BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product Reviews

Name: BuildingConnected - The Leader in Preconstruction
Uploaded: 2017-07-08T20:55:29.000Z
Duration: 1 min 41 s
Description: BuildingConnected - The Leader in Preconstruction

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January 30, 2020

Can't live without BuildingConnected!

Melanie Dodson

Preconstruction Manager

NOVO Construction (Construction, 1001-5000 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnected is being used by our estimating department and operation teams during preconstruction. BuildingConnected solves the problem of preconstruction invitations, document control, and bid leveling.

Pros and Cons

BuildingConnected maintains our subcontractor database showing prequalification status.
BuildingConnected makes it very easy to view the subcontractor's history for access to the site and viewing of documents.

There was a previous glitch where bid forms have been updated by subcontractors that have accessed a former version are not able to access the updated/new bid form.
I would like to see the ability for BuildingConnected to automatically send a bid reminder to bidders at a set amount of time prior to the bid date.

Likelihood to Recommend

BuildingConnected is well suited for ALL new projects going out to bid or budgeting. BuildingConnected is not well suited for change order pricing or Addendum pricing where one subcontractor has already been selected per trade.

Support Rating

With NOVO we have our own customer service rep available to assist with all our needs.

January 27, 2020

A complete Subcontractor finder and Bid Proposal automated tool vital to any General Contractor working with Subcontractors Nationwide!

Marcel Cicort

Estimator

Davaco LP (Construction, 1001-5000 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Since the Davao business model is to hire local Subcontractors for various trades - BuildingConnected is the most beneficial tool in finding qualified and insured local Contractors based on the geographic radius location next to our business clients. BuildingConnected managed the entire process from project creation using project descriptions and attached architectural drawings and or other supporting material, Individual Trades selection, and specific scope of work descriptions and Subcontractor invitations. We have a real-time view of Subs who view, decline bidding, or interested in bidding as well as sending the bids automatically through the system, or IF they send the bids through email, we can easily upload the bid proposal to their invitation. This also allows us easy tracking for Subcontractor coverage received, which is a KPI (Key Performance Indicators) to upper management of the coverage required for the company's projects.

Pros and Cons

Handles the entire Bidding Process from job creation to bid proposal receiving.
Allows the upload and management of any supporting documentation required.

Stronger Sub search for situations in which we are not creating and publishing a project within BuildingConnected. In many instances, we simply need to find a trade subcontractor immediately. We cannot waste time in creating, publishing a project, documentation, files, etc., etc.. We should have an excellent advanced search window for this purpose.

Likelihood to Recommend

Manage the entire bidding process is where BuildingConnected excels. An Advanced quick search for trades is where BuildingConnected still needs work.

Support Rating

They should also use a phone number for support instead of just email or online submission forms.

December 25, 2019

BuildingConnected to Stay Organized!

Matthew Smith

Estimator and Project Manager

Century Exteriors Inc. (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use BuildingConnected to keep track of job invites from other general contractors and owners. Our whole company uses it, I currently facilitate our jobs we intend to estimate and I use BuildingConnected to keep track of all the jobs and changes. We use to have to operate through email correspondence but now with BuildingConnected I am able to just log on every morning to see if the jobs we are estimating have any updates and do not have to worry about missing an email.

Pros and Cons

Helps keep track of multiple jobs at once
Helps sort your bid invites into won/lost/pending/archived etc.
It is a central location where general contractors can put all their updated files and addendum
Lets you see which contractors are bidding the same job so you can coordinate your estimating

I like that you can download multiple files as a single zip file, but some times I want to just download multiple files as individual non-zipped files
I wish there was better integration with Microsoft such as being able to add it as a calendar and edit from Outlook
I wish there were analytics that tracked who won, by how much, spreads and trends from our numbers so we can be more competitive

Likelihood to Recommend

If you have multiple offices, multiple building divisions you install, and multiple estimators - this program will definitely help keep things straight. A lot of our needs are for management of our estimates and quotes - knowing who you bid and how long ago can help land more jobs when following up. You can use it to do take-offs and submit bids but we tend to use other native programs for this work as they are central to our PM work environment. If you don't have anything to do take-offs or formally submit bids, this is program is a great way to get up and running and organized.

Support Rating

I would say the support is generally positive, we haven't needed to use support as everything has worked great for us so far. But usually if you purchase a full service, having support is part of that package.

