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As a startup, one of the most important investments you will make is selecting the right type of software for your construction business. Instead of purchasing multiple systems that only offer partial solutions, it pays to invest in an all-in-one platform that will grow with your company. In this article, we’ll look at what kind of software construction companies need, which software is best for construction companies, and why you should invest in construction software.
As more and more states relax pandemic restrictions, the construction industry is beginning to return to normal. All be it a new normal, as contractors continue to struggle with material shortages, higher prices, and a labor shortage. Still, most economists predict that construction will continue to rise throughout 2022.
Looking at 2022, I would say I’m nervously optimistic. Nonresidential construction, by and large, seems to have passed the low point and is on an upswing.
– Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for the Associated General Contractors of America
With the passing of the infrastructure bill, many large federal projects are expected to go online in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022, giving a much-needed boost to the industry.
“I think that 2022 is going to be very busy for you all,” says Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors and CEO of consulting firm Sage Policy Group. “Think very long and hard before you enter into contractual obligations. Make sure you build enough margin and contingency.”
Basu predicts a rise in state and local spending on construction going forward, including school construction. Contractors will need to ramp up their operations to handle the influx of available work.
“I think, to be successful, it’s going to help to be bigger,” he says. “Significant technologies are more expensive, and recruiting costs are significant, and training costs are significant. It’s nice to have a larger line of credit and more bonding capacity to go after some of these large-scale projects that are coming down the pipe, whether in infrastructure or other segments.”
The continued increase in volume can be tied to the effects of the pandemic both on the industry and the general population. “The impact of COVID has been far from equal,” notes Global Construction Perspectives director Mike Betts. “In most countries it’s been negative but in some, it’s been positive as working from home has encouraged people to invest more in their homes.”
This investment has led to a steady recovery for the industry over the past year and a half.
However, we aren’t out of the woods yet. Many contractors are struggling with the residual effects of COVID shutdowns that occurred two years ago. Workers and building materials are hard to come by and are more expensive than they were before the pandemic began.
The construction industry continues to struggle with bringing new talent to the industry. The perception of construction jobs as dirty and physically demanding may be a part of the problem, along with the societal view that students graduating from high school should all want to seek a college education. The fact is that college isn’t for everyone, and construction careers can be performed by anyone given enough training. Most journeymen tradespeople get paid more than their college-educated friends and don’t have the tuition debt to show for it.
In the industry, there were 345,000 unfilled jobs at the end of November 2021. That was actually down from October when openings hit an all-time high of 455,000, but up from 261,000 a year earlier, a 32% jump, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
One of the answers some companies are pursuing is the adoption of technology. Today’s young workers grew up with technology, so they are more comfortable with it than past generations. Contractors are recruiting young workers to help with scheduling, estimating, and project management, which most companies use software for. Upcoming tech for virtual reality, drones, robotics, and building information modeling (BIM) is driving the surge of young people to the industry.
A combination of production and shipping delays and rising material prices has created a problem for contractors on current projects. Production stoppages due to the pandemic and trucking and shipping disputes have caused project delays and price increases.
“The good news is we are starting to see factory output come back to close to where it was prior to the pandemic,” Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Data & Analytics said. “That should help the supply side, and if we start to see some improvements with the log jams at ports, perhaps by the backside of 2022, we might see some reprieve from these higher prices.”
“I’ve gotten more optimistic about material prices,” Simonson said. He doesn’t expect them to return to pre-pandemic levels but anticipates more up and down volatility, which is better than the upward swing many material prices took through 2021.
Some contractors dealt with the material shortage by stockpiling materials they used on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this is exacerbating the current supply crunch.
Some of it is a shortage, and some of it is shipping, but some of it is still a little bit of fear, where people are buying products to try to protect themselves. That’s driving up the demand, which does not help the overall industry.
– Deron Brown, President & COO of U.S. Operations for Edmonton, Canada-based PCL Construction
Experts don’t see supply chain issues being resolved completely until sometime in 2023. Contractors need to keep this in mind and be proactive with purchasing to ensure project timelines are met.
Overall, it appears that the construction industry is set to continue its rebound. Contractors are learning to deal with shortages in labor and materials, and these will continue to be problematic. Adopting technology, like project management software, can attract younger workers and make systems more efficient, reducing company overhead costs.
