CMiC Construction Platform vs. HCSS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
CMiC Construction Platform
Score 7.4 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
CMiC Project Management is a construction project collaboration and management solution. It centralizes project-related communications and documents onto one platform, and connects the job site with the back-end office.N/A
HCSS
Score 9.3 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
HCSS is a construction software suite. It includes functionality for bidding, time card and project management, safety, planning, scheduling, equipment management, and data warehousing and reporting. Each module can be purchased separately. The suite can be hosted in the cloud.N/A
Pricing
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
7.8
30 Ratings
2% above category average
HCSS
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data7.320 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.024 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.320 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.119 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.714 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.519 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
8.0
24 Ratings
6% above category average
HCSS
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.124 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.515 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.015 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.217 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.221 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.220 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.515 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
6.8
19 Ratings
4% below category average
HCSS
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets6.819 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
7.9
56 Ratings
2% above category average
HCSS
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.243 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.555 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports7.446 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability8.653 Ratings00 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
7.3
106 Ratings
3% below category average
HCSS
6.8
33 Ratings
10% below category average
Plan distribution & viewing7.367 Ratings6.99 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing6.763 Ratings6.06 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists6.881 Ratings9.913 Ratings
Photo documentation6.977 Ratings10.025 Ratings
Jobsite reports7.288 Ratings8.030 Ratings
Document sharing7.189 Ratings7.117 Ratings
RFI tools8.190 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals8.495 Ratings4.019 Ratings
As-built drawings6.854 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app8.264 Ratings6.128 Ratings
Submittal design and management7.985 Ratings00 Ratings
Checklists6.447 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting Minutes7.151 Ratings00 Ratings
Specifications6.939 Ratings00 Ratings
Change orders8.460 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
CMiC Construction Platform
7.5
56 Ratings
8% below category average
HCSS
-
Ratings
Takeoff tools7.521 Ratings00 Ratings
Job costing8.352 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost databases7.943 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost calculator7.830 Ratings00 Ratings
Bid creation6.129 Ratings00 Ratings
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CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(115 ratings)
6.1
(38 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(7 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
4.6
(96 ratings)
10.0
(35 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.9
(5 ratings)
8.2
(32 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
CMiC Construction PlatformHCSS
Likelihood to Recommend
CMiC
CMiC is a robust platform best suited for large companies with resources for implementation and management of the program. One analogy is CMiC is like a droid phone where the user must decide how to use all the features of the program (as opposed to an iPhone where most configuration decisions are made for the user). Smaller companies with limited resources can struggle with CMiC both with the expense and configuration.
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HCSS
Our operation uses several pieces of what we call specialty equipment (not used every day on every job). The foreman when finished will give a location of where this equipment is left, this many times can be very vague and lead to a lowboy driver trying to block around to find the piece or driving down a street he cannot get turned around in. With the GPS devices, the driver can pinpoint exactly where the unit is and if he has room to turn around at that location.
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Pros
CMiC
  • The user interface is similar to that of other project management software applications so folks in our company that had previously used other applications have been able to switch over fairly easily.
  • I really like the software and it was much less expensive than other applications.
  • I like the mobile application so that our superintendents can view the documentation on their phones.
  • I really like the punch list capability mobile field, however, we have a hard time getting our superintendents to use it for some reason.
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HCSS
  • #1 is support! HCSS is by far the best software support of any product we have ever used. Unlike most software companies HCSS utilizes their support calls to help upgrade their software. When you here them tell you that they will write down a particular issue you come across during a support call if they can't help you then and there they will research and get an answer to you extremely fast. If the software will not do it, you can bet there is a good chance it will be on the list of enhancements you will see come out in the near future.
  • Estimating software is very extensive. Their software is capable of handling the smallest estimate all the way to the largest joint venture estimate. It has advanced features that make it extremely useful for analyzing job materials, subcontractors etc.
  • HeavyJob is an extremely useful tool for the field to keep the office up to date with job costs. Everything is at the Foreman's fingertips on Tablets to allow the information from the field to get uploaded to HeavyJob manager which then can export to accounting. We are also able to give our Foreman the ability to deal with the Daily and weekly safety needs (Tailgate Meetings, incident Investigation, observations etc.) right on the Tablets thru HeavyJob.