March 11, 2020

BuildingConnected helps us bid

Jessica Rondash

Technology and Business Systems Manager

Holt Construction Corp. (Construction, 201-500 employees)

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnected is currently being used by our estimating department and our compliance department. Our estimating department uses it to bid out projects to subcontractors. They are able to send all subs bid packages and collect their bids. They are also able to do bid leveling. Our compliance department uses BuildingConnected to prequalify new subcontractors.

Pros

It makes it easy to send out bid packages with just one click.
It allows us to easily bid level returned bids from subcontractors.

Likelihood to Recommend

BuildingConnected is extremely useful for contractors looking to keep their bid process organized and streamlined.

Support Rating

BuildingConnected support has been amazing. Anytime we or a subcontractor are having an issue, we just loop them in and they immediately jump in and help out.

February 15, 2020

Review of BuildingConnected

Diane Coughlin

Office Manager and PM Assist

SD Clifton Construction, Inc. (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use BuildingConnected to list projects bidding. I use the free version. I upload plans and invite Subcontractors to bid on the projects. BuildingConnected helps me find out of town subs fast and easy.

Pros and Cons

The planroom is great and easy to upload.
Get for out of town projects! Finding subs fast!

The free version only allows you to list so many projects.

Likelihood to Recommend

The plan room is straightforward to update! It's hard finding out of town subcontractors, and BuildingConnected lets me use their subs.

Support Rating

They have always helped me and always gave me an answer.

March 04, 2020

One of my favorite Construction Software Tools to use, definitely the best out there for bid management

Verified User

Project Manager in Engineering

Construction Company, 201-500 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnected is being used as our primary bid management software at a $500MM+ general contracting company. We use it to find and solicit bidders, manage trade packages, distribute and document drawing/specification issuance and at times to level/balance bids. It is used company-wide not just in our typical market location, but nationwide. Its most powerful tool is the ability to find qualified trade companies that are capable of doing work in the area of your project.

Pros and Cons

Finding/filtering subcontracting companies by discipline.
Managing bid lists (who is bidding, who is not bidding, who is undecided).
Distributing/managing documents and distributing them to potential bidders.

Exporting data to other programs.
Integrations with other construction project management software.

Likelihood to Recommend

BuildingConnected is a great tool for construction managers and general contractors working over a wide area that rely on collecting multiple bids. BuildingConnected does a great job at presenting new contractors that may fit the bill for who you need to look at and price a job. Its simple interface allows you to easily see who the main point of contact is at a company, and place comments for your team to review after corresponding with these companies.

Support Rating

Though I haven't had to utilize any live support at BuildingConnected, I know others at my company have and have had good success with them. They seem to be very responsive and since the software is so simple, there are not that many pitfalls or hurdles that you need to work through to accomplish your task.

January 24, 2020

BuildingConnected is the best in the Bid-ness!

Verified User

Analyst in Other

Construction Company, 201-500 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnected is our main source for all things bid related. As an estimator, I use BuildingConnected to keep track of all of my undecided, accepted, submitted, and archived bids. I'm able to make comments viewable to the other estimators in my organization for future reference, and see any updates as they come through. BuildingConnected has streamlined our bid process and we are now more efficient than ever.

Pros and Cons

Organization
Internal Communication

Bid Opportunities I'm Unaware Of
People Reaching Out Too Often

Likelihood to Recommend

It is perfect for anyone in construction - whether you're an estimator or project manager. BuildingConnected is the go-to resource to help you stay on top of your projects. It is not as appropriate for people that are not in the construction field. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to be more organized.

Support Rating

They are constantly reaching out to see if there is anything they can teach us. It can be a bit aggravating when it is constant, but I know that they have our best interest at heart. They also had all of us do multiple Skype meetings with a support rep to make sure we understood the software.

June 09, 2019

BuildingConnected -- the Best bid solicitation software on the market

Spencer Jabbia

Project Manager

N&T Construction Co. Inc. (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnection is a fabulous software that is utilized by our entire company. BuildingConnected streamlines the preconstruction process for bid invitations, communication, bidders status, document distribution, etc. There is no better software that we have used that comes even close to BuildingConnected. We utilized iSqFt for years (another bid solicitation software) and the usability of BuildingConnected compared to iSqFt is unbelievable. This software scales from small companies to top ENR contractors. Even the old computer illiterate will love this.

