Anthony McNee Develops One-of-a-Kind Streamlined Estimating Tool
by Alana Quartuccio
Anthony McNee (Ultimate Collision and Repair; Edison) has proven himself quite proficient when it comes to the art of estimating. In 2024, he was recognized with the Fender Bender/ABRN Best Estimator/Repair Planner award, and he received the Vehicle Damage Repair Planner March Taylor Award from Verifacts in 2020.
His estimating experience has inspired him to reenvision what repair planning/estimate writing can look like – and now the award-winning estimator is ready to share that vision with the rest of the industry.
McNee has developed the McStud Estimating Tool, or MET for short, a “set it and forget it” estimating tool that uses predetermined operations in order to ensure consistency, accuracy and speed. And it’s guaranteed to capture everything, so one doesn’t let forgettable operations fall through the cracks.
“There are many challenges one faces when writing estimates, one of the biggest being that it can be very time consuming,” McNee relays. In addition, “a lot of money can be left on the table. There can be a lot of inconsistencies among team members. One can experience decision fatigue and estimator burnout.
“There are so many variables when it comes to estimating,” he adds. “So, having a system in place really gets rid of all human error. If you want consistency among all the writers in your shop, this is a sure way to accomplish that. No matter who writes – even if it’s a new writer – you will get the same results, every time.”
McNee used spreadsheets as MET’s template. All estimating categories are separated by tabs, and users have the ability to add lines for items needed to perform specific repairs. It can be customized for any shop, so users can add their own materials, tweak operation lists and tailor formulas. MET flexes to fit the shop’s workflow, not the other way around.
Adding operations is easy with just a few clicks as items can be copied to the virtual clipboard. This gives the writer the ability to access the same information every single time.
“Every shop writes a little differently, so having a program that is prebuilt with all the operations means you will never miss a thing.” It eliminates the need for having to manually type in everything, and it performs the calculations for the user.
“The writer should be the one to determine what needs to be repaired or replaced,” he explains his philosophy. “I believe that the decision-making should not fall on the operation side.” The tool provides pre-built operations based on whatever decision was made.
MET also brings resolve to what can otherwise be a long onboarding process for new hires. “What I’ve developed can streamline the entire process, so even new writers will not have a problem using the tool,” McNee states, adding that a new writer at his shop is already at a top-tier level after only a few months.
McNee also built MET to serve as an educational tool. He’s built an easily accessible descriptions and notes section into the tool. There is a definition for every procedure, and he plans to take this section even further by adding images for reference. He foresees the tool being something that can help users level up their skill.
“Even if one is a seasoned writer, like myself, it helps streamline the process,” McNee promises.
There are other estimating tools out in the market, but this one is unlike any other.
What makes the MET tool special is that it was created for estimators by a seasoned estimator. Unlike software creators who only have technical experience, McNee has created this tool based on his real world experiences. He is in the shop every day. He knows what a daunting task it can be to write for certain operations if one doesn’t have guidance. He remembers what it was like to be a new writer, having to take notes and go back and forth to figure things out while writing for body on frame, for example. MET has an additional operations section as well as a checklist the user can reference to find additional operations to include.
He designed the tool to “remove all the thinking and take all the human calculations out of the equation to streamline the process. I believe this is where the market is headed, and I want to be the one to bring this to the industry.”
More information can be found at mcstudestimating.com.
Want more? Check out the February 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive!