ConstructConnect Bid Management vs. InEight vs. Procore

SmartBid is also very useful for conducting sub-contracting analysis and management simulations in the didactic field. The procedures for sharing documents are helpful, but the graphic can be improved. Many forms can be pre-filled. This helps a lot in saving time and money! SmartBid is great for exporting and/or sending single or mass emails. However, as mentioned, it would be useful to simplify some pre-construction processes and improve the overall communication

Incentivized

It's definitely a good tool for progress tracking, as well as time tracking. The ability to forecast quantities provide an even better scenario, closer to the reality, supporting even change management. The change management is also a good method, besides the fact of rework if you think in the whole process of issue creation, promoting to PCO, promote to CCO, execute the issue, move to change in controls, and so on... just now I think having all in a single place would minimize the manual work and maybe increase the engagement on it. About a negative point, I'd use a feature that appears to be in all modules. It's pretty much a cosmetic, but it impact in the productivity, a lot. For all fields you will fill with information, whenever your mouse hover over it, a tooltip appears, impeding you to continue, so you have to walk around, click in a place that's not being covered by that tooltip, go back to your keyboard and continue... again, it's a cosmetic, but having this in a Monday, with a full job to plan, claim quantities, and whatever else, it's annoying.

Incentivized

It works great for project management and putting all job-specific documents in one place. We are able to share drawings, submittals, and forms with our customers and subcontractors in a safe and reliable platform. However, getting reporting data is somewhat lacking, so if your business needs advanced options, you might try and find a better product.

Incentivized

• It's very easy to set up a job and manage who receives solicitations. You can also keep detailed notes on who've you contacted and see if they're actually downloading and reviewing the documents.
• You can add a confidentiality agreement clause which they must accept before accessing the documents. It then stores this information if it ever needs to be accessed. This is much cleaner and easier then sending out a NDA form and having the subcontractor return it before actually sending drawings/docs.
• You can send Invitations to Bid and set it up to continue sending these ITB's until the subcontractor responds. However, this can also be a negative point because once you set up a delayed ITB, it doesn't update as the subcontractors view and respond to the ITB's. So if a sub is "Not Responded" and you set up a delayed ITB to fire off every day for 5 days, and the sub responds after day 2, that sub will continue to receive ITB's for all 5 days.
• Uploading drawings is quick and easy. It's especially convenient if you link to one of your cloud services such as Egnyte, Google Drive, etc.
• The search tools are quick and easy and often very accessible from any page.

Incentivized

• Tagging segments of work.
• User defined views and descriptions for all screens.
• Customizable ribbons to provide an efficient use of the software.
• Multiple layers/dependents to allow for an extreme drill down of the work and the ability to roll up to a more useful level for upper management review.
• You can bid the work as you would build it, in detail.

Incentivized

• Does well Emailing me (If i am subscribed to a project) to let me know when revisions have been updated.
• Easy to navigate
• Great at Allowing me as a project Engineer to Upload my drawings to Procore. Not a lot of steps, and very easy to do.

Incentivized

• Create sub categories under other trades that allow to better narrow down the exact jobs you are looking for.
• Not send repeatetive emails for the same projects.
• Make the service more affordable to small business's looking to grow.

Incentivized

• Provide a simpler version (cliff notes) of the knowledge database
• Offer versions of InEight for smaller companies, i.e. less than 20 emplyees, under $5M in revenue
• When an estimate is complete, offer a dialog box to ask if the job was won, lost, or still in progress. We tend to leave most of our estimates in the bidding column. This is a user error, but the prompt would be helpful.

Incentivized

• Downloading drawing sets sometimes involves an extra step that holds up the process
• The dashboard is simplistic to the point that I don't feel like I am getting enough information about a specific project from the get-go
• Granting access to a project on Procore is not very straightforward as a consultant- restrictions sometimes cause hold-ups

Incentivized

Some features with InEight's TeamBinder are worthy of single use, however the review feature and subsequent revision and version numbering could be improved. We will be aiming to roll out the package to encompass our internal documentation in the near future and will be in a better position to judge the usability after that point in time.

