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By: Tim Gregorski

A new time reporting product that enables contractors and service company personnel to report various data from a cell phone or over the Internet has been introduced by Computer Instruments Inc., Overland Park, Kan.

The new time reporting product known as Timekeeper provides the option of reporting a variety of data, including payroll hours; service work orders; job/phase information; equipment usage; and reimbursement units. It validates for later payroll processing and interfaces with online databases of employees, jobs, cost codes, pay IDs, equipment and authorized timekeepers. Entries can be approved and edited within the payroll system. All data can be exported to other cost accounting programs.

Additional features include a web server for hosting your own site, built-in fax server, audio bulletin board for company-wide audio broadcasts and voice mail for after-hours calls and field reporting.

PocketCAD Pro 4.0, recently released by Arc Second Inc. of Dulles, Va., is fully functional CAD software for Windows-powered mobile devices including Pocket PCs. This upgraded version features all the enhancements

of past versions in addition to improved performance and new functionality.

Powered by AutoDesk technology, the software offers mobile professionals a solution for creating, viewing and editing design drawings at the jobsite, reducing the need to bring paper blueprints into the field. It reads and writes DWG and DWX files and is compatible with nearly all desktop CAD software packages, including AutoCAD Release 12 through 2000i.

Sarasota, Fla.-based Quest Solutions introduced the Heavy/Highway Solution, an estimating package designed specifically to meet the needs of infrastructure contractors. According to the manufacturer, the software allows contractors to quickly and easily assemble accurate detail or unit price bids as well as verify engineering quantities.

Using Quest Estimator, the solution permits contractors to customize an estimate for each application. Estimator’s cost database can track all cost items a contractor may encounter such as materials, equipment and financials. Estimator also calculates labor costs by man-hours, crew hours or unit cost, allowing contractors to format bids to their customer’s specifications.

Contractors also can create their own custom databases or utilize a third party’s information, and users can create as many databases as necessary to manage their information. Items can be easily modified within or added to each database as well as copied and pasted from one database to another. Quest also offers optional state DOT databases that are filled with complete, up-to-date items and costs.

A new website (dirtmarket.com) which serves the construction industry and the commonly faced challenges of finding a site for depositing excavated soil or needing fill at a construction site, has been developed by Broden Inc., Mountain Lakes, N.J.

Initially targeting the northern California market, the website enables construction sites with fill to connect to companies seeking fill. The party that has fill posts it to the website, including the location, amount and type. The party that needs fill logs on and finds it in the geographic area requested. DirtMarket provides maps, weather and directions to sites such as quarries, landfills and other excavation sites.

Locations are geocoded, calculating the distance between any two sites via algorithms developed by Broden. The user can locate all available fill near a construction site in a short amount of time.