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T
he CD that is enclosed in this book contains an edu-
cational version of the WinEst software as well as
several spreadsheets that were used in the previous
chapters. The spreadsheets were generated using Microsoft
Excel.
WinEst
The WinEst program provided with this book is one of
many estimating software packages that are commercially
available. There are many advantages to using such a sys-
tem for estimating. First, they allow the estimate to be per-
formed by assemblies (which facilitates project scheduling)
and then priced out by unique item. The quantity by item
is needed to request price quotes. Second, it simplifies the
maintenance of pricing and productivity factors. This
allows for changes in the productivity rates and prices to be
automatically reflected throughout the estimate. There are
many other advantages, such as error reductions and time
savings.
When the WinEst CD is inserted in the CD drive, the
autorun feature should automatically start the installation
process, bringing up the screen shown in Figure G.1. Should
the autorun feature fail to start, the user can start the instal-
lation by (1) double-clicking on the CD drive, (2) right-
clicking on the CD drive and selecting Autoplay from the
popup menu, or (3) opening the CD and double-clicking onWinEst SOFTWARE
AND SPREADSHEETS
APPENDIXG
FIGURE G.1.Opening Installation Screen.