How Technology is Streamlining the Pre-Construction Process

Contractors used to have to swim through a sea of paperwork to perform any number of preconstruction tasks, including quantity takeoffs, collecting bids from subcontractors, checking vendor qualifications, communicating with the owner, and clarifying design issues with the architect and engineer.

The digital age alleviated the burden of paper but resulted in still siloed functions that chop up the pre-construction process. In addition, the use of multiple, not-integrated software programs, which can be frustrating to use as well as time-wasting, leaves the door open for potential data entry mistakes that could mean the difference between winning and losing a project.

Michael Boren, chief technology officer at Beck Technology, a software and services company for the architecture, engineering and construction industries, said the best digital tools lessen the chance of mistakes during pre-construction, thereby reducing risk during the construction phase; communicate pricing and scheduling in a way that owners can easily understand; improve the accuracy of estimates; and be able to communicate the impact of large-scale changes to the plans and specifications to all parties.

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