For more on how Premier Construction Software can help your company, request a free demonstration.
Author Biography:
Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator. Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.
When shopping for construction project management software, it can be difficult to determine if it’s best to go with a standalone service or an all-in-one that includes accounting. Both have their pluses and minuses, and a lot depends on how you run your business and the size of your staff.
Premier Construction Software provides an all-in-one solution for your project management, accounting, and financial data needs. And while standalone PM solutions may look attractive, they really create more work than they save. Here are some of the features that Premier provides that standalone products don’t.
Some standalone project management solutions sync data with the accounting software at the end of the day or when told to manually. So, the data that is represented in the PM solution can be hours or days old. Project managers can’t be sure that they are looking at the latest and greatest information unless they sync the data themselves.
With Premier, project managers have instant access to all cost and budget data and details as soon as it’s entered. This includes updates to project estimates when budget change orders are approved. The software automatically updates the budget and creates progress billing lines. Project managers can be confident that the information they have, even when accessed on a mobile device in the field, is accurate and up to date. This helps them make better decisions about the project to keep it on schedule and on budget.
Some standalone solutions provide only general information about costs, such as subtotals by cost type or grand totals. Managers can’t drill down into the data specifics because not all the data is shared with the PM solution.
Premier’s financial data isn’t based on what one program does and doesn’t share with another. All of its information comes directly from the source, allowing project managers to get the information they need, including details and documents. They can look at all costs for a cost code and type and determine if a transaction has been coded correctly, ensuring that costs are properly allocated. Using the forecasting module, PMs can account for unanticipated costs and request internal budget transfers to keep the project on track.
Some solutions provide standard billing forms (like the AIA G702 and 703), but there isn’t much flexibility. Or they only provide templates for generalized invoices. Companies have to create their own invoice templates outside the system to meet their client’s needs. Then that information has to be entered into the accounting software, creating two sources for original data. This double-entry can lead to costly errors.
Premier’s customized billing forms allow you to design just the form you need to match your client’s requirements. This flexibility allows you to present your billing the way your client wants to see it without adopting a workaround. You only have to enter the data once and have access to all the documents and reports you need to support the billing. Need to make a correction? Instead of a lengthy voiding process, our software allows you to quickly make one-click edits and simple invoice reversals.
Some standalone solutions only receive summary cost data from the accounting system. The export of data doesn’t include detailed information or images of documents to help users research issues. If a problem or question comes up, workers must look at multiple sources to find the information they need.
Premier offers the ability to drill down to specific transactions and get all the information you need to solve a problem or answer a question in just one platform. Reports can be customized to provide as much, or as little data as is necessary. From generalized summary reports to detailed transaction reports, PMs can get the level of information they need to keep their projects on budget. This allows project managers to quickly get the accurate information they need to manage the project and make key decisions.
Some standalone PM solutions don’t support inventory or equipment cost and revenue tracking. Most companies choose to track these separately in a spreadsheet or by hand as a workaround. This can lead to potential mistakes and inaccurate cost and revenue data.
Premier’s integrated equipment and inventory modules provide tracking, costing, and purchasing tasks that help ensure the accuracy of billing and cost data. You can track equipment-related expenses and assign mark-ups by the hour, day, week, or month. It also enables you to track historical supplier pricing and assign custom billing prices with custom mark-up codes. This ensures your company gets the revenue it deserves when using its own inventory and equipment and lets you know when it’s time to invest in new equipment or purchase more inventory.
Some PM solutions offer little or no automation of tasks. In addition, because data must be entered into the accounting system and the PM system, they require double the amount of work to keep data accurate in both systems.
Premier allows automation of routine and repetitive tasks, like repetitive invoice entry and automatic pay when paid payments. In addition, when an approved change order is received, the software auto-generates progress billing lines and creates and emails subcontract and purchase order change orders to subcontractors and suppliers. This saves workers time and creates workflow efficiency.
Premier allows contractors and subcontractors to get the real-time data they need to the level of detail they require, provide custom billing forms, track equipment, and inventory expenses and revenues, and take advantage of automation to increase productivity and efficiency. For more information or a free demo, invest in your business and contact Premier today.
Author Biography:
Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator. Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.
