2015 Buyer's Guide for Construction Software

CONSTRUCTION
SOFTWARE
2015 Buyer’s Guide
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WHAT’S IN THIS BUYER’S GUIDE
 Intro to Construction Software
 Types of Construction Software
 Major Features
 Construction Software Selection – 10 Steps
 Benefits of Construction Software
 Pricing
 Market Trends

INTRO CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE
Construction Management Evolution
Construction management has truly gone beyond the
traditional pen and paper approach to estimating,
contracting, managing, and closing construction projects.
Today, there is Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is
one of the industry’s state-of-the-art technologies that
simplify processes in many construction projects. It is
changing the way architecture, engineering, and construction
project teams collaborate in solving complex and modern
design challenges. We’ve also seen the materialization of
the design concepts of skyscrapers, marvelous building
architectures, and never-before-seen designs of sports
arenas, superhighways, and airports.
Construction Management Software
Construction Management Software (CMS) is bringing to us
these new wonders of the modern world. It is the new
partner of many construction project managers, planning
engineers, design managers, and chief estimators. Many
learning institutions have already included CMS in their
construction management curriculum. Being in the
construction business, you too should never be left behind
with this fast-evolving software technology. And for this
reason, we are sharing with you this Buyer’s Guide, which
will comprehensively discuss the essential information you
need to know before launching your investment in a
Construction Management software solution.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE
 Construction Accounting Software
 Construction CRM Software
 Estimating Software
 Construction Project Management Software
 Service Management Software
 Takeoff Software

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE?
Accounting Software for the construction industry is centered around features
and functionality for job costing, equipment and inventory management, payroll
processing, subcontracting, and financial management processes. Why is
construction accounting software different than generic accounting systems?
The primary difference is that the former allows accounting teams is allocate
job costs by job and Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) codes.

CRM SOFTWARE?
Construction CRM software is a broad set of applications to help construction
and construction-related businesses (e.g. homebuilders) manage
opportunities, leads, prospects, customer, customer data, customer
interactions, sales, marketing and customer support.

ESTIMATING SOFTWARE?
Construction Cost Estimating Software, or simply Estimating Software, primary
purpose in the construction industry is to help project estimators calculate the
materials and labor costs. In order for a construction firm not to lose a bid or
underestimate costs, Estimating Software solution helps estimators generate
detailed and accurate bids. The system does this by means of advanced
software functionality such as the proposal generator, cost database, What-if
analysis, and conceptual estimates. With Estimating Software, all aspects of a
residential, industrial or governmental construction projects, relative to cost,
can be dealt with utmost accuracy.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?
Project Management Software for construction is designed to help construction
managers on delivering more projects on-time and on-budget. Project
Management software solutions are offered by software providers either as an
enterprise-grade or a simplistic system; both of which are applicable for
general constructors, subcontractors, engineering firms, building owners and
independent construction managers. Project Management software
functionality includes document control, change order management, Request
for Information (RFI), bid proposals, procurement, and job costing and
budgeting.

WHAT IS
SERVICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?
Service Management Software for construction is here to address the key
operational elements of the service sector of your company particularly the
efficient scheduling of resources, tracking of work orders, comprehensive
dispatching and scheduling, contract maintenance, and financial reporting.
Service and specialty contractors can streamline their service operations since
Service Management Software encompasses almost everything in the
management of construction services. With this system in place, construction
companies will be able to increase customer satisfaction and at the same time
reduce their scheduling, inventory and fuel costs.

WHAT IS
TAKEOFF SOFTWARE?
Takeoff Software is a tool that helps contractors in determining the volume and
quantity of materials needed in a certain construction project. Takeoff tool
basically replaces the conventional method of using pencils and rulers in
measuring construction plans. Using electronic method, producing an estimate
can be done faster and more accurate. Takeoff software can be purchased as
a stand-alone system or software included in Cost Estimating software. With
Takeoff Software, construction companies can perform digital takeoff method
that will then help them produce more accurate bids and estimates and create
more professional proposals.

