Database Design -- General Contractor/Construction Manager
Alan Hodesblatt
Does anyone know of a good Access database for a General
Contractor/Construction Manager to use as a construction cost system? Our
firm's accounting system is not up to snuff on job costing, although it is
fine on everything else. Any suggestions? I'd rather not re-invent the
wheel if I can find the basic structure somewhere. Thanks.
Tony Adams
Alan Hodesblatt <AHode...@msn.com> wrote
Alan,
I remembered giving a lenghthy reply to a question like this once, so I
poked around. Some of the reference don't apply, but here it is:
Originally posted 10/20/97
*********************************************
I've got some experience in the building industry - hope this helps (this
is NOT a pitch):
The above requirements seem pretty simple, but the long term scalability is
a HUGE issue.
I would recommend that your friend thinks long and hard before using Access
alone to perform the above functions. A lot of issues conspire to make the
building industry difficult to develop cost effective software for.
Project accounting really depends upon the type of contracts that are being
performed, and any large builder (general contractor) will need to be able
to track lump sum, T&M, cost-plus, construction management, and unit price
contracts. Also, the local laws and customs weigh very heavily. Wage
rates, overtime law, government insurance and taxes, certified payroll,
retainage, progress billing, schedule of values, etc. are all variables
based on locale.
This means that most modular, industrial-strength construction tracking
software is pretty complex and spendy, but can be used in more than a
single region, and utilize very detailed transaction tracking, blah blah
blah. If there is such an app available in Access, it is not being widely
marketed, therefore it is probably very specialized, and quite probably
very expensive. To develop it himself from scratch, or to pay a
consultant, would be very, very expensive. To give you an idea, our
company's tracking system runs with a McDonnell Douglass Pro IV front end
and a Btrieve 6.15 NT service, has a couple of HUNDRED tables, uses about
300 meg for 2 years worth of data, and cost us about $20,000 to purchase -
www.dexterchaney.com if you are curious.
I've seen people try to use Quickbooks Pro, or Peachtree, etc. to run a
construction business, and they always seem to fight issue after issue.
There is software available for the small builder, if that is what your
friend is, for a lot less than what we spent, but the scalability is
usually poor. This is really a tough area and I've been quite frustrated
by it myself. Luckily, we are of the size that we could afford the really
good stuff, but most companies cannot.
HTH
*********************************************
--
Tony Adams
WB Consulting Group
tad...@wbtbc.com
Lee Wexler
Alan:
I have been developing Access software for a GC in the boston area for a
while now but have stayed away from the accounting. I find accounting
systems for construction are quite complex and better left to the experts...
I have been focusing on custom estimating and project communication software
(including for the web), for which Access is wonderful.
If you did find an Access package for construction Accounting please let me
know! I would love to integrate it with all of my other access software so
I could get rid of my old DOS accounting warhorse...
Good luck!
Lee Wexler
Alan Hodesblatt wrote in message ...
Kurt A. Fisher
Alan Hodesblatt <AHode...@msn.com> asked in article
<eiJSQgnB9GA.237@upnetnews04>...
> Does anyone know of a good Access database for a General
.
somewhere.
Have you considered MS Project. In the legal setting (I am a paralegal) I
have used it for reproducing project scheduling and bid assumptions in
support of damage computation. I've worked with one client to show them how
to do basic construction estimating using the application. It seems to
work fine for basic projects like single family and small commercial
estimating and construction project management.
Trisha Phoon's site has links to project estimating software written in
Access.
Trisha Phoon Access Site:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/7848/access.htm - Includes an
FAQ table that indexes several Access FAQ sites. (11/97)
jackhh...@gmail.com
> Does anyone know of a good Access database for a General
> firm's accounting system is not up to snuff on job costing, although it is
> wheel if I can find the basic structure somewhere. Thanks.
I think you need to get help from best general contractor who have good experienced in this field. you can visit to http://www.createcsi.com for free consultative services
