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Building
Pete Fowler
Xactimate vs. “Real Estimating”

Introduction

Wow. This is fun for me to read. It's a January 2004 letter that I wrote to a client, when he asked why we didn't use Xactimate. Xactimate was a good program then. And it's even better now. Some people on the staff here at Pete Fowler Construction are even certified to use Xactimate. But it's still not REAL estimating.

We have been using this letter in our estimating training courses ever since it was written. I am sure we have put this letter in our project files more than 100 times, when we have been hired as construction cost estimating experts and others have used Xactimate to perform their work.

The letter has prompted a lot of good (and a couple heated) conversations. I hope it keeps working!

Business
Pete Fowler
Our Work is Often Difficult

When I have done my best work as an expert witness, I have gone over and over and over and over my report and conclusions, refining, improving, and ultimately perfecting the work through an excruciating process that is at least 95% elbow-grease, and at most 5% “experience,” native gift, or divine inspiration. 

Our Work is Often Difficult
Building
Pete Fowler
Construction Quality Management Resources

Contents

  1. The "Definition of Quality"

  2. Managing Construction Quality

  3. Construction Quality Management

  4. Lean Construction

  5. Punchlist Management Software

  6. The Cost of Quality

  7. "Really, Really Good Reading"

Article of the Week
Guest User
Article of the Week: How to Celebrate Your ...

Our goal at PFCS is to do AWESOME work for our clients, but not have to beat the hell out of everyone to get it.  All employees want to feel appreciated and that they are an important piece of the puzzle.  Providing tools to complete our tasks is important, but providing respect and appreciation is vital and is the foundation of PFCS.

Article of the Week: How to Celebrate Your Mistakes
Business
Pete Fowler
The One Minute Manager

“The One Minute Manager” is a parable about a young man who searches the world over to find a good manager to mentor him and finally finds "The One Minute Manager" who teaches him three secrets: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praising, and One Minute Reprimands.

Business: Featured

How We Have Succeeded with Remote Work

How We Have Succeeded with Remote Work

A Technology Company?

Many people who know me are surprised to learn that I consider my business a "technology company."

My college major was a B.S. in Construction Management and I also have a minor in Management Information Systems (IT), I was a computer network administrator, and I have been setting up computer systems to enable remote work since the 1990s. Since then I invested in development of what has become a magical, proprietary information system where everything that anyone sends to us, and everything we do is saved forever in "the cloud," everything is connected to everything else, and it's backed up and accessible anywhere, any time, by anyone with the appropriate permissions. Because of all this work for the past 25 years, our business has not missed a beat this month (literally, our productivity is actually ahead of goal).

Contact Us: 866-706-7327