View)

   5. Price Source. (View)

4. Create Separate Order Groups for the Material in your Estimates. (View)

   1. You can create Order Groups for each Take-Off Tab.

   2. You can create Order Groups for Combined Take-Off Tabs.

5. Edit the Material in your Order Groups. (View)

   1. Change the Order Quantity to account for minimum order size.

      1. You can select to Add the Additional Cost of the extra material ordered to the estimate.

      2. If the quantity of an item is revised in the Take-Off tab, the material screen will revert back to displaying the Order Quantity with the Bid Quantity.

   2. Change the Order Quantity if you have the material in your inventory.

   3. Replace an Item with a Different Item. (View)

      1. Right-click on an Item and select Replace.

         1. You can select to replace the Item with a different Item in every Assembly in the Database.

         2. You can select to replace the Item with a different Item in just the Assemblies in the Estimate.

            1. All Assemblies that include the Item in the Estimate will be displayed and you can select which Assemblies to replace the Item.

         3. You will be taken to the Item's tab of TurboCloud.

         4. A "Drop Item Here” target will appear floating over the Items in TurboCloud.

         5. You can Drag and Drop an Item from the Folder Tree or from the Image Grid.

   4. Change an Item’s Material’s Price Source to. (View)

      1. List Price.

      2. TurboBid Price.

      3. A Different Vendor’s Price.

   5. Reset the Price Source for all Items. (View)

      1. Select to reset every Item’s Price Source to.

         1. Item Default.

         2. List Price.

         3. TurboBid Price.

         4. The Item's Default Vendor.

6. Create Purchase Orders. (View PO Settings) (View Purchase Order)

   1. Added a Purchase Order feature that will allow you to generate Material Purchase Orders.

   2. The Purchase Order Settings screen will prompt you to select the Material to include in the Purchase Order.

      1. Estimate Name.

      2. Order Group (Combination of Take-Off tabs).

      3. Price Source.

         1. A Default Vendor Name.

         2. List / TurboBid Price.

            1. You’ll be able to select to order the List or TurboBid Priced Items from any of the Vendors that you have created. While this will use the List or TurboBid Price, it will generate a Purchase Order with the Vendor’s information.

            2. You can also select to use no Vendor information in the Purchase Order.

         3. Job Phase.

            1. All Job Phases in the Estimate will be displayed. You’ll select which Job Phases to include in the Purchase Order.

   3. The Purchase Order Settings screen will prompt you to select the order information your Vendor will need.

      1. Purchase Order #. This will allow you to trach the Purchase Order in your accounting system.

      2. Delivery Date.

      3. Deliver To.

         1. Select to deliver the material to the Jobsite. The Jobsite information will automatically be filled in from the Project Info tab.

         2. Select to deliver the material to your Companies Shop. The Shop information will automatically be filled in from the Setup Wizard.

         3. Select to deliver the material to a different location.

            1. You will enter the Delivery Address, Attention To, and Phone #.

         4. Note. You can enter a Note with specific instructions regarding the delivery.

   4. The Purchase Order Settings screen will allow you to include Vendor SKU #, Material Prices, and Item Pictures in the Purchase Order.

TurboCloud (View)

1. Removed the requirement that you must have an active Maintenance Plan and TurboCloud Subscription requirements to view the images in TurboCloud’s Grid View.

2. You can set your Items and Assemblies to use your own images. This is important since all of TurboBid’s Bid Package Documents display images. (View)

3. Simplified the Vendor Price Update by File layout. (View)

4. Added a button titled "Image Gallery” to the ribbon. (View)

   1. The Image Gallery is a folder on your computer that you have selected to keep your images in.

5. Added a button titled "Update Item Prices” to the ribbon. The button contains the follow price update features. (View)

