FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
iTWO costX®
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What type of construction professionals use iTWO costX®?
The iTWO costX® product suite is used by a diverse range of construction professionals who need to estimate and takeoff from plans. Some of these include:
- Quantity Surveyors
- Commercial Builders
- Residential Builders
- Subcontractors (Walls & Ceilings, Roofing, Landscaping, Flooring, Structural Steel, Shopfitting & Interiors, Concrete & Masonry, and more)
- MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing)
- Civil
- Oil & Gas
- BIM Managers
To learn more about the different construction applications for iTWO costX®, please visit our Industries pages. You can also view some quotes, testimonials and case studies from customers here.
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What is the difference between the various iTWO costX® products?
The iTWO costX® range of products is designed to make takeoff and estimating faster, smarter & more accurate. We offer four main products to customers: iTWO costX®, iTWO costX® 2D, iTWO costX® takeoff and iTWO costX® takeoff 2D to suit your requirements. Below is a comparative table showing the main feature differences:
iTWO costX® iTWO costX®
2DiTWO costX®
takeoffiTWO costX®
takeoff 2D2D drawings (incl. PDFs) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3D / BIM Model ✓ ✓ Workbooks ✓ ✓ Auto- Revisioning ✓ ✓ Subcontractor Comparison ✓ ✓ There is also iTWO costXL, which works with any network product from the main iTWO costX® range, creating a link between that and your Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet.
We also offer two free products. iTWO costX® viewer can be downloaded onto any Windows computer and will allow the user to open iTWO costX® files and view them, without making changes. iTWO costX® educational is our special educational version for eligible lecturers and students.
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What type of file formats can I use with iTWO costX®?
iTWO costX® is renowned for its interoperability, as we want users to be able to collaborate as effectively as possible. Please refer to the below diagram for a summary of our software compatibility.
To learn more about iTWO costX® compatibility, or if you’re an architect or designer who wants to know more about how you can create iTWO costX® compatible files, please click here.
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How much do iTWO costX® licences cost?
iTWO costX® pricing is dependent on a number of factors, so we can’t advertise an exact cost for the software. For example, which product variation would be most suitable for your requirements? Do you want BIM compatibility? Would you want to buy 50 copies or just one? If you send in a sales enquiry here, we’ll be able to reply with a specific quote for your circumstance.
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Can I use iTWO costX® in the cloud?
Cloud-based workflows have never been so important for our industry, and RIB can offer a number of great cloud deployment options to iTWO costX® users.
One delivery option is via a Microsoft Azure environment, fully-managed and hosted by RIB. This delivery model is available as an annual subscription-based licence service, backed by comprehensive security controls and practices.
Our software can also be self-hosted by end-users through several supported platforms including Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services, using technologies such as AWS AppStream 2.0, Citrix Virtual Apps and Citrix Virtual Desktops.
Additionally, RIB can offer fully native cloud storage support for your drawing files, including both 2D plans and BIM files. Current providers include Amazon AWS S3, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, Dropbox and Box.
Businesses who opt to run iTWO costX® in the cloud can count upon secure workflows, streamlined IT administration, improved business agility and many other advantages. For more about our cloud delivery options, please click here.
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What are the licencing options and what are the differences between them?
iTWO costX® has a variety of flexible licensing options to suit your different needs and scenarios:
A standalone licence gives unrestricted access to iTWO costX® and is licensed to an individual computer.
A network licence is best suited for companies that have multiple users of the software. This enables employees to share a set number of licences via your server, making it the most cost-effective solution.
A portable licence is stored on a dongle or USB key. It can be used with both standalone and network configurations.
The above are available for iTWO costX®, iTWO costX® 2D, iTWO costX® takeoff & iTWO costX® takeoff 2D. iTWO costXL is only available as a network licence, while iTWO costX® viewer and iTWO costX® educational are only available in standalone versions. Rental options are also available for users looking to trial iTWO costX® over a short period of time.
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What product support is available for iTWO costX®?
Off-site support includes both email and phone support, as well as a website portal for customer help requests. Clients can dial into any listed RIB phone number (local numbers available for Australia, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom & USA) to receive prompt support from our worldwide team of Consultants and Support Engineers. Our Support email is also monitored by team members worldwide covering 24 hours of each business day.