Incentivized

We will undoubtedly renew Procore as it has proven itself to be a means to better track and improve upon our efficiency and communications between job sites and their project managers as well as all other departments. Procore has made an incredible impact on how we, as a company, do our job on all levels; it is one of our most powerful and effective resources.

Incentivized

I would give it an 8 out of 10 because the software can be a bit cumbersome to new users. It also takes a long time to set up the library and input all of your companies needs so that the software will provide the level of service required to estimate projects. However, once the software is set up it is a powerful tool. We only use a portion of what the software is capable of delivering

Incentivized

90% of Procore is very intuitive and any user can pick it up and go. There are a few elements, more so on the Financials side that need some prior knowledge of systems in order to understand how and why it functions as it does. Once this is understood, it flows effortlessly

Incentivized

If you are working in an area with little to no signal, Procore will still allow you to get in the system and use it fully and will then update once you are at a place with a strong enough signal. Whether it be with wifi or LTE cell phone reception.

Incentivized

For the most part Procore is very responsive. However there are times when it's a little slow but it's minimal.

Incentivized

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

We are new to the use of the system, and so far, we have not reached out for any support. The only support we have requested so far is the development of a training program that involves other staff - some are to learn the use of the program, and some are for informational purposes in understanding the capabilities of InEight.

Incentivized

General Support for Project Management and Financials is consistent. The ERP support is never consistent and I do end up at times in a black hole. I have to continually reach out to get the issue resolved or get an update. The ERP support needs more of Procore's attention

Incentivized

Procore's Implementation Team does a great job of ensuring users are confident in using the system. They run through a process of training sessions based on the tools you have purchased, and lay ou ta plan to help the power users configure the tool to suit the company's needs. They provide useful resources for certifications, support and ongoing training as well.

Incentivized

Procore's certification program and focused how-to training videos allowed for easy training that did not feel overwhelming. The way the certification programs were broken up into small parts made it seem much less daunting to complete. The training feels focused and does not overload users with too much information all at once.

Incentivized

Since the original inception, I have been required to overhaul the system so that it is more user friendly and combines both aspects of our business, documentation and drawings. Being able to control revision and version numbering has been a key struggle that only staff training has been able to mark this as complete.

Incentivized

Iron out your cost code list in your accounting software before you link with Procore. Once the link is established that list is more or less permanent. Review the permission matrix carefully. It controls so much. You want to ensure the information provided to your users adequate but you also want to protect your sensitive data. Procore Financials are organized in a total contract value style. Any markup or Profit will need to be sent somewhere on your budget. This may be significantly different than the Cost budgeting that many contractors do

Incentivized

iSqFt is a solid competitor in the bidding/estimating platform world but as a user, Building Connected is the front runner. iSqFt lacks on the collaboration side and isn't as easy to use and access as its competitors. Building Connected is used by most of our clients so it's easier to use because there is more information in one place.

Incentivized

We looked at HCSS and Bid 2 Win but chose Ineight due to the fact that it seemed more user friendly, plus I had used it at a former company when it was available from the Grantlun Corporation and was very familiar with it in its ease of use and reliability.

Incentivized

Procore has a clearer user interface and a wider variety of tools than any program I've used. Procore also lives up to their name in terms of helpful and fast customer service. There is always a Procore rep. that is available to contact, making any problems just a mini hurdle.

InEight is a good system that has scaled nicely as the company has grown. the tools are still readily available and applicable for our larger scope of work. It has kept up with the growth of the company very nicely

Incentivized

once in awhile Procore is down for a period of time, its frustrating when it happens but doesn't tend to last long.

Incentivized

• SmartBid helps eliminate jumping all over the place, all your invites are on one system.
• It allows us to see who and how many general contractors are bidding, let’s us know if it’s a job worth spending time on.

Incentivized

• the positive impact is that it has helped us better gauge staffing and staff jobs appropriately
• negative impact is that it takes a lot of time for new users to learn the software
• the positive impact is that many of our clients use it, making collaboration easier with them
• positive impact is that we can see our percent complete easier
• positive impact is that it is easier to share documents to our team internally

Incentivized

• The Procore service impacts on construction projects are effective and reliable on production acceleration.
• The collaboration is stable and easy files access and uploading of engineering drawings and plans is excellent.
• New project planning and project financial data management on Procore functions are excellent.

Incentivized