   1. Update List (Trade) and TurboBid (Target) Pricing with TurboCloud.

   2. Update List (Trade) and TurboBid (Target) Pricing with NetPricer.

   3. Update Vendor Pricing with TurboPricer.

   4. Update Vendor Pricing with a Vendor’s Price File.

6. Added a button titled "Manage Vendors” to the ribbon. This is used to manage Your material vendors.

   1. Create an unlimited number of vendors. (View Button) (View Manage Vendors Screen)

   2. Edit existing vendor names, addresses, attention to, email, and/or phone numbers.

   3. Enter NetPricer or TurboPricer Information.

7. Reduced the size of the Grid’s Description Font, which allows the description to wrap 3 rows.

8. Removed the Item’s UPC Number from the Grid to save space.

9. The price displayed in the Grid represents the Item’s Default Price Source. (View)

10. Added a Copy Image icon to the grid that allows you to paste the image to another Item. (View)

11. Reduced the size of each Grid so that more Grids can be displayed.

Revised the Bid Price Data Tab

Overhead, Profit and Misc. Adjustments Tab (View)

1. Moved the Combine Multiple Estimates Link to the revised Documents Tab.

2. Moved the Quote & Option Text Link to the revised Documents Tab.

Direct Cost Detail Tab

1. Added a row to display the Additional Material Ordered cost. The new Material Screen allows you to order additional material due to minimum package quantities, and then select to add the cost of the additional material to the estimate. (View)

2. When an Option Tab is selected in the Take-Off dropdown, neither the Tab 2 Section or the Tab 1 and 2 Section is displayed. (View)

Bid Price Detail Tab

1. When an Option Tab is selected in the Take-Off dropdown, the Tab 2 column, Combined Total column, or the % of Cost column is no longer displayed. (View)

Material Take-Off Tab

1. Moved Tab 1, Tab 2, and the Option tabs to the top for better visibility. (View)

2. Added a View Estimated Material button to the ribbon.

   1. This opens the Material Screen for the Estimate. (View)

3. Revised the Subcategory and Description layout so that there are no grey rows running across the screen for each Subcategory. The only grey rows running across the screen are for the Category rows. Usability has been greatly enhanced. (View)

4. The Column Heading Names wrap text up to 3 rows. (View)

1. The columns have a maximum width before they start to wrap.

2. This is a great improvement for descriptions of Service Work.

Revised Employee Wizard

While the Employee Wizard still walks you through each step, you can now go to any tab in the Wizard without using the Next button.

Revised Setup Wizard

While the Setup Wizard still walks you through each step, you can now go to any tab in the Wizard without using the Next button.

TurboBid Ribbon

If a Project is open, the following buttons appear in the right side of the TurboBid Ribbon. (View)

1. Purchase Oder: This opens the new Material Screen or existing Material Purchase Orders.

2. Project Notes.

3. Check List.

Edit > Program Options Menu

1. The Program Options Screen no longer exists.

2. The NetPricer tab settings are included in the new Manage Vendors button that is in TurboCloud’s ribbon.

3. The Labor Unit Adjustment tab settings are included in the Adjust Labor Units button that is in TurboCloud’s ribbon.

4. The Report Logo Options tab settings are included in the Setup Wizard button that is in TurboBid’s ribbon.

5. The Default Take-Off Tab Names tab settings are included in the Material Take-Off tab’s ribbon, within the Tab Names dropdown button.

6. The Vendor Names tab settings are included in the new Manage Vendors button that is in TurboCloud’s ribbon.

7. The TurboPricer tab settings are included in the new Manage Vendors button that is in TurboCloud’s ribbon.

Bugs Fixed

1. Direct Cost line items will not be displayed in the either the Work Order or Invoice documents if they have a zero price.

2. You can move any of the Community Added Assemblies into your other root folders without them moving back to the Community Added Assemblies folder during a TurboCloud Refresh.

3. Added tooltips to explain the different folders in TurboCloud.

4. The Bid Price by Phase report no longer display empty rows if there are less than 5 payout phases.

5. If a Main Pricing Description and/or Option Pricing Description is not selected for the Bid Price by Phase document, the informational text is no longer displayed in the document.

