The Cost-Plus Bid Center, Version 04, is a collection of 28 prepared rate tables and 5 reports packaged with the Estimators' Toolbox catalog. The Estimators' Toolbox contains hundreds of easy-to-find cabinet configurations and popular cabinet accessory products for residential and commercial projects.
This useful collection of Cabinet Vision tools can be used as soon as the package is installed on your Cabinet Vision system. The Cost-Plus Bid Center v4 is best used on recent versions of Cabinet Vision including CV 2021, CV 2023, CV 2024, and CV 2025.
Just as Cabinet Vision models the "real world" in 3 dimensions, room by room, the Bid Center extends all of your work into the world of estimating commercial and residential cabinet jobs. Using the Cost-Plus Bid Center and the Estimators' Toolbox, you can create fast, accurate estimates with instant access to project Break-Even analysis reporting, customized estimates, purchasing summary reports and more. And here's the kicker....you don't have to draw any walls or cabinets.
The Cost-Plus Bid Center takes all the guesswork out of setting up your Bid Center so you can "hit the ground running" with cabinet pricing that includes every aspect, every material, every department of every cabinet shop from the design department, engineering, milling, assembly, finishing departments and your shipping and installation departments, too. The collection takes advantage of Cabinet Vision's xBidding multiplier with a smart implementation of a "cost-plus" approach to using the Bid Center for commercial jobs and residential jobs using your construction methods and material schedules.
FAQs
Q: "I wish I didn't have to draw everything first before I create a bid in Cabinet Vision. Can I use the Cost-Plus Bid Center to make a bid without drawing up the whole project?
A: Yes. Watch our video about how to make a No-Draw "Quick Bid" in Cabinet Vision.
Q: "After I buy the Cost-Plus Bid Center, will I be notified of updates, improvements and enhancements?"
A: Yes. Upon purchase, you will be added to the list of folks who purchased the Cost-Plus Bid Center. And we'll add you to our subscriber list for the Cost Plus Bid Center newsletter. The Cost-Plus Bid Center newsletter will be distributed only to purchasers of the Cost-Plus Bid Center.
Q: "What does 'Cost-Plus' mean and why is that in the name of your product?"
A: The term 'cost-plus' refers to a cost-plus pricing strategy, or markup pricing strategy. It's a popular and simple pricing method where a fixed percentage is added on top of the production cost for one unit of product (unit cost). This pricing strategy focuses on internal factors like production cost rather than external factors like consumer demand and competitor prices. Consequently, cost-plus pricing is a great strategy for pricing jobs in Cabinet Vision. We believe cost-plus pricing is the perfect pricing strategy for custom and "one-off" manufacturing.
Q: "What versions of Cabinet Vision is the Cost-Plus Bid Center compatible with?"
A: We've tested and installed the Cost-Plus Bid Center on versions CV11, CV12, CV2021,CV2022, CV2023 and now, CV2024. However, we recommend using it on versions CV2021 and up. You should be licensed for Cabinet Vision :Core, xReporting, and xBidding at a minimum.
Q: "I don't have the Bid Center in my Cabinet Vision. Does the Cost-Plus Bid Center put the Bid Center on my computer?"
A: No. The Cost-Plus Bid Center is not a replacement or substitute for the Bid Center in Cabinet Vision. The Cost-Plus Bid Center is a framework of prepared rate tables and methods of applying those rate tables that work inside of Cabinet Vision's Bid Center ( xBidding ).
How can I prepare Cabinet Vision for the Cost-Plus Bid Center?
Bringing your Cabinet Vision materials costs up-to-date is the best thing you can do to prepare to use the Cost-Plus Bid Center. The bids you make in the bid center are only as good as the information in the Material Manager, the Door Manager and other places in Cabinet Vision. Accurate and complete materials costs ensure accurate and complete estimates.
One common question we get regarding the task of updating materials costs is "Where should I start? We have a ton of materials in our Materials Manager!".
Our best response is to start with only the materials used in the job or jobs you're drawing now. Print out a list of all the materials and material schedules for your current jobs. The Material Summary report ( MTOT01 ) will help you with that. Then find receipts for the materials on this job and enter those costs in the Material Manager. While you're at it, check the material schedules to ensure that all materials have been properly assigned to every part. If you work on the materials - one job at a time - over time, you'll chip away at all the materials costs.
Within Cabinet Vision are several reports that you might find useful to start managing your materials costs. The Material Catalog List ( MCL001 ) can be a pretty lengthy report especially if you keep a lot materials in your Material Manager. Unlike the Material Summary report, the Material Catalog List lists every line item in your Material Manager.
