About Resources

Understand the role of the Resources area as the central repository for cost data, templates, and organizational information in B2W Estimate.

The Resources area of B2W Estimate is the backbone of the estimating system. In Resources resides all of the information you use to form the cost basis of your estimates. It also includes crew templates and task templates, which allow you to assemble reusable cost structures.

In addition, Resources serves as a storage area for organizational information such as your lists of competitors, customers, engineers/architects, subcontractors, and vendors.

Since each estimate you create is a collection of various resources, it is important to have entered your resource data before creating your first estimate.

It is important to keep in mind that the information stored in the Resources area is typically shared by all estimators. In other words, if you are part of a network environment, any additions or changes that you make within the Resources area of the program will be visible to other estimators.

The beauty of this design is that once you create a new resource, it will be available for use by all estimators in any future estimate. Shared resources are simple to maintain, easy to update, and lead to consistency and confidence in the finished estimate.

Access the Resources area in B2W Estimate

There are four ways to access the Resources area of B2W Estimate:

  • Select the Resources button at the top of the B2W Estimate window.
  • Select the View menu, then select Resources.
  • Press F7 on your keyboard.
  • On the B2W Estimate Home Page, select Work on Resources.

Listing tabs and detail tabs

When working with any type of resource, you will find the following two tabs in the right-hand pane:

Listing tab
This tab displays a listing of all of the records within a specific type of resource. It also displays basic information pertaining to those resources. You can filter this list by selecting a category from the Show category combo box.
Detail tab
Provides more detailed information specific to an individual resource, and allows you to build or configure template structures for certain types of resources.

There are two ways to access the detail tab for a specific resource:

  • On the listing tab, double-click the record selector to the left of the resource's description.
  • Or, select anywhere on the resource in the list, then select the detail tab.

When on the detail tab, you can use the navigation buttons on the toolbar to move between resources without having to return to the listing tab.