TurboBid 5.2.9.0

New Overhead Rate Per Hour Calculator (Video Tutorial)

The ability to accurately account for your company's overhead expenses in your estimates is of the utmost importance. If you add too much overhead to your estimates, your bid price will be higher than it should be, and you will not be awarded the job. If you add too little overhead to your estimates, your bid price will be lower than it should be, and you will not make the expected profit.

Your company overhead represents the expenses that you incur to run your company. It has nothing to do with your field employees, material for your jobs, or any direct job expenses. Overhead consists of advertising expenses, financial expenses, insurance expenses, IT expenses, legal expenses, physical business location expenses, office expenses, office utilities, office employees, taxes, vehicles, etc.

The best way to accurately calculate how much to add to your estimates for your overhead expenses, is to use an overhead rate per hour value.

Some contractors use a set percentage of the estimated prime cost for calculating their overhead expenses. The problem with this method is that the estimated prime cost includes all direct job expenses. Think of this scenario. The estimator has selected to calculate the estimate's overhead cost by using 10% of the estimated prime cost. Let's suppose that this estimate included a $50,000 emergency generator system. This method will have added $5,000 to the overhead expenses, when in fact the emergency generator system did not cause the company's overhead costs to increase one penny. This estimate will be $5,000 higher than it should be.

The Overhead Rate Per Hour is calculated by dividing your true overhead expenses by the total number of hours your field employees will be working on your job sites. If you're trying to keep two employees employed for 1,968 hours per year, you will need to win estimates that will keep your guys busy for 3,936 for the year.

By accurately identifying and accounting for all of your company's overhead expenses, and then dividing that amount by your employee's total job site hours, you will know exactly how much overhead to add to your estimates per hour.

It doesn't matter what size your company is. This is simply business 101, and will determine the financial success of your company.

Another great feature of the calculator is the Billable Rate section. Simply enter the amount of profit that you would like to make on your employee's for time and material work, and it will calculate how much you should be charging your customers per hour for each employee. An employee's billable rate per hour is calculated by adding together each employee's hourly pay rate, hourly burden, hourly overhead, and the selected profit. If you don't know your employee's burden costs, or your company's overhead costs, there is no way that you can calculate how much profit you're making on your billable rate per hour. The sad truth is that you could actually be losing money.


• Easily add any employee in your employee list to the calculator.
• TurboBid's Employee and Burden Wizards walk you through the process of entering data in order to accurately calculate each employee's burden costs, as well as hour many hours each employee will be working on your job sites.
• All required employee data is automatically added to the calculator.
• Employee data revisions are updated in the calculator in real time.
• Every tab displays your overhead summary values. The values are updated in real-time as data is entered, allowing you to immediately see the impact of new entries.
• Select to automatically use the calculator's Overhead Rate Per Hour in your estimates.
• Any changes to the calculator are automatically applied to your estimates.



Figure 1: Select Employees






Figure 2: Select Overhead Expenses






Figure 3: Summary Values are Updated in Real-Time as Data is Entered into the Calculator






Figure 4: Calculate Your Employee's Billable Rate Per Hour for Time and Material Work

TurboBid 5.2.6.0

Formal Proposal

Descriptions for items that are in the Take-Off tab are no longer being displayed in the formal proposal.

TurboCloud Assembly Grid View

We have revised the old assembly tree view into a grid view to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. The new grid view displays images for the assemblies and the assembly folders.

We will be revising the reports in the future to display images. This will be a great feature for service and remodel quotes.

Each assembly image in the grid includes an "Add to Estimate” button.



Figure 1: New Assembly Grid View.

TurboCloud Search Feature

We have improved TurboBid’s search feature to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Rather than simply displaying a list of search results, the new search feature is located within the Item and Assembly grid views.

Search results are displayed in both the folder tree and the image grid, allowing you to see exactly what you’re looking for.

By default, only folders that contain search results will be displayed. However, you can display all the folders in the tree by clicking the "Show All” button. The non-result folders will display a different folder icon so that you can easily identify the search result folders.

The search feature in the "Select Material” screen and the "Assembly Maintenance” screen will open to the new search feature.



Figure 2: New Search Feature.

