Posted by Dave Robertson on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 @ 08:35 AM
We are back! Our blogging activity has been curtailed over the last couple of months as we have been very focused on completing our latest innovative new solution for the construction industry called PlanSource FT – File Transfer. I am excited to tell you about it.
Our existing technologies are widely hailed as delivering significant time and dollar savings to those who use them while concurrently reducing project risk and environmental impact. We were one of the first companies to see the potential of internet technologies to deliver these kinds of benefits to the construction industry. Ten years ago there was no shortage of sceptics who thought that managing and distributing construction documents online was a bad idea. “I need to have the entire plan laid out in front of me to work on it” was a familiar refrain. Changing something as ingrained and iconic as the traditional roll of drawings is a slow process that will only happen if the benefits are substantial. Good news – the benefits have proven to be substantial and the process is changing rapidly.
When we first started this company (100,000 plus projects ago) virtually every drawing, specification page or addenda uploaded to the system was scanned from paper originals despite the fact that they were all created digitally. About two years ago the transition away from distributing paper sets accelerated as design consultants became increasingly comfortable with the idea of sharing their documents in digital format (typically .pdf or .tiff). Today, only 10% – 15% of the documents uploaded to our systems are scanned, and even that number is declining.
For the most part the design consultants have used FTP sites (File Transfer Protocol) as the mechanism to share and distribute their digital files with their design team and more recently with contractors. While this mechanism works, it is by no means the best way to accomplish the task. Managing the sites, maintaining security, organizing and working with the files are just some of the challenges presented by FTP.
In response to those challenges we have taken the opportunity to leverage some core elements of our very powerful PlanSource applications to provide the industry with a dramatically better solution to managing and transferring construction files online. That solution is PlanSource FT – File Transfer as mentioned earlier in this article. It is specifically designed for construction and is fast, easy and secure. Users can set up an account and in minutes be viewing documents, sharing them with others, printing them directly, downloading the files they need or even sending orders for copies directly to their own reprographer. It is very inexpensive and will even offer a completely free and fully functional version to those who only have a limited amount of activity.
As digital files have become more commonplace, everybody including Architects, Engineers, General Contractors, Trade Contractors and Suppliers all have an increased need to be able to efficiently manage and work with these files. Whether the files are on a CD, DVD, downloaded from FTP sites or are from an online planroom, PlanSource FT provides a tremendous way to use a single system to effectively manage all of them. We anticipate this great new tool will be released in May and look forward to once again delivering an innovative solution that solves a widespread problem for the construction industry.
Posted by Dave Robertson on Thu, Feb 04, 2010 @ 10:05 AM
The accelerating trend towards sharing and distributing construction documents online requires people who do so to be more aware of what the technology issues are that relate to the process. A very common issue we see is the misunderstanding of document formats and what they can do. The most common format we see for digital construction documents is PDF. It is a raster format which essentially means it is just an image with no particular ‘intelligence’ unlike a vector format like DWG which has all kinds of potential functionality and information embedded in it.
Portable Document Format (PDF) is described in Wikipedia as “a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout 2D document that includes the text, fonts, images, and 2D vector graphics which compose the documents. Lately, 3D drawings can be embedded to PDF documents with Acrobat 3D using U3D or PRC and various other data formats”.
What is important to recognize about PDF documents is that they are not all created equal. Neither are they all displayed equal. Bad English but I hope you get the point. There are many ways to create PDF documents such as from the full version of Acrobat, a conversion from Word, a scanned image, or even something like a fax machine can produce a PDF. Each of these has the potential to be slightly different, which is where the potential problems arise. It depends what you are using the PDF for and how you are viewing it. For example, if you are sharing it over the internet or in email it is important to properly manage the size for the file. Some of the more sophisticated methods of producing PDF’s or the features that Acrobat allows such as embedding graphics or working with layers can make the files exponentially larger than a simple ‘flattened’ version of the same image.
There are some simple techniques and tricks that can dramatically help with making sure your image files are appropriately prepared for the purpose intended. It may not be a big deal for a few pages but if you are preparing a full set of drawings and specifications for a project it would be best to get it right. Otherwise, the people you are sharing them with will find it very difficult to work with them and you will be back spending time to sort it out. If this is an issue for you and you would like some assistance with how to properly manage or convert files for the internet we would be happy to help. Just email or call and we will help you optimize your PDF’s.