Pros and Cons

This software is FREE. However, it gets even better with the paid version.
Bid Solicitation. It reaches a larger number of subcontractors, and builds a subcontractor database to utilize for every job.
Prints reports that list all the bidders on a project and their bid status. This is great to print out before a bid to have contact information at the tip of your fingers.
Messaging is a great way to reach the entire project for Addenda, scope sheets, clarifications, etc.
It logs exactly when a subcontractor downloads and views the plans/specifications/etc.
It's super easy to invite new contractors and find subcontractors who are already "qualified" in BuildingConnected's database.

None

Likelihood to Recommend

I have nothing but overwhelmingly positive things to say about BuildingConnected. It has completely changed the way we bid projects, reach out to subcontractors, and communicate all bidding about our projects.

January 17, 2019

BuildingConnected keeps you connected!

Sarah Garrett

Executive Assistant

Ace Carpentry, Inc. (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Currently, we use BuildingConnected in our estimating department. We get invitations from our GC's when they have a project that they are inviting us to bid on. I like BuildingConnected because it clearly shows what jobs we are bidding on, if we have submitted a proposal, if we are late on the due date. It helps keep everything a little more organized.

Pros and Cons

Maps show where the project is.
Shows if you have submitted a proposal
Shows if you are late on submitting a proposal

BuildingConnected is clearly the leader for preconstruction software.

Likelihood to Recommend

I really like how the interface of BuildingConnected is so user friendly. The look of the website is easy on the eye and makes it so that you don't miss any key points about a bid invitation that you might miss with other preconstruction software on the market today. Our company has considered using this for our vendors to make them more accountable about getting us quotes in a timely manner.

January 12, 2019

BuildingConnected -- The User Friendly bid management software program you deserve.

Stephen Fontana

Estimator

Holt Construction Corp. (Construction, 201-500 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use BuildingConnected for our estimating department. Prior to BuildingConnected we were using the old email Rolodex and hoping for the best. BuildingConnected's user-friendly UI (User Interface), coupled with its massive database of contractors, made it incredibly easy to organize our pre-construction. Setting up a job is done now in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours. We get real-time information on what our sub-contractors are viewing, downloading, and what their bidding intent is. Communication is streamlined through a message board that is easy to navigate.

Pros and Cons

All of these features are dwarfed when you compare it to how incredible the customer service is. Real humans listen to every concern you have and actually make changes based on feedback. This is a fantastic program run by amazing people.
The clean user interface makes it easy to navigate to what you need in seconds.
Massive Sub-Contractor database makes it easy to expand your searches and coverage with ease.
Pre-qualifications. BuildingConnected has a TON of contractors and sometimes we get somebody on there that we don't personally know. Pre-qualifying them right through BuildingConnected means they can start working for us asap.

Some features are missing. Organizing subs by most used and an RFI log most notably.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you need help organizing your bidding process, BuildingConnected is a must have. You get up to the second feedback from subs. BuildingConnected has increased our sub coverage tenfold.

January 23, 2019

BuildingConnected keeps me Connected.

Steve Cole

Contract Manager / Job Developement

Barton Overhead Door (Construction, 11-50 employees)

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use BuildingConnected to locate upcoming commercial construction opportunities for [my] company to bid on. I use BuildingConnected to download the plans and specifications so I can perform a take-off and get the project over to the estimator. It also lets me know if there is more than one bidder on the job. Also, another plus for me is it keeps my bid invites organized, and they also sync to my Microsoft Office Calendar. BuildingConnected makes my job easier, I wish everyone used it.

Pros and Cons

Keeps track of jobs bidding for me, on the website and my office calendar.
Allows me to download plans.
Keeps track of bidders on the job.

The only problem I have with BuildingConnected is you have to forward your bid invites to them one at a time, I would like it more if I could send them all at one time and they sort them out. When you get 50 invites a day it's time-consuming.

Likelihood to Recommend

Everything BuildingConnected does is well suited for what I use it for. I don't even use half of all the stuff this program can do for you.

February 28, 2019

Utilize BuildingConnected So YOU Can Get Building!

Verified User

Employee in Professional Services

Construction Company, 1001-5000 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

My company utilizes BuildingConnected for our bidding and budgeting processes. Our company functions such that all project manager personnel participate in the bidding and budgeting phase of work. The program allows us to communicate effectively not only externally, but also internally. It is the fundamental tool that we use for reaching out to subcontractors.