TurboCloud Virtual Library

In order to meet every estimator’s material needs, TurboBid’s database include hundreds of thousands of items and assemblies. This can be a lot of material to navigate through in order to find what you need.

Since most users typically have a limited number of items and assemblies that they use on a regular basis, we have added a new database section titled "Virtual Library”.

The Virtual Library allows you to create folders that contain links to existing items and assemblies. All existing items and assemblies can quickly be added to any folder in the virtual library.

Virtual Library Templates

TurboBid’s Select Material screen includes the ability to save the material in an estimate as a template that can be loaded into future estimates.

We have added a right click menu option for "Import Template”. This allows you to import your previously created templates into your Virtual Library.

The contents of all Virtual Library folders can be added to an estimate.

TurboCloud New Items Folder

Our database admin team works closely with various supply houses. They provide us with material files that we use to import tens of thousands of new items into TurboBid’s database. These imported items include basic descriptions, manufacturer, UPC #, catalog # and pricing. Our database team tweaks the descriptions, add pictures, catalogs, and labor units as soon as possible. However, this process can take a considerable amount of time.

Rather than making you wait for our admin team to finish, we are making these items available to you in the New Items folder.

Once our admin team tweaks the descriptions, adds pictures, catalogs, and labor units, the items will be move into your Standard folder.

TurboBid 5.2.1.0

Revised the Item and Assembly folder tree

Managing TurboBid's database is now easier than ever.

Due to the complexity of the old folder tree, we have made a major revision so that there is only one type of folder. Now, all the folders are yellow, have no rules as to where they can be located, or what items/assemblies they can contain. The result is that it is now much easier to edit the database trees, and the speed of running a TurboCloud refresh/sync is ridiculously fast.

TurboBid 5.1.8.0

New Employee Icon and List

• The old "Labor and Burden" icon has been replaced with a new "Employee" icon.
• The new "Employee" icon opens a new multi tab screen that displays your Employees, Burden Groups, and burdens.
• The new employee list is highly detailed. It makes it simple to view everything about your employees, including all of their burdens.
• It is linked to and interacts with the new Employee Wizard
• It is linked to and interacts with the new Burden Wizard
• https://www.turbobid.net/EmployeeList.html

New Employee Wizard

• The old "Manpower Classification" screen has been replaced with a new "Employee Wizard".
• The new Employee Wizard is used to create new employees as well as maintain existing employees
• The Employee Wizard is very detailed and is in a simple to use step by step wizard format. It makes creating new employees really simple
• Employees can assigned to use a specific Burden Group that was created and maintained in the new Burden Group Wizard.
• If an employee is assigned to use a specific Burden Group, the Hourly Burden cost will automatically be calculated and assigned to the employee.
• https://www.turbobid.net/EmployeeWizard.html

New Burden Group Wizard

• The old "Burden Calculator" screen has been replaced with a new "Burden Group Wizard".
• The new Burden Group Wizard is used to create new Burden Groups as well as maintain existing Burden Groups.
• The Burden Group Wizard is very detailed and is in a simple to use step by step wizard format. While the old calculator could be a little confusing. this new wizard guides you through the process step by step.
• https://www.turbobid.net/BurdenWizard.html

Misc.

• Revised the report that displays the items in an estimate that have a zero price.
• Resolved an issue with renaming the take-off tabs.

TurboBid 5.1.7.3

New Database Maintenance Tools

• Added an Advanced Group Renaming tool that allows you to edit the description of items/assemblies, and the quantity take-off description and/or formal proposal text of assemblies for a selected folder. This includes all of the items/assemblies in all of the child folders of the selected parent folder. Rather than editing one at a time, this will give you the power to edit thousands of items/assemblies at a time if needed.
• https://www.turbobid.net/RenameTool.html
• Added a Group Assembly Item Manipulation tool that allows you to edit the items within all of the assemblies for a selected folder. This includes all of the assemblies in all of the child folders of the selected parent folder. You can replace items, add new items, and/or delete existing items. Rather than editing one assembly at a time, you will be able to edit thousands of assemblies at a time if needed.
• https://www.turbobid.net/AssemblyItemManipulationTool.html

Misc.

