Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

2013 Estimating Outlook Survey

Words: Dan KamysConstruction estimating software developer HCSS has released findings from its “2013 Heavy Civil/Infrastructure Estimating Survey,” offering insights to issues affecting the heavy/highway industry. HCSS received survey responses from 442 companies across the United States and Canada.

“The survey is particularly valuable, because of the wide range of HCSS’s contacts and their ability to draw on the experience of North American estimators engaged in all major aspects of construction,” says Michael Rae, president of HCSS Customer International Construction Services in Canada.

Highlights of the findings

  • More bidders per job and more competition. Forty percent of respondents stated an increase in the number of bidders on jobs in 2012 versus 2011
  • Companies must adapt to stay in business in today’s economy. One way companies are doing so is by expanding their scope outside of their normal specialties or bidding jobs outside of their normal geographic range. Fifty-three percent of respondents reported having to bid on work outside of their normal geography or specialty areas
  • Companies generally are optimistic for 2013. Only 3 percent of respondents said it will be difficult to stay in business in 2013, and 69 percent expect to make a small profit or even have a fairly good year.
“As far as our customers go, HCSS has not seen a significant drop in customers on annual software maintenance,” says Mike Rydin, HCSS president. “Although the survey was only of HCSS customers, it’s reassuring to see that only a few of those responding to the survey expect to have a hard time staying in business, given the current economy.”

Other highlights of the survey results include companies’ changes in private versus DOT bidding, and plans to expand workforce or to give raises to estimators and field workers. To download a free copy of the complete survey results, visit www.hcss.com/survey-estimating.
 0
Bonding with Masonry 2026: Q2
June 2026

This issue’s questions come from a Mason Contractor and an Engineer. What questions do you have? Send them to info@masonrymagazine.com, attention Technical Talk.

David Biggs
Bonding with Masonry
Read More
The Thirty-Year Mason: Ergonomics as a Retention Strategy
June 2026

In most industry circles, the conversation around the labor shortage follows a predictable script: How do we find the next generation of masons? While recruitment is vital, we often overlook the most valuable asset already on the job site: the experienced

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Acme Brick Company Releases 2026 Pocket Guide to Brick Construction
June 2026

For more than four decades, all the basics of building with brick have come in a guide small enough to fit into a pocket. Acme Brick has just released a 2026 version of its Pocket Guide to Brick Construction. And yes, it’s still printed on paper just like

MAP Partner
Read More
Masonry in the Media: Casa Azul, Chapultepec Castle, & More
June 2026

A film’s settings can take viewers to new locations, all from the comfort of their own home. It immerses them in the scenes, whether they take place in an opera house in Brazil or a grand mansion in Mexico City. Explore how these Latin American masonry ma

Lily Burger
Masonry in the Media
Read More