How do you use Woub alongside your estimating software?

Which estimating software does a contractor use?

The five packages mentioned differ in target audience and scope. Some focus strongly on estimating; others also support job sheets, scheduling, time records and financial processing. Assess which functions your business already uses and where communication still stalls in practice.

Below, we describe a possible allocation of roles for each package. The working situations are illustrative process proposals, rather than measured customer results or descriptions of automatic integrations.

2Jours: keep records with the job sheet and organise coordination within the project

Alongside estimating, 2Jours offers project control and mobile job sheets. Employees can record time and materials; project control supports additional works and invoicing, among other functions. It is therefore incorrect to treat 2Jours merely as an estimating programme. View project control in 2Jours.

Suppose a decorating team arrives, but the carpenter has not yet repaired the frames. The job sheet may be correct while work still cannot start. In Woub, the foreperson shares the situation with a photo within the project. The construction project coordinator agrees with the carpenter and main contractor what must happen first and who informs the decorator. The agreed follow-up action becomes a task.

Keep time, materials and financial processing in the configured 2Jours workflow. Woub adds coordination between those involved. If that coordination already works well through your existing workflow, Woub may not be needed for this part.

Ibis Calculeren voor Bouw: connect the basis of the estimate with questions from site operations

Ibis Calculeren voor Bouw supports quantities, measurement schedules, price build-ups and cost estimates. Depending on the edition, PDF and BIM measurement capabilities are also available. The supplier also describes exchange with ERP and administration software. Explore Ibis Calculeren voor Bouw.

The complementary question is how a choice in that estimate reaches site operations. Consider a wall whose estimated build-up turns out not to fit on site. The site manager shares the situation in the Woub project chat. The construction estimator can then explain the basis of the price and quantity. The project manager has the alternative assessed and allocates follow-up actions, such as updating the estimate and informing the subcontractor.

The numerical change stays in Ibis and is processed further through your existing procedure. Woub keeps the discussion and follow-up with the project. An AI task does not automatically change the Ibis estimate.

WpCalc: make clear which option was chosen and who takes it forward

WpCalc-Pro supports custom libraries, measurement and take-off schedules, working cost estimates and quotations, among other functions. The Pro documentation also mentions CUF-XML export. Keep the editions distinct: WpCalc-Nxt offers additional modules, including integrated project scheduling. Explore WpCalc-Pro and scheduling module for WpCalc-Nxt.

Suppose a refurbishment estimate contains two floor finishes. The client later chooses one option during a conversation with the project manager. In Woub, record within the project which choice is confirmed and who still needs to change something. The construction estimator processes the chosen option in WpCalc; the construction project coordinator receives the action to align the order with it.

This also organises handover to colleagues who were not in the conversation. Woub does not replace the estimate, quotation or existing Nxt scheduling. Agree who checks that the confirmed choice has actually been processed in the relevant systems.

TopCalc: connect the specified treatment in the estimate with what the tradesperson finds

TopCalc from Bartels Datastore supports measurement and estimating for painting and decorating, fit-out and property maintenance, among other work. The package provides work descriptions based on the treatment included in the estimate. The supplier also describes an app extension for inspections and surveys, plus a CUF-XML export module. View TopCalc product information.

Suppose façade maintenance appears to require more remedial work than anticipated during the survey. Use the configured TopCalc workflow for the specialist survey and revised estimate. In Woub, the site manager can inform the project manager and specialist involved, share a photo for explanation and organise feedback: who assesses the deviation and what may the team carry out meanwhile?

The added value here lies in communication around the deviation. Do not recreate the specialist survey in a separate checklist. Link communication to the same location or component reference so it remains clear which façade section is being discussed.

Gilde Software: keep business records intact and involve the other project parties

Gilde Software covers much more than estimating: the supplier lists project accounting, scheduling, time tracking, job sheets and actual cost analysis, among other functions. The actual cost analysis module processes recorded time and materials to provide project insight. View the Gilde modules and guide to actual cost analysis.

Suppose a roofer must coordinate work with an installer moving a penetration. Their own work may be organised in Gilde, while coordination between the two businesses still relies on separate phone calls. A Woub project chat lets you involve the relevant external party, discuss the sequence and record who confirms the new situation before the team proceeds.

Keep job sheets, time, materials and actual cost analysis in the existing Gilde workflow. Woub supports communication around it. A completed communication task does not prove the job sheet or financial records in Gilde have been updated.

What is a CUF file?

CUF is an exchange format for estimating and budget data, usually in XML. Supporting programmes can use it to process data from another package. Ibis explains the CUF format.