Revised the Project List to display the project value of Original status projects.

TurboBid 5.1.6.0

Set-Up Wizard

• Added a setup wizard that is designed to walk you through the process of entering your default company information, overhead, profit, sales tax, and field employee information. A setup wizard icon was added to the top toolbar.
• https://www.turbobid.net/SetupWizard.html

Manpower Classifications

• Revised the manpower classification list to allow the deletion of existing manpower classifications.

Bid Package Documents

• Added company footer info to the footer of all bid package documents.
• Added Cell Phone and Email fields to the footer.
• Added an "Insert Company Name" feature that will insert a company name placeholder to the format proposal opening paragraph, inclusions and qualifications, and 2nd paragraph that will cause the default company name to automatically be inserted in the documents.
• If the Estimate Info tab is missing the blueprint date, latest revision date, or architect name, the formal proposal will automatically keep the appropriate reference out of the formal proposal.
• When selecting to generate the formal proposal, an optional prompt is displayed asking if you want to open the Format Formal Proposal screen.
• When selecting to generate the bid price by phase report, an optional prompt is displayed asking if you want to open the Format Bid Price screen.
• Revised the Flat Rate Price Book report to wrap the category heading lines if needed.
• Revised the Flat Rate Price Book report to remove the Regular Labor and Ceiling Labor text from the category headings.

TurboBid 5.1.3.0

Trial Mode

• Any available updates are automatically installed.

Log-In Screen

• A "Log me in automatically" checkbox has been added. This eliminates the need to log in every time you open TurboBid.
• A "Switch User" icon has been added to the toolbar. The icon opens the log in screen.

Project List

• In order to display a minimum screen size, the size of the screen is based on the contents.
• Alternate line shading has been added for better readability.
• The "Select a Status" dropdown selection automatically displays projects based on the dropdown selection.

Training Mode

• Includes more instructional messages where needed.

Video Player

• An auto play on/off button has been added.
• An "Exit Training Mode" button has been added.

Take-Off Tab

• Rows that do not represent an item or assembly cannot be selected.
• When a cell is clicked, the row's description and the column's heading is highlighted for easier cell identification.
• When you move your curser over a cell, the row description and column heading are highlighted. This allows quick identification of the cell without having to select a cell.

Assembly Maintenance Screen

• The item tree section is expanded to its maximum width based on the contents of the assembly.
• Alternate line shading has been added for better readability.
• Right clicking on an item selects the item and opens the right click menu.

TurboBid 5.1.1.1

Fixed Issues

• Long vendor names were not being displayed in the item maintenance screen.
• Fixed an issue with the Project Detail Report in networked databases.
• Certain items were not being displayed in certain reports.
• Allowed networked databases to use a custom address for Auto Back-Up.
• When deleting a folder of items in TurboCloud, certain items in the folder could not be deleted.
• The Take-Off tabs' templates have been revised to use the material Master ID number. Local ID numbers can change and make the original templates obsolete. Master ID numbers never change.
• Click here to download the revised assembly templates.

Modifications

• After adding new items to the Assembly Maintenance screen, the quantity cell is active so you can enter a quantity without selecting the item.
• Modified the Assembly Maintenance screen to allow 0.xx to be entered as a quantity.
• The report selection screen displays the first estimate and first take-off as default selections.
• The "Material" link in the "Direct Cost Detail" tab opens the material report for the selected take-off tab.
• The Take-Off tab's sort order now displays all of the material beneath each red category in alphabetical order.

