More than ever, it is vitally important to have the top of your project pipeline in healthy condition and have a complete overview on the projects you are quoting on.
First things first, when considering what tender management software to choose, it will completely depend on the size of your company and what you are looking to get out of the software itself. A tier 1 Building Contractor will have entirely different needs and budget than the small residential builder. Companies like Lend Lease, Mirvac, Brookfield Multiplex and John Holland have huge procurement teams, and have invested millions of dollars to make the process as efficient as possible.
A key factor to consider when looking into construction management software is who will be using it? Will it be a trained Contracts Administrator with excellent technical background or is it the company owner who is on site all day and manages the tender / quoting process at nights and weekends?
Why would you need Tender Management Software for your Construction Business?
“It takes too long to get a quote for a project together”
“I have missed deadlines because I was not organised”
“I hate dealing with messy email threads”
“I lose track of most important communications and recent prices”
“There is trouble during a project as information was missed at the quote stage”
“I spend too much time measuring plans and calculating labour and materials costs”
"My plans, quotes and material estimates are all over the place, and I need to store it in one place”
A Review of the Top 4 Construction Tender Management Softwares
Great tender management solutions, built specifically for the construction industry have been coming into the market recently. They help businesses streamline how they manage their documents, get bids in from subcontractors and submit a professional quote, knowing all of the project aspects have been accounted.
Estimate One https://estimateone.com/
Australian only - state licence starts at $1,400 p/a
Using Estimate One, General Contractors can upload projects and house all of the documents on the cloud based software. It allows users to send out documents to all of their subcontractors as well as list jobs on the open tender boards to get quotes from their network.
Easily keep up to date on all of the latest plans. Contracts Administrators or Estimators are notified as to what top contractors have won the bid and so more targeted bids can be submitted. Subcontractors don't need an account and you will be notified as to who has downloaded the tender documentation so you can follow if needs be.
BuildingConnected https://www.buildingconnected.com/
US based - starting price $3,600 p/a
Bought by Autodesk the BuildingConnected have been able to invest in delivering an end to end tool that allow contractors to manage their bids. Bidding process is an essential part in project management since it allows contractors, subcontractors and vendors to connect with businesses. BuildingConnected transforms the bidding processes into a digital activity that enables management of bids; from sending out tenders to approving work orders. It helps ensure that bidding processes are successful by helping all stakeholders who are in the bidding management circle to connect and work together.
Procore https://www.procore.com/
US based - Starting price $6,625 p/a
Procore is one of the success stories coming out of the US when it comes to construction technology. Procore manages your projects, resources and financials from project planning to closeout. The platform connects every project contributor with the owner and general contractor. The centralized dashboard allows managers to handle project details, schedule tasks and view progress.
The Procore App comes with an app marketplace, which offers over 150 partner solutions that integrate seamlessly with the platform. It enables users to communicate across teams, making it easier to work together by eliminating silos and establishing a single source of information.
The thing to be aware of with a great system like this is that it takes commitment in order to ensure you are getting the most out of it, there is no point in half assing it here. If you have a team and reasonable technical ability this system will improve your project management systems considerably.
ConX https://www.conxjobs.com/
Australian based serving global market - Starting at $400 p/a
ConX Tendering allows contractors to efficiently and seamlessly manage the tendering process with invitations and responses managed in one place. Unlike other softwares, ConX is extremely easy to use and priced at the lower end of the market.
General Contractors / Builders can create projects, upload documentation and invite preferred subcontractors to quote. Alternatively, they can post to the Tender Marketplace and connect with qualified subcontractors in a service area. Through ConX, Builders get a complete overview of the project, comparing bids side by side and awarding jobs to the best contractors.
Subcontractors receive quote requests from Builders and/or find new work on the Tender Marketplace. For them, ConX provides a platform to generate professional quotes and manage the tendering process in one place.
A key feature that sets ConX apart is the takeoff tool available to contractors when tendering. They can quickly put together a bill of quantities and submit a detailed bid with marked up drawings included.
A summary of the benefits of implementing Tender Management Software:
- Upload and store all of your plans to your account.
- Send plans to your preferred list of subcontractors or post to the open network.
- No more messy email trials.
- Transparency across the entire quoting process.
- Easy to to track who is quoting and can send follow ups.
- Access most up to date project information.
Hit me up with any questions in the chat, or you can schedule a 10 minute demo to find out more about how ConX can help you.
