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BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product

BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product

Overview

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…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

BuildingConnected is a valuable tool for companies in the construction industry, specifically their estimating and operation teams. Users …
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Popular Features

View all 25 features
  • Bid creation (12)
    8.8
    88%
  • Plan distribution & viewing (15)
    4.7
    47%
  • Document sharing (16)
    4.3
    43%
  • Plan markups & sharing (11)
    4.3
    43%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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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.…

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Wrike is a project management and collaboration software. This solution connects tasks, discussions, and emails to the user’s project plan. Wrike is optimized for agile workflows and aims to help resolve data silos, poor visibility into work status, and missed deadlines and project failures.

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Features

Human Resource Management

Organizing, tracking and providing instant access to critical employee data, job profiles, transfers, promotions, and benefits information.

8
Avg 7.7

Reporting & Analytics

Users can report on and analyze usage, performance, ROI, and/or other metrics of success.

3
Avg 8.2

Construction Project & Field Management

Features related to collaboration between construction management and project execution (e.g. the office and the job site, general contractors and subcontractors)

5
Avg 7.4

Estimating

A set of tools and applications that allow contractors to forecast, track, monitor, and adjust the cost of building a structure. Cost estimates are used by project owners to determine the scope and feasibility of a project, and also for budget allocation. Contractors also use cost estimates when deciding whether or not to bid on a project and for bid creation.

6.6
Avg 8.2
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Product Details

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 Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Reviewers rate Bid creation highest, with a score of 8.8.

The most common users of BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(23)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

BuildingConnected is a valuable tool for companies in the construction industry, specifically their estimating and operation teams. Users appreciate how it helps them stay organized and informed during the preconstruction phase of projects. With BuildingConnected, users can easily log on each day to check for updates on the jobs they are estimating, eliminating the worry of missing important emails or notifications. This software is particularly beneficial for finding qualified and insured local contractors based on geographic radius location, which aligns with the company's business model of hiring local subcontractors. It manages the entire process from project creation to subcontractor invitations, including project descriptions, architectural drawings, and scope of work descriptions.

One key advantage of using BuildingConnected is its real-time view of subcontractors' bidding intent, allowing for easy tracking of subcontractor coverage. Contractors appreciate being able to see which jobs they are bidding on, whether proposals have been submitted, and if any due dates are approaching. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and provides a comprehensive database of contractors. The time-saving capabilities of BuildingConnected are also noteworthy, as it allows users to set up a job in minutes instead of hours, while providing real-time information on subcontractors' actions such as viewing and downloading bid packages.

BuildingConnected also serves the compliance department by helping prequalify new subcontractors. Users rely on this software to locate upcoming commercial construction opportunities, download plans and specifications, and keep bid invites organized. It is used across multiple office locations, ensuring real-time updates and easy access to project information for the preconstruction department. The effectiveness of BuildingConnected is evident in how it has streamlined bid management, trade package management, and document distribution for a general contracting company. Estimators find it invaluable for tracking bids, making comments, and staying updated on any changes within the bidding process. Furthermore, this software facilitates effective communication both externally with subcontractors and internally within the organization.

While BuildingConnected offers numerous benefits, some users have encountered issues with the trial and subscription process, which have occasionally resulted in missing bid invites and jobs. However, overall, the positive experiences and efficiency gains brought about by BuildingConnected make it an essential tool for construction companies during the preconstruction phase of projects.

Efficient Organization and Management: Many users have found BuildingConnected to be helpful in keeping track of multiple jobs at once, allowing for efficient organization and management of bid invites into different categories such as won, lost, pending, and archived.

Centralized Storage and Accessibility: Reviewers appreciate that BuildingConnected serves as a central location for general contractors to store and update files and addendums, making it convenient to access all necessary project information in one place. This feature has been praised by several users.

Enhanced Collaboration and Coordination: BuildingConnected's ability to show which contractors are bidding on the same job has been highly valued by reviewers. This functionality promotes better coordination of estimating efforts among subcontractors, leading to improved collaboration throughout the bidding process.

Integration with Microsoft: Some users have expressed the need for better integration with Microsoft, such as the ability to add the software as a calendar and make edits directly from Outlook. They feel that this would improve their workflow and streamline their project management tasks.

Missing features: According to several reviewers, there are certain features that are missing in the software. For example, users mentioned the absence of options to organize subcontractors by most frequently used and an RFI log. These features would enhance efficiency and organization within the system.

Difficulty exporting data: A number of users have found it challenging to export data to other programs and communicate effectively with customers who use different software platforms. This limitation hampers their ability to collaborate seamlessly across various tools and may lead to inefficiencies in sharing information externally.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-16 of 16)
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Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
After barely giving us any time for the pro trial, we've had nothing but issues. After the trial expired and we decided not to subscribe, all bid invites were coincidentally erased. Now jobs that I've already accepted are starting to randomly go missing. To me, it's almost like they are punishing our company for not wanting to pay for their awful and overpriced service.
  • Charging for any small benefits.
  • Withholding pertinent information until you pay for a subscription.
  • Lack of communication after an issue has been addressed.
  • In my experience, honesty and integrity with customers
  • I think they need better customer Support
  • In my experience, fair pricing
BuildingConnected, an Autodesk product, does everything that most offices can do on a simple spreadsheet but cost your company thousands of dollars a year
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Being a structural steel estimator, we have used BuildingConnected, an Autodesk on numerous occasions for accessing available projects. It's easy to use, easy to organize projects, and has given us the opportunity to seek out new customers. BuildingConnected, an Autodesk does a great job at tracking current bids, submitted bids, bids won, and documentation.
  • organized folders
  • ease of downloadable construction prints
  • Projects and companies are easy to find
  • Could use geographic location of the project
  • some kind of auto setting to archive bids after their date
When receiving RFQ's from companies within a manageable distant from our location, it has been very helpfull. Receiving RFQ's for projects outside of our work area, it is just a waste of time. The projects available are well organized and give date due of proposal.
May 09, 2022

Great bid Tool

David Noah | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Company does alot of bid work and collaborates with customers who do the same. Needed a good software to be able to communicate and manage all of the information. We also source out work with subcontractors and needed a good way to track it. It also provides a place to distribute drawings and specifications for projects.
  • Managing bid lists
  • Distributing drawings and documents
  • Finding subcontractors
  • Collaboration between our teams and our customers
  • Hard to export to other programs
  • Hard to communicate with customers using other software
It is pretty good software that is not buggy. Works great as a place to share documents with customers, which is our main use for the software. It makes tasks easier to track for our project managers. It saves us time to see where the information goes and who has received it.
Jessica Rondash | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • It makes it easy to send out bid packages with just one click.
  • It allows us to easily bid level returned bids from subcontractors.
BuildingConnected is extremely useful for contractors looking to keep their bid process organized and streamlined.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
The plan room is straightforward to update! It's hard finding out of town subcontractors, and BuildingConnected lets me use their subs.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Marcel Cicort | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
Manage the entire bidding process is where BuildingConnected excels. An Advanced quick search for trades is where BuildingConnected still needs work.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • Organization
  • Internal Communication
  • Bid Opportunities I'm Unaware Of
  • People Reaching Out Too Often
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.
Matthew Smith | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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
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.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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
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.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Stephen Fontana | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
  • 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.
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.
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