A costly error

Like many smaller contractors, Echo Valley Irrigation was using Excel as its primary estimating tool. With over 2,000 parts and hundreds of formulas, the spreadsheets were large, complex, and difficult to work with. The opportunity for error was real, as the company’s president, Andre Dickner, painfully discovered. “I recognized there was the potential for errors, but when we won a large project and I discovered that due to an error in the spreadsheets we were set to lose money on the job, I knew we had to make an immediate change.”

A solution that fits

Dickner and his office manager, Susan Simpson, were both aware of Sage Estimating, as they had considered the solution several years earlier. “At that time we didn’t think it was a fit for us,” Simpson says. “We thought it was for huge contractors with multi-million-dollar projects. We do big work, but we’re a fairly small company. Fortunately for us, we learned that Sage Estimating works great for smaller contractors too.”

“We researched other alternatives, but we just kept coming back to Sage Estimating,” adds Dickner. “We looked closer and realized that the product is also an ideal fit for a smaller contractor like us. We face the same challenges larger contractors face, and Sage Estimating is designed to meet those challenges.”

Dickner says that since incorporating Sage Estimating, the company is able to project a more professional image. “Our estimates are comprehensive and complete and provide our clients with all the information they need to make a decision. Sage Estimating has really streamlined our operations.”

More time in the field

For Echo Valley Irrigation, Sage Estimating is not just a tool used to prevent another costly error, it also helps boost overall efficiency and productivity, and delivers a high level of confidence.

“I’m the company’s sole estimator,” says Dickner. “Yet I’m also needed in the field, on the job sites. Sage Estimating dramatically speeds up the time it takes to generate an estimate, and I have the confidence that it’s accurate. That allows me to spend more time in the field with my crew, where I need to be to drive successful jobs.”

Unconditional recommendation

“For a company like ours, where we have just a few people doing a lot of work, Sage Estimating is ideal—I definitely recommend it,” says Simpson. “It is making a tremendous difference for us, and we will continue to grow with it for years to come.” “I’d recommend Sage Estimating to any contractor, big or small,” says Dickner. “Sage Estimating is helping us expand, be more efficient, and be more organized. It has proven to be a real blessing for Echo Valley Irrigation.”