August 29, 2003—The Blue Book of Building & Construction, the industry’s database of contractors and suppliers, has formed a new alliance with estimating software developer Quest Solutions. Recognizing that the bidding stage is the shortest but most active period of a project’s life cycle, The Blue Book leverages Internet technology, strategic alliances, and 90 years of experience to provide industry buyers and sellers with a way to communicate faster and more effectively.
The integration of BB-Bid, The Blue Book’s free online bid management system, within Quest’s estimating software, will enable general contractors to combine two critical elements of the bidding stage—identifying line item costs and messaging “Invitations to Bid.” Through a one-step procedure, general contractors can transfer project information along with each trade’s bid items from Quest to BB-Bid. This eliminates time-consuming re-entering of data and prevents mis-keying. The general contractor assigns his vendors and/or Blue Book vendors, using BB-Bid’s search wizard, and messages ITBs via fax, e-mail, and through the BB-Bid network. A process that used to take days now takes just hours, according to The Blue Book.
The Blue Book and Quest, as well as Plan Express, will be conducting a series of free “Working Online for a Better Bottom Line” seminars. For a list of locations and dates, visit The Blue Book’s Trade Show & Event Calendar.