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What does annual maintenance include?
We offer an annual maintenance program for iTWO costX® purchase licences, which almost all our new users choose to take on. An annual fee of 20% gives you off-site support, as well as all new releases of the software. Receiving free releases of the software when they become available means you’ll always be up-to-date with the latest technology, and compatible with all other versions of the software.
Our support team works closely with our development team, so if you have any suggestions for new features please let them know and it will be considered for a future release.
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Can I book in an online demonstration?
Certainly! We offer free web demonstrations with our worldwide network of Consultants. Please send in a sales enquiry here and we would be happy to arrange this. Booking in a demonstration at your offices may also be possible, but this would depend on your location and proximity to one of our offices.
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What training options are available for iTWO costX®?
To ensure the success of your iTWO costX® investment, we provide a number of comprehensive training programs to suit all budgets and requirements.
We have developed three standard training courses to suit the skill levels of participants:
iTWO costX® Fundamentals
Advanced iTWO costX®
iTWO costX® BIM & 3D Measurement
These courses can be delivered virtually, or onsite at your office if applicable. Self-paced online training courses are also available, as well as free video tutorials and webinars. Click here for more information regarding our training options.
iTWO costX® cloud
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What are the benefits of choosing cloud deployment for iTWO costX®?
Forward-thinking construction businesses are looking to transform their digital processes, and cloud solutions are a high priority for improved flexibility and collaboration. Businesses who opt to run iTWO costX® in the cloud can count upon secure workflows, streamlined IT administration, improved business agility and many other advantages.
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Are there minimum licence numbers or subscription terms for your fully-managed service?
iTWO costX® cloud is available to clients who subscribe for a minimum of four licences. A minimum subscription terms of twelve months also applies.
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Is the RIB-hosted service available worldwide?
Our fully-managed option is currently available in many regions worldwide. Available regions for the service are determined by the infrastructure offered in the local Microsoft Azure datacentre in that region. Please contact our sales team for more information on availability.
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How secure is RIB’s SaaS platform?
Our service is hosted in the Microsoft Azure cloud, which boasts ISO 27001 certification alongside a range of other security controls. The application is published over HTTPS secured by an industry-standard SSL certificate with 2048-bit encryption. Several other controls and practices are offered for additional security, including tenant separation, identity management, controlled access to production resources and more.
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Can my iTWO costX® cloud projects be downloaded to my computer, or exported to iTWO benchmark?
Yes, it’s a simple process to export files to the storage area of your iTWO costX® cloud environment, before downloading them to your local computer. As for iTWO benchmark, projects and data can be shared quickly and efficiently between the two cloud platforms.
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Are there shared storage limitations with RIB’s managed service?
50GB of basic fast shared storage is available with the core package for drawing storage, import/export data, etc. Customers can pay an additional fee to increase storage capacity as their business needs change.
Alternatively, customers can manage their own files by using any of the six cloud storage providers that are natively supported with iTWO costX®.
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Is documentation available to assist my transition from perpetual iTWO costX® licencing to self-hosted cloud deployment?
There certainly is, we have produced a General Overview document that covers everything from deployment models to networking & security, data sovereignty, file recovery and much more. Clients can find this helpful file in the ‘Documentation’ tab of RIB TechWeb.
iTWO benchmark
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What is included with my iTWO benchmark purchase?
As iTWO benchmark is a subscription-based model, you continue to receive access to the product as long as your subscription is kept current. As part of the licensing fee, users receive comprehensive email, website ticket and phone support from our international support team. You also receive all new releases of the product at no charge. Plus, included in the product is a comprehensive Help file designed to assist you with any questions that you may have about the product functionality.
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What type of construction professionals use iTWO benchmark?
iTWO benchmark can be used by any large consultant or contractor who wants to be able to benchmark their estimates against historical data from similar projects.
Enterprises with large repositories of untapped historical data will benefit the most from iTWO benchmark, given the platform’s ability to accurately adjust older figures through index factors.