Pros and Cons

Invite subcontractors to price a project.
Share documents with subcontractors interested in pricing a project.
Keep and track internal notes of conversations so that the project team can coordinate responsibilities of communication.
Bid leveling capabilities so that we are comparing "apples to apples."

Making sure subcontractors' information in the system is complete and accurate.
Tracking the history of subcontractors responses to invitations company-wide.
Once a package has been published, you cannot go back and un-publish it.

Likelihood to Recommend

BuildingConnected is great for inviting subcontractors to bid work and keeping all information related to the bidding process in one place. It is extremely effective for delegating roles and responsibilities to team members. The program allows users to make internal notes about conversations, eliminating the need to keep separate conversation tracking sheets. Users can distribute documents, receive and compare proposals all while keeping the history in the system. It is less suited for the construction or closeout phases of construction.

January 11, 2019

Upgraded Costs, Downgraded Use

Verified User

Administrator in Other

Construction Company, 201-500 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Review Source

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

BuildingConnected is used on a regular basis by our Preconstruction Department in at least three of our office locations. It provides everyone in our department with a real-time update on what's going on with our bid lists as they all have the ability to log in and leave notes and/or read each other's notes during the bidding process. It also easily allows subcontractors to access project information.

Pros and Cons

BuildingConnected is very user-friendly. It's very hard to "get lost" in the system and is relatively easy for someone new to learn how to use.
BuildingConnected has an excellent support email set up. When I have sent an email asking them to help a subcontractor get logged in - the response rate is often very quick and typically they are able to effectively solve the issue.
Their web-based system is never down, at least not that I can remember. It makes me trust their system.

They are somewhat pushy with wanting companies to upgrade for their paid version. While some of the capabilities of their paid version are worthwhile, we have found that our office would not use most of the features and therefore it's hard for us to justify paying for the upgraded side.
The file system they have is overall very user-friendly, but if you happen to have a lot of files, it does not give you a count anywhere of how many files you've uploaded and so you still have to check and make sure everything has gone through successfully.
Their Subcontractor database is built based on companies, such as our ourselves, adding companies to it. What this means is that some locations around the United States have a lot of companies listed while some have next to none. There are also no private listings so once you add the name into the system, it's fair game for your competitors to find the same ones.

Likelihood to Recommend

Depending on the project location, I would most likely suggest using the service. However, we will probably also need to use additional services alongside it. As of February 1, 2019, they will be changing their free version so that you will only be able to search a 100-mile radius from your own office location, so for companies who do work nationally, as we do, this is going to create a lot of problems.

BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product Scorecard Summary

Likelihood to Recommend (13): 97%
9.7
Likelihood to Renew (1): 90%
9.0
Usability (1): 100%
10.0
Support Rating (14): 89%
8.9
Implementation Rating (2): 100%
10.0

Feature Scorecard Summary

Construction Project & Field Management (11): 92%
9.2
Estimating (5): 88%
8.8

What is BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product?

BuildingConnected is an online preconstruction communications and bidding management platform. It heavily features a communications network and online database of and for general contractors, subcontractors, and owners. BuildingConnected is designed for functionality for each of these groups.

General contractors are offered bid management and comparison capabilities. BuildingConnected also supports historical cost and relationship tracking and real-time reporting for live projects. TradeTapp also assists with subcontractor prequalification processes.

BuildingConnected’s primary offering for subcontractors is an online Bid Board designed to enable full visibility and workflow within subcontractors’ organizations during the bidding process. The bid board features bid analytics, estimator performance tracking, and other reporting capabilities. It also allows for variable user permissions for data security purposes.

BuildingConnected provides real estate owners with access to its online network of general contractors and subcontractors. It also provides online bidding support.

BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product Video

BuildingConnected - The Leader in Preconstruction

BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product Pricing

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BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product Technical Details

Operating Systems	Unspecified
Mobile Application	No

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product?

BuildingConnected is an online preconstruction platform supporting communication and collaboration with contractors, subcontractors, and real estate owners. The platform supports bid management with cost tracking and analytics, relationship tracking, alerting, and unlimited bid invitations. BuildingConnected was acquired by Autodesk in 2018.

What are BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product's top competitors?

ConstructConnect Insight, Bluebeam Revu, and iSqFt are common alternatives for BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product.

What is BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product's best feature?

Reviewers rate Issue tracking & punchlists and Collaboration & approvals highest, with a score of 10.

Who uses BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product?

The most common users of BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product are from Small Businesses and the Construction industry.