In Accubid, you can sort by the following: Drawing, Area, Phase, System, Bid Item and Labor Factor (Lb Factor). So with so many different options, what is the best way to sort a job?
Over time, you will better understand what works for you, so take everything I write with a little bit of salt.
In our company, we always use, at minimum, System and Labor Factor. We use the System sort as a checklist that we go down so that we don’t miss any part of the project. It is broken down into things such as Temporary, Grounding, Secondary Feeders, Distribution, Low Voltage, Receptacles, etc. Labor Factor is pretty much a no-brainer since it affects the labor factor (obviously) of any item or assembly in your takeoff.
For most jobs such as small tenant fit up similar to a Starbucks, I typically sort by Drawing and System, while at the same time using Bid Item for Base Bid and any adders. The labor factor is never something I really choose to sort, but that is something that I just naturally do.
However, if I am bidding on a larger project (think a Holiday Inn) I am going to probably be using most, if not all of my sort options. This not only helps me stay organized on a week long project but also allows me to go back to that project in a month or so and not be totally clueless.
A general rule of thumb goes something like: If a sort slows you down and makes it harder to estimate, then you are probably using too many sort options.
For example: If you are bidding on a hotel project, your drawings will most likely already be broken out by floor (area), so no use doubling up.
