Articles That Can Help

I have no overhead, so I can bid low

Harry Carter

This statement—often repeated and written—is fundamentally flawed and deeply misguided. Over the past four decades in this field, I’ve come across countless misconceptions about business practices, and one of the…

Are bid packages the way to go?

Harry Carter

A “bid package” typically combines the work of one or more related trades into a single proposal. For example, as a drywall contractor, you might submit a bid for framing…

Does production drop in cold weather?

Harry Carter

If you live in cold climate areas, you certainly experience changes (many times extreme) in weather. These changes in weather can make your production take a nosedive and you should…

Piecework vs hourly bidding

Harry Carter

When it comes to comparing piecework and hourly rates, there is often a misconception that piecework companies always fare better than hourly bidding companies. This is only true if the…

Winning isn’t the mission here

Harry Carter

Winning jobs is not the ultimate mission here, and if it were, I could easily secure the next 20 jobs for you. However, the truth is that such an approach…

Watch those pennies!

Harry Carter

I’ve witnessed hundreds of times that with just a few hours of instruction, almost anyone can identify a wall or a ceiling in a drawing. Sure, that’s an accomplishment, right?…

Harry Carter

Carter School of Estimating

My estimating courses cover material, man days, production rates, difficulty factors, overhead and a whole lot more! Call (603) 263-0345 or write harry@estimatingcourse.com today and I’ll change the way you think about a lot of things regarding estimating. Estimating is an art. I’d like to think of myself as a great artist when it comes to estimating. Let me bring out the estimating artist in you.