Historically, construction businesses have often lagged behind other industries in terms of digitization, modernization, and the adoption of standardization tools such as ERP platforms to help them streamline their business processes. With construction professionals having to manage complex projects, using complicated processes, managing teams, staying on task and on budget, and facilitating communication between vendors, general contractors and specialty contractors, can be challenging at best.
While Subcontractor Project Management Software can benefit companies by allowing them to manage subcontractors from start to finish by integrating all subcontracting activity on a single platform, facilitating communication, and filtering through data, it can also improve productivity, reduce errors, and drive data-driven decisions. As a result, construction companies are seeing the key advantages to implementing construction management platforms: cost savings, improvement of project timelines, clearer communication between office and field teams and increased project success rates.
Business Benefits of Construction Subcontractor Management Software
Improved communication and information sharing
Enhanced data management and project scheduling
Streamlined workflows and document management
Clear Communication is the Path to Success: How Subcontractor Project Management Software Improves Communications and Information Sharing
One of the primary benefits of implementing Construction Subcontractor Management Software is the improvement in communications between project stakeholders. The cloud-based platform provides a centralized dashboard where project managers, subcontractors, and other team members can exchange information, share project documents, and collaborate in real-time. This connects teams and provides equal access to shared information, minimizing the risk of miscommunication that can lead to project errors, delays, and impact project timelines and delivery.
There are three items that determine improvements in information management when considering Construction Management Software for Subcontractors:
Real-Time Updates:
Construction subcontractor management software enables real-time updates on project progress, milestones, and any developments to plans. It also ensures that stakeholders have access to the latest information which enables prompt decision-making. Further, it allows for decision makers to create new pathways to evolving data across the project and drive insights to help generate better outcomes.1
Document Sharing:
Subcontractor Project Management Software allows for centralized global document sharing across your teams and project sites, eliminating the need for the handling of paperwork that can become lost or mishandled. Moreover, valuable documents such as contracts, specifications, and blueprints can be stored, accessed, and shared securely. All data for projects can be archived and retrieved in the future.
Collaborative Tools:
Many subcontractor management software platforms offer collaborative tools such as shared calendars, checklists and daily journals, tasks, and discussion boards. These tools bridge field and office connectivity, enabling teams to schedule work, assign tasks, track progress, and review project-related items in a centralized environment.
The Positive Impacts of Enhanced Coordination and Scheduling
Enhanced coordination and scheduling have a direct impact on project outcomes and team efficiency by ensuring that all project stakeholders, including subcontractors, suppliers, and on-site teams, are working in sync towards a common goal. As a result, project delays and disruptions are minimized, allowing for teams to execute complex projects on time.
By nurturing a culture of collaboration, construction companies can leverage the expertise and experience of subcontractors and other team members, which can bring forth innovative solutions, higher quality outcomes and improved client satisfaction.
Optimizing Processes with Subcontractor Software
Subcontractor software enables teams to optimize key processes and tasks including:
Resource Management:
Subcontractor Scheduling Software enables project managers to allocate resources efficiently by providing visibility into the availability and capacity of subcontractors. This allows for better coordination of work schedules, reduces bottlenecks, and ensures that the right subcontractors are assigned to the appropriate tasks, thereby optimizing overall project efficiency.
Progress Tracking:
Construction subcontractor management software enables real-time tracking of subcontractor progress and performance. Project managers can monitor subcontractor activities, track milestones, and identify any delays or issues swiftly. This visibility helps to clarify all potential risks and takes proactive measures to mitigate them, ensuring that the project stays on track.
Conflict Resolution:
Subcontractor management software provides a platform for addressing and resolving conflicts that may arise during a project. By centralizing communication and documenting any disputes or issues, the software accelerates the resolution process, and minimizes the impact on project timelines, budgets, and outcomes.
Minimize Administrative Tasks with a Seamless Workflow and Optimized Data Management
A seamless workflow and skillful management of data can significantly reduce administrative burdens for construction firms. By streamlining processes and leveraging technology to automate tasks, leaders can improve project delivery times. Additionally, effective data management ensures easy access to critical information, simplifying the process of demonstrating regulatory compliance which ultimately helps with risk management.
Performance Tracking: This software allows project managers to track subcontractor performance based on predefined metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). This data-driven approach allows for accurate evaluation and helps to identify top-performing subcontractors.
Automated processes: Construction subcontractor management software is proven to automate routine administrative tasks, such as subcontractor onboarding, document tracking, and payment processing. As a result, it helps to reduce project hours, increases the accuracy of metrics, and ultimately allows project managers to focus on more strategic aspects of project management.
Analytics and Reporting: Construction subcontractor management software also provides advanced analytics and reporting capabilities which help to generate actionable insights from project data. Project managers can analyze trends, identify areas of improvement, and make data-informed decisions to enhance project outcomes.
How CMiC Bid & Procurement Management Software can help your Firm Optimize the Bidding Process
The next logical question is: What is the best tool to help your firm streamline the bidding process and get desired results?
CMiC, a leading next generation construction ERP provider, is the answer to that question.
Their Bidding and Procurement solution helps organizations simplify the management of all subcontractors and projects, from preconstruction to project closeout, by integrating all subcontracting activity into one centralized platform.
Here are the three key features of CMiC’s Bid and Procurement Management solution:
Subcontractor Prequalification:
The subcontractor prequalification stage for the CMiC’s Bid and Procurement Management solution helps users to evaluate the qualifications and capabilities of potential subcontractors based on predefined criteria and documentation. The software also allow users to:
Manage and maintain a centralized database of subcontractors.
Ensure subcontractor prequalification criteria by evaluating financial stability, experience and safety records.
Gather intel, via a prequalification questionnaire, on subcontractor capabilities, previous projects, workforce, safety protocols, financial statements, and other details.
Store and manage documents related to subcontractor prequalification such as insurance certificates, licenses, financial statements etc.
Evaluate, rate, and score capabilities of potential submissions.
Report and analyze tracking of subcontractor performance, identify trends, and insights.
Bid Leveling:
CMiC’s ERP enables users to take each response and organize all the information to access easily. Rather than having to sort through proposals separately, users can view the information on one view, displaying all responses side-by-side. This method of centralized bid leveling also helps to identify any discrepancies in bids, identify high and low bids, all to facilitate easy decision-making. CMiC gives you an edge for bid leveling by allowing you to:
Collect bids from multiple subcontractors electronically.
Compare bids side-by-side to compare proposals.
Standardize the input so all bids are uniform in presentation.
Create custom formulas for quantitative analysis.
Score and rank bids.
Leverage collaboration abilities so stakeholders can communicate through the evaluation process.
Create an audit trail to ensure traceability and accountability.
Invitation to Bid:
The invitations to bid can be set up to be automatically emailed out to all bidders, and the database will automatically update the bidder’s bidding status based on this response.
CMiC’s Bidding and Procurement Management solution can offer a transformative and long-lasting impact on your business. Key customers such as Miron Construction, Wasatch Taylormade Builders and Pentalon Construction have all experienced the business benefits that this robust application delivers. By centralizing their organization’s bid management processes, they were able to drive efficiency, optimize bidding strategies and empower leadership with informed decision-making capabilities.
Source:
Accenture. Turning Intelligence into Value