TurboBid 5.1.0.5

Add Items to TurboBid's Take-Off Tab

• Items can now be added to the take-off spreadsheet.
• Items in the take-off spreadsheet are highlighted in a light blue color for easy differentiation from assemblies. (Figure 1)
• Double clicking an item in the spreadsheet will open the Item's Preview screen.
• Pressing the Ctrl key and double clicking an item in the spreadsheet will open the Item's Maintenance screen.
• Renamed the Take-Off tab's Select Assemblies button to Select Material.
• The Select Material screen now includes one tab for adding Items and one tab for adding Assemblies. (Figure 2)

Add Items and Assemblies to the Take-Off Tab's spreadsheet directly from TurboCloud

• Users can select a single Item, or multiple Items via Ctrl / Click, and select Add to Estimate from the right click menu. (Figure 3)
• The Items in the Image Grid View include a new Add to Estimate button. (Figure 4)
• Users can select a single Assembly, or multiple Assemblies via Ctrl / Click, and select Add to Estimate from the right click menu. (Figure 5)
• Users can right click on an item or assembly in the take-off spreadsheet and select Locate in Tree from the right click menu. (Figure 6)

Add Items and Assemblies to the Take-Off Tab's spreadsheet from "Load Template"

• The Load Template feature in the Select Material screen has been revised to include Items and Assemblies in the same template.

Revised the Take-Off Tab's Sort Order Procedure

(Figure 7)

• Renamed the Take-Off tab's Take-Off Sort Order button to Material Order.
• The Material Order screen now allow users to easily drag/drop folders into the order they want them to appear in the take-off spreadsheet.
• Item folders are highlighted in a light blue color for easy differentiation from assembly folders.
• Each folder's Parent folder name is also displayed so that you can easily see the difference between Flat Rate Assemblies, Standard Assemblies, etc.
• Includes a Reset button that resets the folders back to an alphabetical sort order.

The Assembly Preview screen now displays an image of every item in the assembly.

(Figure 8)

Misc.

• Added the word Assembly to the end of every assembly's Quantity Take-Off Description so that the various reports clearly differentiate between Items and Assemblies. TurboCloud's Refresh and Update local Assemblies process will revise these assemblies in your local. (Figure 9)
• Added a new Exclude from Quantity Take-Off Reports checkbox to the bottom of the Item Maintenance screen. (Figure 10)
• All of the Material folders were removed from TurboCloud's Master Assembly Database. TurboCloud's Refresh and Synchronize local Assembly folders process will move these folders to a new Under Admin Review folder in your local. You can delete all of these from your local as long as they have not been added to an estimate.
• Prior to running an update, as a safeguard, a backup copy of your database is automatically created. (Figure 11)
• The Item Maintenance screen has been slightly revised so that the entire screen is visible in smaller computer monitors.

Images

Figure 1: Items in the take-off spreadsheet are highlighted in a light blue color for easy differentiation from assemblies.

Figure 2: The Select Material screen now includes one tab for adding Items and one tab for adding Assemblies

Figure 3: Users can select a single Item, or multiple Items via Ctrl / Click, and select Add to Estimate from the right click menu

Figure 4: The Items in the Image Grid View include a new Add to Estimate button

Figure 5: Select a single Assembly, or multiple Assemblies via Ctrl / Click, and select Add to Estimate from the right click menu

Figure 6: Right click on an item or assembly in the take-off spreadsheet and select Locate in Tree from the right click menu

Figure 7: Revised the Take-Off Tab's Sort Order Procedure

Figure 8: The Assembly Preview screen has been revised

Figure 9: Added the word Assembly to the end of every assembly's Quantity Take-Off Description

Figure 10: Added a new Exclude from Quantity Take-Off Reports checkbox to the bottom of the Item Maintenance screen

Figure 11: Prior to running an update, as a safeguard, a backup copy of your database is automatically created

TurboBid 5.0.9.2

TurboBid: Fixed a license verification issue when using a tethered internet connection. Item and assembly preview screens now open faster.

TurboCloud:

• Removed virtual custom folders from the cloud master. These folders were intended to hold virtual copies linking to existing items and assemblies.

Misc:

• Fixed a couple of minor bugs that we found when doing random sequences in the folder tree that nobody would ever do. For example: Opening an assembly maintenance screen, making an edit, closing the maintenance screen and then double clicking on the assembly would generate an error message.

TurboBid 5.0.9.0

TurboCloud: Fixed an issue when renaming new folders. Previously, multiple folder names could remain highlighted.

