Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Ohio Cost Estimating (“we,” “us” or “our”) provides construction cost estimating, quantity takeoff and related preconstruction services to contractors, developers, design professionals and property owners, primarily in Ohio. Our office is located at 101 Normandy Ave, Columbus, OH 43215.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through ohiocostestimating.com (the “Site”) and in the course of providing our services, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have. By using the Site or sending us project information, you agree to the practices described here. This policy should be read together with our Terms and Conditions.

Information We Collect

Information you provide

• Contact details — name, company, job title, email address, phone number and mailing or project address when you request a quote, call or email us.
• Project information — drawings, specifications, addenda, bid documents, photographs, scopes of work, bid dates and other files you upload or share by link.
• Communications — the content of emails, form messages, phone calls and any feedback or reviews you send us.
• Billing information — billing contact and invoice details. Card and bank payments are processed by third-party payment providers; we do not store full card numbers on our systems.

Information collected automatically

• IP address, browser type, device type, operating system and approximate location derived from your IP.
• Pages visited, time on page, referring website and links clicked.
• Information stored in cookies and similar technologies (see Cookies and Analytics below).

Information from other sources

We may receive your contact details from a colleague who refers you, a plan room or bid platform you invite us to, or publicly available business sources when you are a prospective client.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Review your plans, prepare quotes and deliver estimates, takeoffs and related services;
• Communicate with you about your project, revisions, addenda, invoices and support questions;
• Operate, secure, maintain and improve the Site and our services;
• Send occasional service updates or Ohio construction-cost insights if you have opted in (you can unsubscribe at any time);
• Detect, prevent and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents or legal claims; and
• Comply with legal, tax and accounting obligations.

We do not use your project drawings or pricing to market to your competitors, and we do not sell your personal information.

Project Documents and Confidentiality

Construction documents often contain sensitive commercial information. We treat every plan set, specification and estimate you share as confidential:

• Files are accessed only by the estimators and staff working on your project.
• We do not share your drawings, quantities or pricing with other contractors, suppliers or clients.
• We will sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on request before reviewing your documents.
• Aggregated, anonymized cost data (with no project, owner or client identifiers) may be used internally to improve the accuracy of our unit-cost database.

Cookies and Analytics

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to keep it working properly, remember preferences and understand how visitors use our pages. We may use analytics services, such as Google Analytics, that set their own cookies to collect usage statistics on our behalf. These services process information under their own privacy policies.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics by installing Google’s browser opt-out add-on. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the Site work. Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.

How We Share Information

We share personal information only as needed to run our business and deliver our services:

• Service providers — website hosting, email, file storage and transfer, form handling, accounting and payment processing providers who are contractually bound to protect your information and use it only to provide services to us.
• Professional advisers — accountants, insurers and lawyers, under duties of confidentiality.
• Legal requirements — when required by law, subpoena or court order, or to protect our rights, our clients or the public.
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of all or part of our business, subject to this policy.
• With your permission — for example, when you ask us to send an estimate directly to your lender, owner or architect.

We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Data Retention

We keep contact information and project files for as long as needed to provide our services, answer questions about delivered estimates, support revisions and meet legal, tax and record-keeping requirements. Project files are typically retained for the life of the client relationship plus a reasonable period afterward. You may ask us to delete project files sooner, subject to any records we are legally required to keep.

Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) on the Site, access controls limited to staff who need the information, and reputable cloud storage providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we learn of a security incident affecting your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

Your Choices and Rights

You may:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you;
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information;
• Ask us to delete your personal information or project files, subject to legal retention duties;
• Opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us; and
• Disable cookies in your browser.

Depending on where you live, state privacy laws may give you additional rights. We will honor verified requests as required by applicable law and will not discriminate against you for exercising them. To make a request, email ask@ohiocostestimating.com with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Calls, Texts and Emails

If you give us your phone number, we use it to discuss your quote or project. We do not send marketing text messages without your express consent, and you can reply STOP to any text to opt out. Transactional emails about your quotes, deliverables and invoices are part of our service and are sent even if you unsubscribe from marketing emails.

Children’s Privacy

Our Site and services are intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Third-Party Links

The Site may link to other websites, such as government code or prevailing-wage resources, software vendors or social media pages. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, contact us:

Ohio Cost Estimating
101 Normandy Ave
Columbus, OH 43215
Email: ask@ohiocostestimating.com
Phone: 1 (614) 721 2889

You can also review our Terms and Conditions, Estimating Disclaimer and Editorial Policy.