RSMeans Data Online Reviews

Easy to navigate and understand. Software contemplates so many different scenarios that it can be easy to obtain the information you are looking for. I really like the factoring for various city indices.

Provides general information. Need to use the software with caution. Understanding the factors of the various line items is key in developing accurate and reasonable estimates.

It makes my estimating easier and faster. It would be impossible to estimate a project without RS Means. Its also gives me an advantage to check subcontractors quotes. In addition, I can bid projects in different areas around the country, which has open vast business opportunities in the construction industry that I would not be able to accomplish before I had the program.

I wish program had virtual "Cortana" like Microsoft. Sometimes I need to find an item and I don't know how to ask RS Means what the item is and all I get for a response is that there is no line item. Also, I wish they had more items to chose from and good example is ceramic tile such as: 12" x 24", 18" x 18", 24" x 24". These items are becoming more prevelent. RSMeans needs to keep up with HGTV as items are changing with the times.

Unfortunately it is hard to like much about the software. Many of the assemblies are inaccurate. I am still waiting for a response from the technical service department for a "ticket" that the sales rep put in 5 months ago about inaccurate calculations.

The customer service is almost non existent. Emails and the website advertise that their is customer service available until 10 PM. After speaking with a very unpleasant gentlemen, named Kireee, that responded to me by saying "oh my god, reeeally", I discovered he didn't know how to do anything more than sign on to the program. He was the same individual that promised I would get a call back from the training department 8 hours earlier, because he doesn't know anything about construction, only how to log on to the program. He had no idea how to even start an estimate. When he offered to sign on to my computer screen, the software program he used was too outdated for my computer which gets updated regularly. Needless to say, no one from the company ever contacted me. When I called back to speak to a different customer service rep, another "at home" person, named Athena, answered with a hostile attitude. Her only response was to also have someone call back.

Organization of the estimating items based on the Masterformat.
Comprehensive list of the estimating items.
Ability to verify estimates using the crew listing and the crew production rates.

Some estimating items should be available in both the commercial and heavy civil products, but it is only available in the commercial offer.

1) I like that we can tweak the individual components within the SF model.

2) I like being able to take an existing model I've created in past years and update it with current (or whatever year is relevant) costs to create an estimate for a different year version.

1) Historically, the cost of this tool has skyrocketed much faster than inflation every year.

2) Sometimes we make square foot models and the output doesn’t include costs for what I would assume are key parts of the building. We’ve had issues in the past with roof structure not being a part of the model but recently I generated a model that didn’t have costs for interior partitions, even though it most definitely should have. Is there a way for them to tell us which models exclude certain costs? Sometimes these are difficult to catch in our reviews.

The access to all the trades and the ability to match items to specifications has been a great help. also being able to retrieve old proposals and have them update quickly

I also have the JOC software from RS Means which no one at RS Means seams to understand and they have tied my passwords to the same account but if I am locked out of one I can not get in the other one.
Then all the tech know how to fix this is delete all your cookies. these are place markers for other programs and be cause of the failed IT side of this it makes it hard to accept it as a leader.

Ability to line item choose from all RS Means disciplines we subscribe to. Ability to customize our output reports. RS Means have the majority of the systems that we need to provide accurate budgetary estimates.

I administer our RS Means account, but I very, very seldom use it myself. As the account admin, I am forced to be one of the user accounts; therefore, I have to allow staff to log on with my e-mail and password to use the online cost estimating. We have determined that we do not need more than two simultaneous accounts and our preference would be to assign the licenses to who needs them, when they need them. I can do that with the non-admin license, but not with the one assigned to me. I’d prefer not to have staff logging on as me (administrator).

I liked the ease of picking up the software functionality for gathering reasonable quotes for new and renovations to buildings, streets and treatment plants.

At times I found that the software was lacking in overall speed when loading requested search items. I was able to minimize this issue by refining my search request as best I could but for new users attempting to compare all items of a requested search it will slow down RS Means, and you would have to wait until the system loads the various items. This was mainly an issue when I had over 700 results for a single search.

The data is updated regularly and is relevant to the local area

One has to consider the estimate given by the software for reasonableness. Sometimes their numbers are obviously not correct. For the work done most often this is not the case. For some less common work efforts, their data is questionable.
The way they name the tasks is sometimes arcane. it seems like people are organizing the data that have not done the work before. Maybe they could use pointers to give something multiple entry points for different ways of saying it. They seem to have "maintenance" relatively often on the weekends, making it hard to use at that time.

The outline style breakdown helps with finding what you are looking for in a timely manner

The search function is tough to get the wording just right to find what you are looking for

the scope of the cost items is very extensive. The wage rates are very good and the crews are excellent

they should have versions for Power Plants, Refineries, Mining and Metals and other large types of projects. They should also design it so that there would be a industry standard type of estimate report.

Means used to have a Spanish language version. They should continue with this version.

The software is easy to use and has a good details about required man hours for tasks and the pricing of materials and equipment.

It covers only commercial projects and has minimal support for industrial projects.

One of my favorite features with this software is the locator. Having the costs customized to your location is so handy and much more accurate than applying a general multiplier to each item.

My least favorite feature about RSMeans is the subcategories. I love having all of my HVAC costs in one category but I find the subcategories hard to navigate and find exactly what I'm looking for.

The name and cost date compiled by R S Means is known nation (or world) wide as a respected source of cost data. It is easy to use and estimators everywhere can generate a consistent estimates.

Means needs to increase their intuitional/industrial cost data.

It is so much easier than the books! You can search but need to narrow it down for speed.

I can't search as fast as I would like and can't customize the export into Excel to match my contract spreadsheet. Also exports into Excel that have certain symbols, do not work

Offers accurate unit prices for specific areas, eliminates toggling between applications for estimating, quick turn-around times for bids

No ability to filter searches, i.e. filter search within specific line item, sometimes when searching in the search bar the word does not register when hitting "enter", you must manually click the "Search" button

ease of use, costing data is updated on a regular basis

thinks that i like least are addressed in more expensive packages

The software is user friendly and gives a good foundation for cost estimating.

Sometimes I find the cost estimate to be rather low compared to actual bids.

We switched from e-books to RSMeans Online and it has been great! Our team finds it more interactive, easier to find information, and overall a great experience.

There are so many different packages and customizations which is good on one hand, but also a bit much as some people want more functions while others wouldn't necessarily use them.

Rs means has a good database with a timely update with the latest prices.

Rs Means is not best with the user friendly

I like that it is a comprehensive database of all of the RS Means Books in one easy to access, online database. Searching for items is fairly easy. Adjusting prices for markets and quarters of the year is easy with one touch of a button

The descriptions of items are long and if you try to extend the description field so that you can understand what item you are looking at, you lose some of the productivity and cost data fields. The viewing box could stand to be larger to allow for more data to be visible

The ease of looking up specific material items.

The inclusion of new technology pricing has a wait.

The details provided when building an estimate is immeasurable

Training is needed when doing speciality estimates

Major list of basic construction items, which assist with having a basis for pricing, at least for a base cost, because we are in a different geographical location, where most products are sourced from the US.

Limitations in the product description in some occasions can cause some confusion, not all products are created equal, but it is understood that naming items will have to expand the list to millions of items, causing major capital expenditure and price increases to service offerings

The software is very easy to use and the export function is excellent. The new WBS is also very useful for breaking up your estimates.

There are not many cons of this product as it is very user-friendly and very straightforward.