TurboCloud Refresh:

• If the "Display new items and assemblies after cloud synchronization completed" checkbox is checked, after the refresh, the cloud master tree will be expanded so that you can quickly view the new items and assemblies. If nothing new was added, the newest items/assemblies that were added during the previous refresh will be displayed.

TurboBid:

• Fixed an issue for computers with low memory. Previously, if a computer's memory was too low, if you updated an item's price, assemblies and estimates might not update correctly. This issue has been resolved.
• Improved the process of updating prices for assemblies and estimates. It is now 99% faster.

Price Update from File:

• Added "Trade/Target" to the "Update price from file" selection. This allows both to be updated at the same time.
• Added a prompt "Do you want to update the "xxxx" vendor pricing?" This will ensure that you have not accidentally selected the wrong vendor to update.
• When running a price update, a pre-check is performed to ensure that the price file includes the required data. If there is an issue, you will receive a notification of what needs to be corrected.
• After running a price update, the default exception report only displays items that were not updated in your active projects. After you close the report, a prompt will ask if you want to view all of the items in your database that were not updated.

TurboBid 5.0.8.0

Global Labor Unit Adjustment: The time to process global labor unit adjustments has been substantially improved. The process now takes about one second. Added an icon to the top ribbon to open the global item labor unit adjustment screen. This adjustment allows you to fine tune TurboBids original labor unit to better reflect your company.

Items:

• When revising an item's price and/or labor unit, the time to update all associated assemblies has also been substantially improved upon.
• When adding new items from the cloud to the local database, the items will automatically reflect any default global labor unit adjustment you have selected.
• When creating new items, the items will automatically reflect any default global labor unit adjustment.

Videos:

• Fixed an issue with the video icon not opening the video player.

TurboCloud Grid View:

• Revised the item grid view container to only display the bottom tool bar when the curser is over it. It used to always be visible on the selected item and would hide the labor unit.

Take-Off Tab:

• Improved the performance when opening the take-off tab. Previously, the amount of time it took to open was greatly affected by the number of projects and estimates in the database, as well as how many assemblies were in the take-off. The take-off tab now opens within seconds regardless of these factors.

Bid Price Tab:

• Improved the performance when opening the bid price tab. The tab now opens within seconds.

Misc:

• Fixed an issue with creating new users in project security.
• Fixed an issue when clicking the Material link in the bid price tab.

Reports:

• Revised the report that displays the items in a project that are missing material pricing and/or labor units. Previously, the report displayed the same item multiple times if it was used in multiple assemblies. Now each item is only displayed once.

