Autodesk Construction Cloud vs. Buildertrend

Well Suited: Autodesk Construction Cloud is cost effective, user friendly, and robust. They aren't nickel and diming you for use of each module. Once users are on-board with the system it creates an ecosystem that all users "go to first" for an answer. Less Appropriate: As a Developer, there are some hiccups as it is designed more for the GC (general contractor). A template option that is Developer forward would an improvement.

Incentivized

Buildertrend was made for a specific industry (building) and so I would recommend it to anyone in that industry, with the exception of Sales and Marketing. But for everything else from the financing to the permitting to the construction and all else, Buildertrend is exactly what our team has used and will ALWAYS use. Even with our decision to use other systems for Sales and Marketing, we have never given one thought to taking Buildertrend out of our process. We will always be with Buildertrend.

Incentivized

• Meeting Minutes: Simple to use and adapt from Agenda to Minutes, attach reference documents efficiently, and assign accountability to attendees.
• Budget/Cost Reporting: There is a learning curve, but the visibility of budgets and costs from inception to closeout is beneficial for the user and makes reporting to investors simple and consistent.
• Document Management: The version history on drawings "sheets" is very helpful when managing a project through design and construction. Issuing addenda, drawings, or tracking down a change in design is simple.
• Pay Applications/Change Order Workflow: the customizable workflows along with time stamps of reviews and response makes tracking down status and bottlenecks very easy.

Incentivized

• Manages in one place - crucial for organization.
• Professional, across the board it provides companies with a seamlessly organized and flawless presentation - to subs/vendors/owners/etc.
• Time Saver - you don't have to dig around through files/create templates/flip through your contact binder - it's all there.
• Practical tools- designed for contractors. You get what you need - period.

Incentivized

• Managing Data
• The footprint large projects leave within Desktop Connector and Mitigating that data
• REMOVE "add up to 80 projects" from the Desktop Connector Select Projects Screen! It is better to cycle the project data in/out for syncing latest greatest rather than have users load up their desktop connector full of projects and let data stagnate/have to be racked to update.

• Onsite consultants. There is a demand for this service that is great enough to allow outside BuilderTrend Super-Users like me to partner with BuilderTrend and make this a reality.
• As their company grows, their support needs to grow as well.
• Provide incentives for Super Users that are helping BuilderTrend acquire new business. Advocates should be their best friend.

Incentivized

I don't make these decisions and its what the company wants

It is overall a very great product in terms of usability. Some features need some work like RFI tools and contruction administration tools. As the product develops I imagine these becoming more important and easier to use

Incentivized

Its simple to use and intuitive. The level of support that we have from online videos, to access to customer support, and the ability to call anyone at anytime on the main line has been invaluable to utilize and not get stuck on something you don't know yet. We've never not had anyone that couldn't respond in time for us.

5 major outages in the last year, some on days of major deliverables or deadlines... dependent upon AWS

The data mitigation is complete garbage. Any cloud collaborated model takes 2x to load in the Autodesk Construction Cloud environment that if it was saved locally or to on prem servers. We had our systems and bandwidth all evaluated to be applicable but the data downloads and sequencing through Desktop Connector leaves much to be desired.

Autodesk staff intervention often required to support IT when normal installs and direction was erroneous

I highly recommend. The only suggestion I have would be to offer a free trial. They do offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The price point isn't daunting if you have had a 100 % no strings attached/no effort to cancel or try to remember to get your money back - no strings attached chance to try out the product. Especially for such a big purchase decision, I think Buildertrend would see an incredible increase in sales. They have the value and companies just need a chance to see it first hand.

Incentivized

Great to have hands on folks to answer questions. Live training worked better for real time scenarios.

Good as any other online content, not incredible. There was a cost associated with this training

Be prepared for nothing to work originally, and support staff to fight change and be cumbersome at properly learning how to use in my opinion.

Procore's user interface is not as user-friendly. Next steps are not as obvious and the overall graphic design is more old-school. I do however like how Procore lists the specific issues that you are assigned on the home page. Procore can be more difficult to navigate and it's hard to find attachments.

Incentivized

The program has outstanding customer service. With project scheduling, project management, financial management, customer management, and service management capabilities in a single suite, there's really not much this program can't do! Owners generally love the use of this software as well, giving them the ability to view daily logs, photos, schedules, etc.

Incentivized

Required yearly upgrades and contracts a opposed to one-time purchases

Not applicable/harder to implement across larger workforces or large-scale projects

They were attentive and thorough when their software releases caused errors

• Make us easier to manage files
• Coordination model more easier
• Keep internal file secret to external by managing access to our Autodesk Construction Cloud system

Incentivized

• The prior year cost me roughly $4300, which was barely reasonable for my volume. Some clients liked the format, some hated it and didn't participate. In my experience, few subcontractors or suppliers embraced the program, severely limiting the effectiveness.
• For the coming year the fees would have exceeded $17,000, far too much for a program with limited client, employee, and subcontractor appeal with as small a volume as I have.
• Honestly, for the last year, I feel they've been a burning tire hung around my neck and I regret not cancelling them in early 2019, I'd have $10,000 more in my pocket and no significant negative impact.
• I did appreciate the daily log as a way to report on progress, but less than half my clients made use of this option.