The file contains what the source programme exports. The Ibis export guide states, for example, that estimate lines are included with their hierarchical structure, but measurement schedule lines are not. A line with a quantity therefore does not automatically transfer all the underlying measurement information.

Retain the relationship with the correct estimate version. Use CUF to transfer suitable data and provide the necessary explanation separately: what was chosen, which exception applies and which question remains outstanding?

Which programmes can export CUF?

Woub names 2Jours, IBIS, WpCalc, TopCalc and Gilde Software as tested sources for CUF import. That confirms the file route; the required edition, module and export settings need attention. Read Woub’s CUF guide.

Supplier information is available from 2Jours, Ibis, WpCalc-Pro and TopCalc. Start with a representative file and, after import, compare groups, descriptions and relevant quantities with the source.

How do you import CUF into Woub for project preparation and checklists?

According to the Woub import guide, open the project and go to Information. Use the three dots to select Import CUF file, upload the file and select the required lines. Then decide which checklists to create:

• For the scheduling checklist, choose main groups, subgroups or no groups. Estimated hours can be included in the task description.

• For work description checklists, you can include material units and estimated hours.

Check the result immediately. According to the same guide, only administrators can undo an import within 48 hours.

Use the import as a starting point for the work

A checklist becomes useful when the site manager recognises the work and knows which deviations require feedback. Transfer only the data the team needs. Keep commercial calculations and the original supporting basis in the systems configured for them.

Have the construction estimator check the source version, the construction project coordinator add the preparation required and the site manager test whether they can start with it. Also check a recognisable boundary case: does the transferred quantity still match the latest survey, for example? An imported description alone does not answer that question.

Chatting: connecting a question or photo with a follow-up action

In the Woub project chat you discuss the work with colleagues and external parties involved. A photo of a deviation stays with the project. If someone needs to investigate something, you can turn a chat message into a task with an owner and deadline. The construction project coordinator therefore need not retype the question from a separate app.

Calling: finding the explanation behind a deviation

In a difficult situation, a conversation is often quicker than typing. Through call from the project chat the conversation stays connected to the work. Wouby AI supports capturing information and automatically turns identified agreements into tasks within supported conversations. Afterwards, check the content, person responsible and deadline. The required change in the estimating package remains a separate action.

Meetings: working through handover and outstanding items together

During a work handover, the construction estimator, construction project coordinator and site manager discuss assumptions and exceptions. Woub lets you record a supported meeting and find the transcript, summary and actions. A colleague who was absent can therefore also consult the outcome. Read about recording meetings. Check the captured decisions before the team proceeds with them.

Practical experience: different checklists for office and site teams

In the customer experience of Van Apeldoorn & Faber Annette discusses information previously scattered across Outlook, Word and printed job sheets. The business uses Woub checklists for subfloors, flooring installation, skirting boards and finishing. For project preparation, she also mentions orders and a ladder lift where needed.

The case illustrates why the tradesperson and construction project coordinator need different information. It does not describe CUF import or use of the five estimating packages mentioned, so it does not provide practical evidence for those.

Why is file import not a live integration?

A CUF import processes an export file at one point in time. A later change in the estimate is not therefore automatically updated in Woub. Equally, a message or completed task in Woub does not automatically update the estimate, job sheet or actual cost analysis.

Agree who manages handover and which information is authoritative. Use the same project, estimate and component references in communication. Before reimporting, check how existing tasks and checklists are handled.

Woub remains complementary to ERP, BIM, estimating, DMS and specialist scheduling. A scheduling checklist in Woub does not take over formal capacity and project scheduling. For a separate live integration or custom API development, the data flow and conditions must be established separately.

How do you stop Woub becoming yet another system?

Use Woub as the regular place for daily project communication and follow-up. This replaces WhatsApp groups for that work and any separate task app, and reduces project email. Have colleagues record time, materials and other business records under the existing process. Do not ask for the same records in two systems.

The combination is particularly worth trialling when important agreements still sit outside the configured software. If the office, site team and external parties already work well together in the existing environment, an extra communication layer may not be needed for that process.

Start small. Enjoy the peace of mind. Expand only then. You can start with project communication and add CUF when re-entering site information becomes a specific bottleneck. Test with one project whether a colleague can find the right agreement, whether the follow-up action is carried out and whether a revised estimate is also handed over correctly.

View the current subscriptions and add-ons. Try free for 14 days and assess with your construction estimator, construction project coordinator and site manager where Woub makes a difference alongside your existing package.