TurboBid 5.0.7.0

TurboCloud: (View Video) Added a new "Local Grid View" that displays images to make it extremely easy to find exactly what you're looking for. The left side of the screen displays the local item tree and the right side of the screen displays images of the items within the selected tree folder. Each image container includes a picture along with complete data for the item. Items can easily be added to an open assembly maintenance screen by clicking an icon on the grid view image. Added a new "Master Grid View" to make it extremely easy to find exactly what you're looking for in the master database. The right side of the screen displays the master item tree and the left side of the screen displays images of the items within the selected tree folder. Each image includes a picture and complete data for the item. The grid view displays the selected folders with images on the top of the screen and the items within the folders on the bottom of the screen. An active TurboCloud Subscription and TurboBid Maintenance Plan is required for all the images to be displayed in the grid view. This is due to the cost of our cloud-based server as well as the cost that we incur to transmit the image data from our server to your computer. The traditional Local/Master view is still available and has not changed. Double clicking on the vertical bar that separates the tree view from the grid view will cause the bar to move to the end of the tree view's longest description. This makes it easy to quickly adjust the tree side so that you can read the full descriptions. The item preview screens have been revised to display the same size image for all items. In the past, the image size varied from item to item. When adding an item to an assembly maintenance screen, the added item is highlighted in the assembly. This provides a quick visual verification as to which new items have been added to the assembly. When a new folder has been added to the tree view, the folder name is highlighted and in edit mode. This allows to start typing the new folder name right away. When an assembly maintenance screen is opened, no cell is active. This will prevent data from accidentally being entered. After dragging and dropping a folder, a confirmation prompt will appear. This will prevent folders from being moved by accident. Customer Info Tab: If you edit a customer's information and the customer is used in other projects, you will receive a prompt notifying you that the changes you are making will be applied to the additional projects. A "New Customer" button has been added to the customer info tab. When clicked, it will delete all existing data, including the Customer #. This will prevent accidentally changing an existing customer's data. Reports: Reports can now stay open while you continue to work in TurboBid. The font in the Formal Proposal has been changed back to Times New Roman. This is a better look for the proposal. The other reports still use Arial, which is a better-looking font for those type of reports. The Flat Rate reports have been revised for the tab #2 selection. If the labor hours for the assemblies in take-off tab #2 will cause the job to be extended for additional days, the appropriate additional labor costs will be displayed in the tab #2 selection of the flat rate reports. The total bid price values in the reports will now match the bid price values displayed in the bid price tab. Bid Price Tab: Additional labor hours will now be displayed in the Bid Price Tab's > Take-Off Tab #2 section. If the labor hours for the assemblies in take-off tab #2 will cause the job to be extended for additional days, the appropriate additional labor hours and labor cost will be displayed in the tab #2 section of the bid price tab. Price Update from file: An issue when exporting the trade and target price files has been fixed. Manpower Burden Calculator: The wage base for calculation has been revised to include any paid time off. The calculator now includes a summary of the annual hours the employee will be available to work on the jobsite, as well as the annual hours the employee will be paid for.

TurboBid 5.0.5.0

TurboCloud: TurboCloud has been revised to be an amazing one-click database maintenance powerhouse! The processing speeds have been substantially improved upon. Receive a notification whenever new items and/or assemblies are available. Receive notification whenever items and/or assemblies have been revised. Receive notification whenever material prices have been revised. Click the "Refresh Now button" on the notification screen to run a one-click procedure. The one-click process will update your folder tree, item data revisions, assembly revisions, price updates, and it will even automatically add the new items and assemblies to your local database.

Receive a notification whenever new items and/or assemblies are available

One-click is all it takes to maintain your local database with TurboBid's cloud based master database

Take-Off Tab: The main assembly category is displayed once in black and each subcategory is displayed beneath it in red. Double clicking on an assembly opens the assembly preview screen. Assembly descriptions have been revised. They now begin with the main description, followed by the details. The sort order of the assemblies within a category have been revised so that they are in the same order as they appear in the database tree.

The main assembly category is displayed once in black and each subcategory is displayed  beneath it in red

Select Assemblies: A right click option has been added to locate the assembly in the database tree. This will help to quickly locate assemblies in the tree if you need to add similar assemblies. Entire folders of assemblies can now be added to the take-off. You can now add new assemblies to folders in this view via a new right click option. The search feature has been improved to employ smart search capabilities.

Entire folders of assemblies can now be added to the take-off

Select Assemblies Screen - Locate Assemblies and Create New Assemblies

Assembly Maintenance Screen: Double clicking on items opens the items' preview screen. This really helpful to quickly look at the pictures of the items that are included in the assembly. A right click option has been added to locate an  item in the database tree. This will help to quickly locate an item for a mass substitution. You can now add new items to folders in this view via a new right click option. The search feature has been improved to employ smart search capabilities.

Double click on items to open the items' preview screen and quickly locate items in the tree

Add items from within the assembly maintenance screen and quickly locate items in the tree

Reports: The font type used in the reports has been changed from Times New Roman to Arial. Arial offers better readability. The Quantity Take-Off by Category has been revised to only display the main category headings. The subcategory headings have been removed because they made the report look too busy.

Report font revised and Qty Take-Off reports only display main categories

Misc: In the item tree, the manufacturer and catalog number displayed at the end of the description has been revised. It is now in blue text and is italicized for clearer separation. A new TurboBid owners community forum has been added. The Search feature has been revised to include Smart Search. It is more forgiving in regards to exact spelling, spaces, and symbols.