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Cons
CMiC
  • Needs to be more user friendly on the mobile side of the platform. Ease of use is key here.
  • There is not much instruction or support in standing up some programs like deploying ECM for outlook, making Collaboration Gateway work, or setting up the system for getting Plans available on the mobile devices.
  • Security configuration is extremely detailed and spread throughout the system. It is extremely hard to make adjustments to a person's security unless you know exactly where to look, which requires years of experience but shouldn't.
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HCSS
  • All their apps are on mobile devices. Although there is not a clear company policy on Android versus iPhone. Updates for features lag behind on Android. Some apps are exclusive to one platform making it hard to fully interconnect all programs.
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Likelihood to Renew
CMiC
This is a platform that would continue to be in the best interest for our company. I just hope that CMiC support removes the gaps between the enhancements that they create to better the system to what they currently have
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Usability
CMiC
I believe it isn't easy to use and is unintuitive. Undecipherable error messages appear throughout the application without indicating what is wrong or how to correct it, in my experience. The terminology on the screens is specific to Canada, which adds to the confusion.
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HCSS
As mentioned, user interface appears messy and complicated at initial onset. Training is necessary but becomes easy to maneuver through after solid daily use.
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Reliability and Availability
CMiC
Sometimes since this is a cloud based product the system can become slow but we haven’t had any issues of availability without CMiC first letting us know it would be down
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Performance
CMiC
Reports are pretty shown to run but general pages typically load pretty quick.
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
CMiC
The support team [has] been in touch with our deployment team and has given them effective guidance up to completion. It has helped us in [the] best methods of resource allocation and secure record-keeping process. We have tracked all our billing information and made the right payments with documentation and avoided [unnecessary losses]. [The] support team has [to] lead our teams to the right channels and empowering our team with the right skills for maximum production.
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HCSS
I have never had a bad experience or heard of one in 4 years of doing business with HCSS. That is unheard of even with the hurricanes and flooding in Houston area it feels like HCSS was always there and willing to help in every way.
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In-Person Training
CMiC
The training was on system functions and not really how best to use it for our business. It would have been nice to be provided recommendations for use rather than just a blank slate of functionality.
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Online Training
CMiC
I felt the training was good and the trainers knew the software.
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
CMiC
Lots of confusion between sales and implementation regarding what was included and not included...the security encountered a "bug" and made it extremely difficult to set up roles and individual responsibilities
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HCSS
I was not employed with PPI upon implementation. I would prefer to reference my previous statement, that each company needs to evaluate its culture and address your implementation accordingly. The purchasing company should assign an employee as point person and really take charge of not just the technical side of the implementation (HCSS pretty much handles that), but focus on company culture and training.
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Alternatives Considered
CMiC
CMiC Construction Platform is the best price point in the market. Others are revenue-based billings, and the annual fees reflect as such. CMiC Construction Platform support staff is generally amazing and offers real-time support on critical issues. The imaging and workflow functions are real-time savers. CMiC Construction Platform is generally a smaller and in touch organization that treats your team like their own and stays with you after the purchase.
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HCSS
Other estimating products I have used consist of ICE/MC2 and MS Excel. ICE was not a good fit for our company, as they have awful technical support and offer very poor training. MS Excel is great for simple estimates where there is not a lot of data being compiled. However neither hold a candle to the power of HCSS Heavybid
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Scalability
CMiC
CMiC has several key features that can either work together or independently depending on your companies needs.
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HCSS
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
CMiC
  • Better project visibility, surely. I can step into a former project and see how well/poorly it was run.
  • Forecasting underway - nearly complete with year 2.
  • Cost status tracking - this has been valuable, especially when figuring out how much of a liquid budget is left over.
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HCSS
  • The biggest ROI for us was the ease of adoption by field personnel.
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ScreenShots

CMiC Construction Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of CMiC FIELDScreenshot of CMiC AnalyticsScreenshot of CMiC Drawing ManagementScreenshot of CMiC FIELD

HCSS Screenshots

Screenshot of HeavyBid - build the structure of your estimateScreenshot of HeavyBid - manage sub and material quotesScreenshot of HeavyBid - create professional bid proposalsScreenshot of HeavyJob - manage your job site from your mobile deviceScreenshot of HeavyJob - capture job site photos from any deviceScreenshot of HeavyJob - review, edit, and approve time cards from a mobile device