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What are the system/browser requirements and recommendations for iTWO benchmark?
iTWO benchmark uses Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for single sign-on user authentication. The four editions of Azure AD (Free, Basic, Premium P1, and Premium P2) are all supported.
iTWO benchmark works best on the latest versions of modern browsers and operating systems and requires a browser capable of supporting HTML 5, JavaScript, Cookies, CSS and TLS 1.2. Minimum screen resolution is 1024 x 800 (1920 x 1080 is recommended), while access to Google Maps is required for displaying project locations on a map.
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What security measures are available to protect user data?
All iTWO benchmark data is protected through the use of industry-standard SSL certificates with 2048-bit encryption. By utilising Azure AD for user verification, additional security is provided to users. A number of options can be set for efficient and reliable data backup, depending on your preferences.
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Is product support available from RIB?
Off-site iTWO benchmark support includes both email and phone support, as well as a website portal for customer help requests. Clients can dial into any listed RIB phone number (local numbers available for Australia, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom & USA) to receive prompt support from our worldwide team of Consultants and Support Engineers. Our Support email is also monitored by team members worldwide covering 24 hours of each business day.
iTWO benchmark users can also refer to our comprehensive Help file, which is available in the main drop-down menu of the iTWO benchmark platform.
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How often is the platform updated with new features and improvements?
iTWO benchmark is regularly improved to broaden functionalities and address client feedback. These major and minor releases are applied automatically, with licence owners notified in advance when changes are due to take place.
To stay up-to-date with the newly added iTWO benchmark features, you can keep an eye on our Releases page.
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Once licences have been purchased, can I manage my team’s licence allocations myself?
You certainly can, those who are assigned as System Administrator or User Administrator can invite new users, manage existing licences, edit assigned roles & permissions, delete users and more.
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Are training or consultation sessions available for my business?
Yes, we’re happy to organise personalised training or consultation sessions for your business, which can be delivered virtually or in-person if feasible. Please fill out our training enquiry form to find out more.
For those looking to see a full video demonstration of iTWO benchmark in action, please visit this link.
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Can I book in an online demonstration?
Absolutely, we offer free web demonstrations with our worldwide network of Consultants. Please send in a sales enquiry here and we would be happy to arrange this. Booking in a demonstration at your offices may also be possible, but this would depend on your location and proximity to one of our offices.
iTWO cx
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Does iTWO cx work in all browsers?
iTWO cx is supported by Google Chrome and Internet Explorer 11, with limited support available for Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox.
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What type of construction professionals use iTWO cx?
iTWO cx has broad application for a range of professionals in construction and property industries.
Contractors, consultants, developers and project owners can all benefit from the scope of integrated modules on offer. iTWO cx is often deployed across entire project teams to streamline communication and collaboration throughout the lifecycle of a major build.
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What support is available for iTWO cx?
iTWO cx users generally receive free support from our expert team as part of their subscription. Clients can sign up for a Service Desk portal account to log a technical issue, ask a question or suggest a feature.
Our support hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm AEDT.
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What training options are available?
RIB can offer free iTWO cx Online Training to registered users, with self-paced training modules available to help hone your skills. If you wish to become iTWO cx Certified to demonstrate your proficiency, you can pay a small fee to take the assessment.
Personalised training options are also available. You can simply fill out our training enquiry form or contact your local office to learn more about what’s on offer.
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How does the iTWO cx Mobile App work?
iTWO cx has been developed with a mobile-first methodology, and registered users can complete a wide variety of workflows when onsite or away from their desk through our mobile app. Clients can simply visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download.
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What customisation is available for iTWO cx?
We understand that not all project management requirements are the same. iTWO cx is available with a selection of additional modules to suit unique or complex projects. Customisations include a Site Diary, risk & safety management modules, sustainability tracking, defence proformas for Commonwealth contracts and more.
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What average cloud uptime does iTWO cx achieve?
The iTWO cx platform has many high availability features to ensure the system is accessible when you need it, including multiple application servers and various internet routes to maintain the service. Average uptime has been in excess of 99.9%, and in the event that any essential maintenance is scheduled, project leaders are given plenty of advance notice.