Posted by Dave Robertson on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 @ 09:26 AM
Construction estimating is a complex and time consuming process. A good estimator truly understands how a project is managed from start to finish and is able to translate every step into a dollar amount. Estimators today have some very powerful tools available to help them put together the best and most accurate numbers upon which to base their final price. If you are not already doing them here are four ideas that might help you fine tune your process:
- Help your Trade contractors and suppliers be more efficient
On a recent and very large project the General Contractor decided to distribute the drawings and specifications on Dvd’s. There were hundreds of pages of drawings and the cost of distributing paper would have been significant. The information on the Dvd’s was poorly organized and very difficult for anyone to work with and find what they needed. Many opted to simply get it all printed out at significant expense just to figure it out. This was simply a short sighted exercise in transferring the cost and effort on to the Trades and Suppliers. It is hard to imagine how that kind of approach which essentially says ‘I don’t care about your time and expenses to give me a bid’ can ultimately result in that Contractor getting the best price from that Trade. If your attitude up front is that you don’t care, why would it be any different when you get on the site? Given that a significant portion of any bid is usually made up of bids from many Trades and Suppliers it would only make sense to demonstrate that you are good to work with and that you are interested in doing what you can to help them make money as well. A better alternative to the Dvd’s (and subsequent addenda) which still took time and cost money to produce and distribute would have been to make them available in an online planroom like PlanSource for fast and easy access by everyone who needed them. It would have cost less than the Dvd’s, taken less time and would have been far better for everyone involved.
- Make sure the right people know when you are looking for pricing
Sending out Invitations to Bid is essential. There is no doubt that for critical Trades and Suppliers you will still need to have a conversation with them but why not give notice that you are working on the project and let them view the documents in advance of your call to make the exercise more efficient. There are countless stories of how one price from one particular Trade or Supplier made the difference in getting the project. Even for a Construction Management or negotiated contract it is still essential to let people know as soon as possible that you are looking for them to spend some of their time and resources to work with you to put pricing together. Adequate notice simply helps them plan better. PlanSource has excellent Invitation to Bid and messaging functionality that can make the process fast and easy.
- Get your database of Trades and Suppliers in order
We are in a position to see lots of company databases of their Trade and Supplier contacts. Obviously, a key resource for any estimator is the list of contacts they have available to gather pricing from. It appears to be a big challenge for many Contractors to maintain and keep accurate as people and companies come and go. The task of “cleaning it up” is often a once a year exercise for one of the administrators that can take a lot of time and effort to get done. There is a better way. Once again there is software available today that virtually eliminates the need to maintain the list. It can be automatically managed and updated using the management tools available in PlanSource . Add in the available prequalification tools and you have an easy way to screen prospective new contacts to improve and expand your available bidders.
- Use On Screen Takeoff software
Accurate quantity takeoffs are of course a critical element of a good bid. While there is certainly nothing wrong with a scale rule and estimating pad there is no question that good onscreen takeoff software can help you get the work done faster, more accurately and with more options for analyzing and refining your numbers. In addition to the takeoff tools available in PlanSource, there are many options in the market but one well worth looking at can be found at www.oncenter.com .
In a market like the current one where every tender is highly competitive it is more important than ever to make sure you are doing all you can to be efficient with your own time and expenses and to reduce the time and expenses it takes Trades and Suppliers to work with you. Better systems yield better results and ultimately improve your odds of being the successful bidder.
Posted by Dave Robertson on Thu, Dec 17, 2009 @ 05:20 AM
There is an interesting Blog that I follow called AEC Bytes authored by Lachmi Khemlani. In a recent guest article written by Michael Tardif, Director of Integrated Project Delivery Systems at Grunley Construction Company, Inc. discusses the rationale for the agcXML standard which was developed by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in collaboration with NIBS as a standard to support the exchange of business information during design and construction. Khemlani states that, “It is important because dramatically improving productivity and efficiency in the building industry cannot be achieved through BIM alone -- we need to look beyond the building-specific and project-specific information that can be compiled in a BIM model to the entire information flow, workflow, and business processes needed to create and sustain the built environment”.
The article does a great job of making the case for the development and adoption of standards that facilitate the easy exchange of building and project information are essential to increasing the overall productivity in the industry. We will be looking at incorporating these standards into our applications. This link will connect you to the article. http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2009/issue_49.html
Posted by Dave Robertson on Thu, Nov 26, 2009 @ 09:53 AM
Do you use all the functions available to you in every piece of software you use? I sure don’t and honestly can’t imagine anyone who does. Almost all software products grow in capability every year as Users and Product Managers identify new requirements that supplement the core functionality of the application.
The key to deciding on a new software application is to be clear about the primary task(s) you are expecting it to do ... and then make sure it does them well. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the complexity of all the other bells and whistles that each product offers but for the most part they just aren’t important. You will achieve 90% of your efficiencies from the core functionality and the other 10% can be achieved conveniently if and when you are ready for them.
Selecting the right software solution can be a challenge when there are so many options available to you but just don’t be frozen into inaction because you can’t see how you can possibly use all the features available. If the core functionality works for you and the business case makes sense on that basis alone, then all the other features just don’t matter.