The I&A battle is on!!! Pre-Built vs Custom

Posted by:  MiguelTheSeniorTrainer

In STACK construction platform, you have the flexibility to either utilize pre-built "Items" and "Assemblies" or create your own from scratch. Both approaches have their distinct advantages and ideal use cases.

Understanding Items and Assemblies in STACK

Before diving into the pros and cons, let's quickly clarify what "Items" and "Assemblies" are in STACK:

• Items: These are your individual building blocks. Think of them as single material units (e.g., a sheet of drywall, a lineal foot of lumber, an hour of labor, a specific type of screw). Each item has a unit of measure, cost, and sometimes a coverage rate.

   

• Assemblies: These are collections of multiple items that are frequently used together as a single unit for a specific task or building condition. For example, a "Drywall Assembly" might include drywall sheets, mud, tape, screws, and the labor hours to install them. When you take off an assembly, STACK automatically calculates the quantities and costs of all the individual items within it.

Using Existing Items and Assemblies (Pre-Built Content)

STACK provides a library of pre-built items and assemblies, and you can also copy and customize these from vendor-supplied libraries (like BNi or 1build).

Pros of Using Existing/Pre-Built Content:

1. Speed and Convenience: This is the biggest advantage. STACK's pre-built libraries offer a quick starting point, especially for common construction tasks. You don't have to spend time setting up each item and its associated costs and formulas.

    

2. Industry Standards: Pre-built content often aligns with common industry practices and material specifications, which can be helpful for general estimating.
3. Good for New Users: If you're new to STACK or digital takeoff, using existing content can help you get up and running quickly without needing deep knowledge of how to build complex assemblies.
4. Learning Tool: You can examine how STACK's pre-built assemblies are constructed to understand the relationships between items and how formulas are applied. This can be a great learning tool for building your own later.

Creating Your Own Items and Assemblies (Custom Content)

STACK allows you to build your own custom items and assemblies from scratch within your Custom Libraries.

Pros of Creating Your Own Content:

1. Precision and Accuracy: This is the paramount advantage. Custom items and assemblies allow you to mirror your exact materials, labor processes, equipment, and subcontractor costs. This leads to much more accurate and reliable estimates.

    

2. Tailored to Your Business: You can incorporate your specific product catalog, preferred vendors, historical cost data, typical waste factors, and unique installation methods.
3. Consistency Across Projects: Once you build a custom item or assembly, it's saved in your custom library and can be reused across countless projects. This ensures consistent estimating practices and results.
4. Increased Efficiency (Long-Term): While there's an initial time investment to set up custom content, the long-term efficiency gains are substantial. You won't be constantly adjusting generic information.
5. Competitive Advantage: More accurate bids based on your true costs can give you a significant edge in winning profitable work.
6. Better Data for Analysis: When your items and assemblies accurately reflect your operations, the data generated from your takeoffs is more valuable for analysis, project tracking, and future decision-making.
7. Flexibility for Complex Scenarios: Custom assemblies allow for complex formulas and item groups (e.g., "Choose Stud Height," "Add Headers"), which provide flexibility for different project conditions.

Best Practices & When to Choose Each Approach

The best approach often involves a hybrid strategy:

• Start with Existing/Pre-Built (Especially for New Users/Quick Estimates): If you're just starting with STACK or need a quick, rough estimate, using pre-built content can be a good way to get going.
• Customize and Build Over Time: As you become more familiar with STACK and your specific needs, gradually customize copies of pre-built assemblies and build your own.
• Prioritize Common Assemblies: Focus your custom assembly creation on the items and assemblies you use most frequently. This will yield the greatest return on your time investment.

• Create Custom Libraries: STACK allows you to create your own "Custom Libraries." This is where you should save all your tailored items and assemblies.

   

• Regularly Update Pricing: Regardless of whether you use existing or custom content, regularly update your material and labor pricing to ensure your estimates are accurate.

Custom Items & Assemblies for the WIN!

While existing items and assemblies offer speed and a good starting point, creating your own items and assemblies in STACK is highly recommended for any company serious about accurate, consistent, and competitive bidding. The initial investment in building a robust custom library will pay dividends in increased efficiency, greater accuracy, and ultimately, more profitable projects.