---

CONEST^® SOFTWARE SYSTEMS RELEASES INTELLIBID^™ VERSION 4.0
The New Upgrade Helps Determine Accurate Labor Time on Building Projects

---

LONDONDERRY, NH, Oct. 2-4, 2003 – ConEst Software Systems today released version 4.0 of IntelliBid, an upgrade with many significant new features designed to help electrical contractors generate accurate and consistent bids. The new upgrade includes a labor calculator that will determine the amount of regular, overtime and shift hours required to increase the accuracy of estimates.

Calculating an accurate estimate on labor is perhaps the most challenging problem contractors face today. With several built-in calculators, IntelliBid helps determine labor burden, effects of weather, job conditions and labor escalation. Additionally, the upgrade will determine the optimum crew size and help decide if overtime or a second shift is necessary.

“Most contractors abide by the normal eight-hour, five-day week schedule to get a project done, but a normal workweek exists only when construction progress is on schedule and does not require overtime,” said Jan Thayer, vice president of sales and customer relations. “More often than not, additional hours to the normal workweek may be necessary because of inclement weather, occupied areas or poor working conditions. Depending on the project, contractors could be penalized and lose money if any overtime is performed.”

In addition to calculating labor, IntelliBid includes a web-enabled connection to the NetPricer^™ Service, an Internet-based material pricing host, where participating supply houses post the contractor’s unique material prices.

“By allowing our customers to connect to NetPricer^™, we give them the versatility to choose their favorite supplier’s pricing,” said Ms. Thayer. “This and other new features in Version 4.0 will really save contractors a lot of time and develop even more accurate bids.”

Other new features in IntelliBid’s upgrade include: a new “display deleted records” feature allowing the user to restore any items previously deleted, a “prompt box” appearing when information is missing, and color codes used to indicate when labor changes were made by the estimator.

The upgrade will continue to use many of the same features that ConEst customers have come to rely on including: a JPEG image viewer, built-in electrical formulas, an interface to Sellect CAD and file security. IntelliBid Version 4.0 also includes ConEst’s exclusive Smart System^™ technology and a database of over 26,000 electrical material items with more than 27,000 pre-built electrical assemblies.

The program’s new Job Spec feature lets the user build assemblies with multiple options within each assembly, reducing the need for a separate assembly for every possible installation scenario. Competive estimating products would require over 200,000 pre-built electrical assemblies to accomplish the same functionality that the 27,000 assemblies in IntelliBid deliver.

About ConEst Software Systems
ConEst Software Systems is the leading provider of estimating, billing and project management software applications serving the electrical and datacom industries. Headquartered in Londonderry, NH and serving customers worldwide, ConEst has been delivering solutions to the electrical industry since 1989. Dedicated to exploring new ways to integrate the latest technology with their software tools, ConEst products incorporate intelligence, with timesaving features that enable electrical contractors and estimators to manage the entire construction process from bid through project management and final billing. For more information, contact ConEst Software Systems at 1-800-662-7687 or visit the company’s Web site at www.conest.com.

# # #