ConstructConnect Bid Management vs. EstimateOne

As mentioned before in some of the previous questions, the confidentiality agreement feature is extremely helpful. I have worked on several projects where it's so early in the design phase that the documents are considered confidential and we are required to get a signed NDA from every person who sees the documents. This feature makes it extremely painless. SmartBidNet is less appropriate if you're just doing a quick cost exercise where you might not need to contact several subs. It's easier to just use email and a cloud sharing program like Box or Egnyte.

Incentivized

If you are looking for new opportunities to get in front of builders and architects (indirectly) then I think EstimateOne may be a solution, if you believe in your product and am willing to work on larger projects. If your product is niche or in short supply, you may struggle.

• Even with a "Limited Access" free account, you are able to see all the necessary files. When using it to just look at a job and download documents, this is all you should need. With more access you can see more projects that are out to bid but as a sales engineer for a manufacturer, I receive the bid requests from my contractors who are bidding there is no need to upgrade my access level.
• Documents are very easy to download into a .zip file and you can pick and choose which documents you want to download for specific trades. Plus there is a specific tab for Addenda so you don't have to search through the Documents tab. The tabs also show the amount of files in each tab so you can easily stay up to date on current documents.
• The Dashboard of each job shows the project general contractor and for subcontractors, responding to a bid request is as easy as clicking a button to indicate if you will bud or will not bid. This dashboard also shows location and the project description which are particularly helpful for a manufacturers rep/sales engineer that may not see the project description otherwise.

Incentivized

• Document access to projects on tender.
• Easy access to tenders and all commercial projects and their status.
• Good communication details with estimators.

• iSqFt has one major flaw that makes it a pain to use. I go there to get plans and specs. You think a company that sends you plans and specs would have a faster download speed, it takes forever to get the plans and specs. I usually find a way around iSqFt to get the plans and specs.

Incentivized

• Could do regional areas rather than state-based, we are based in Northern Victoria and we find it useless to have to pay for NSW access. We are not interested in anything more than 150 km north of the Murray River on the NSW side.
• Subscription could also be regional based, rather than just state based.

EstimateOne is easy to use, the user interface is designed to be simple yet functional - many other platforms I have used are much more cumbersome to navigate and don't offer as much functionality. Everything has been thought out well with EstimateOne - it seems to have been designed by people who have worked in the industry.

SmartBid has an excellent support team that is always at your service. Any problem I've had (when I've even had them) has been resolved almost immediately, along with tips on how to avoid them in the future. If you're looking for a program with excellent customer service, look no further than SmartBid.

Incentivized

Abby Tuong is an incredible employee who is EstimateOne. Her proactiveness, willingness to listen and help, and customer focus is second to none. With that level of support, it is no wonder EstimateOne has such rave reviews and is clearly the choice in the market.

SmartBid is the first software of its kind that I use. However, comparing it with other software used by colleagues, it is evident that SmartBid has a much higher potential than software of the same category. By allowing easier management of documents and sub-contractors, SmartBid allows a high increase in the overall speed and efficiency of the interventions in the construction sites. Furthermore, using it makes it possible to increase the number of projects we can manage simultaneously.

Incentivized

We have used many other platforms, but none are quite as intuitive or have a clean and easy to use interface as EstimateOne. Our company uses BidContender, BCI, Procore, Aconex and many other platforms for tendering etc. I highly rate EstimateOne when it comes to looking for work and submitting tenders, it is by far the best for collaborating and keeping track of work.

• It has helped increase exposure and the number of General Contractors we can meet and bid with
• It has caused some wasted time by digging through bids that do not have all the relevant information to issue a proposal
• It has made bidding opportunities easier by sending them directly to us.

Incentivized

• Lead generation: 200%
• ROI: TBC as our project timelines have been extended due to COVID.
• Congruence: team is very happy using the portal.