MAJOR FEATURES BY CATEGORY
o Accounts Payable
o Account Receivable
o Billing and Invoicing
o Budgeting and Forecasting
o Deposit/Payment Tracking
o General Ledger
o Inventory Management
o Job Costing and Reporting
o Payroll Management
o Purchase Orders
o Reporting and Business
Intelligence
o Accounting Integration
o Client Tracking
o Contact Management
o Contract Management
o Customer Service Integration
o Follow-up Tracking
o Reporting
o Marketing Integration
o Sales Management
o Scheduling
o Time Management
CONSTRUCTION
CRM SOFTWARE
CONSTRUCTION
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
ESTIMATING SOFTWARE
o Bid/Proposal Management
o Contract Management
o Cost Database
o Job Costing and Tracking
o Project Database
o Project Reporting
o Purchase Order System
o Quote Management
o Schedule Systems
o Takeoff
o Vendor Database

MAJOR FEATURES BY CATEGORY
o Bid/Proposal Management
o Contract and Change
Management
o Document Tracking and
Management
o Job Costing and Budgeting
o Jobsite Logs
o Project Analytics and Reporting
o Project Dashboard
o Project Scheduling
o RFIs
o Submittals
o Time and Resource
Management
o Transmittals
o Call Taking
o Dispatching and Scheduling
o Equipment Tracking
o Maintenance Contracts
o Maintenance/Service Quote
Management
o Multi-Warehouse Inventory
o Real-time Job Tracking
o Service Contracts
o Work Order Tracking
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
SERVICE MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE
TAKEOFF SOFTWARE
o 2D Takeoff
o 3D Takeoff
o Auto-Revisioning
o BIM Takeoff
o CAD/BoQ Functionalities
o Digitizer Takeoff
o Dynamic Counting
o Manual Takeoff

THE 10 STEPS FOR
CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE SELECTION
1. Research the Construction Software Market
2. Prioritize Your Software Requirements
3. Make the Case and/or Justify the Need
4. Build a Short List of Software Vendors
5. Educate the Vendors on Your Project
6. Evaluate Live Software Demonstrations
7. Score and Rank the Software Solutions
8. Gather and Compare Price Quotes
9. Verify References & Software Vendor Viability
10. Review the Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) and/or Software License
Agreements (SLA)

BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE?
The real benefits of CMS can only be realized if the solution has been fully integrated into your organization. It is during
the implementation stages when you are likely to encounter issues and problems that might be interpreted as
disadvantages rather than benefits. There are, however, benefits that can already be felt while you’re still in the
implementation phase, and some of them are as follows:
 Choosing a solution with a simple pricing model, good features, and no hidden costs will reduce your
financial worries. Features like expense and time tracking, error and bug reporting, calendar planning,
and contact sharing will lighten your accounting, IT and project management workload if you look for
these features during the early stages.
 Selecting a cloud-based model that offers flexibility in terms of the number of users and features can
give you a lot of advantages if you upgrade your package plans in the future. Setup can be done
instantly; add-ons and feature upgrades can be done remotely. A subscription-based pricing model also
removes a burden from your budget concerns.
 By choosing an enterprise suite solution, you will have full control of information because this solution
model will be hosted on your own server network. Extreme customization will be an advantage. The
one-time purchase fee for the perpetual license can also save you a lot of money in the long run.

PRICING
There are three known pricing models for CMS. These are the per user, per license, and per project or program
models.
 For cloud-based solutions, price per user per month starts at $10 for basic plans and goes up to $100 for
professional plans. Most plans are priced based on the number of users, number of collaborators, amount of storage
space, and hierarchy or level of projects.
 For on-premises solutions, the price for a basic plan starts at $100 per license, while for enterprise suites, the
price ranges from $1000 to $2000 per license. Some providers charge the client an annual license renewal fee ranging
from $250 to $1000 per user. The majority of on-premises packages already include training, technical support and
software updates.
 It is good to know there are also free trials and free versions offered by many software providers. The price of the
majority of CMS plans usually increases as the number and level of features add up. Although the above pricing models
are made available by most providers, we highly recommend that you still pay a visit to their website or contact them
directly with a request for quotation (RFQ).

MARKET TRENDS
We’ve seen a lot of unique and state-of-the-art features and functionalities in many CMS solutions over the past two to
three years.
In general, these innovations in CMS technology remind us of these three important trends:
 Software that integrates accounting, BIM and many other construction operational tools is on the rise.
 Software tools with collaboration features keep on strengthening field-to-office communications, thus driving
overall business productivity.
 There is continuous growth in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) construction solutions, and there is no sign of it
slowing down.
On top of these trends, what’s certain is that you can surely find the right CMS solution in the market today that offers
scalability, flexibility and advanced features. More importantly, today is the right time for you to get the CMS solution
that will bring innovations to your construction business.

FIND THE BEST CONSTRUCTION
SOFTWARE FOR YOUR NEEDS
Use our free product search and
product matching tools. Access
demos and product overviews.
Request an Advisor and Get
Free Expert Advice!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
Find the Best Construction Software for Your Needs at www.FindConstructionSoftware.com.

2015 Buyer's Guide for Construction Software

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2015 Buyer's Guide for Construction Software