Corecon Reviewer's Comments

Corecon our number 3 ranked product and "Top 10 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner" is an excellent construction estimating software program. It was designed to incorporate three key tools into one centralized database application. The software offers estimating, project management and job cost control tools. Each of these features contributes to Corecon's ranking as the #3 construction estimating software product.

Feature Set:  

Corecon offers many convenient features enabling you to track multiple estimates, contracts, change orders and budgets. The newest Corecon products host project management features which distribute estimating information in contracts, change orders and purchase orders. Corecon is compatible with many software programs. It can be integrated with Microsoft Word, Outlook and Project, QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier and QuickBooks Enterprise Edition, as well as Canadian versions of QuickBooks (2003 and higher).

Corecon has the dynamite ability to handle estimating, contracts, documents, projects costs, contact management and the internet. Corecon is one of the only software packages to include each of these features in one powerful program.

This one-system approach of Corecon opens communication between estimating and project teams. It enables a company to manage multiple projects and estimates and tackles successfully complicated takeoffs using CSI or work-breakdown structures. This system also allows you to group and filter material, labor and equipment resources. This program hosts the ability to automate estimating, streamline the bidding process, transfer estimates to project management, deliver budget tracking and summary reports, improve communication with customizable documents and email functions, improve results with professional change orders, and accelerate payments using billing wizards and industry-standard forms.

Corecon is a certified RS Means Cost Database reseller. This provides you with the full spectrum of RS Means cost and assemblies databases. For an additional cost, you may purchase up to 50,000 takeoff line items with descriptions and pricing available. These can be a great benefit when setting up your cost book line items and assemblies. The line items and assembly descriptions can be customized to fit the needs of your company.

Ease of Use:  

Corecon is a very well designed program. There are many features available and several components to this integrated application, making it slightly difficult for a new estimator. With prior experience with estimating programs, this program will be simple to navigate. Corecon minimizes the difficulty of setting up cost books through its RS Means CostBook Databases. Due to the detailed management and tracking capabilities, Corecon takes some time to setup and master. With experience using the program, however, it will prove to be a great asset to your company.

Ease of Installation:  

The demo CD we received from the company was not a working copy demo; therefore we were not able to actually install this program. However, based on the professional design of the program demonstrated on the demo CD, we do not anticipate any installation problems.

Help/Support:  

We were not able to access the help section in this program. However, we located several ways to access help. There are internet training classes and over 40 training demos available to Corecon users. You can view these demos at the Corecon Support Center or you may participate in online open-forum training class held three times a week. A Power Estimating class, led by a professional estimator, is offered to educate your estimating staff. Group classes are held every two months in various cities throughout the United States and are open to all companies. Included with the software program, there is a detailed user's guide that can be used as a reference for any questions. If you need extra help, or prefer the one-on-one approach, custom classes can be scheduled.

Summary:  

Corecon is a program designed for medium sized construction companies with a full time estimator and management team. It is very detailed in its job costing, reporting and tracking capabilities. Its ability to integrate several management programs into one centralized program is both very useful and powerful. Corecon, in our opinion, is one of the top construction estimating-management programs on the market today. The base price is comparable to other competitive programs. However, if you choose to add the many available options, such as RS Means databases, Digitizer hardware and Composite unit price files, the price will increase substantially.