BuildingConnected Reviews

Pros

I love that PowerPoint has several options when it comes to slide design. Presentations can be very bland, so adding a design that's aesthetically pleasing is extremely helpful when I'm trying to grab the attention of my peers and superiors.

Cons

I have not had any bad experiences with PowerPoint.

Pros

The leveling section is such a time saver. We can look at everything one screen, make adjustments and go with a final number on bid day seamlessly. A real time saver.

A great tool to show owners and clients that we have done our homework and selected the lowest most qualified bidder

Cons

Be sure you have a strong network and a strong network connection. As the day wears on it can be slow down at bit

Pros

I like how this software is widely used with General Contractors. it makes it easy to download plans, specs, and upload quotes.

Cons

I do not like how it automatically will start invites from all GC's in your state. Each time I try to unsubscribe to a GC nothing happens.

Pros

Easiest and best way we have found to send and track bid invitations to a targeted recipient.

Cons

There are no enough key work options in the bid package to cover all of the bid I need.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to BuildingConnected

Pros

Building Connected allowed us to have all our bid invites in one place, giving us the ability to find and track new bid opportunities.

Cons

The in-software take-off features could use some upgrades and possible integration with other software

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to BuildingConnected

Pros

I like how user friendly it is. I also really like that each user controls their account but if I notice it's not up to date, I can make a suggestion. Crowd sharing is brilliant!

Cons

I would like to make comments for a particular company which can only be seen internally but without actually rating them. Right now, to make a comment, you have to rate them from 1-5 stars. But sometimes I need a comment about the contacts at a company, etc.

Pros

easy to use, user friendly, simple, the bid-form section is awesome!!

Cons

would be great if they had an RFI section to use like Procore has.

Pros

The ease of finding all the bidding information in one place and user-friendliness of the website makes this a very helpful tool for bidding process.

Cons

The directory functionality needs some work.

Pros

The ability to find those GC's that are bidding on the same projects (why not submit your proposal to all bidders?) easily and accurately. The almost infinitely customizable search interface. Finding new GC's in regional markets and being able to research them and their projects BEFORE I ask to be included in ITB's! Integration with my current 'free' account.

Cons

Not an even rudimentary ability to manage MY subcontractors and vendors! They offer this feature in a richly granular way in the product they market to GC's, put a stripped down version HERE if you REALLY want to attract trade contractors!! Probably too costly for the returns for many trade contractors, yet not feature rich enough to appeal to larger trade contractors.

Pros

I get receive 30% of my bid invites through Building Connected. Very organized. Nice layout. Definitely a recommended source.

Cons

The bid form is a bid to much others I have been on I put on the amount the scope and then drop my estimate in. With this software its a draw out process.

Pros

The ability to find new subcontractors that fit our specific needs. The organization of the interface that allows me to sort through bidders and none bidders efficiently. Building connected allows for all of my colleagues and I to be on the same page although we are in different states, with the notes feature. Simplistic interface design allows for ease of navigation. Customer service support is a phone call away at all times and they show great concern for your time constraints.

Cons

It can be embarrassing how some employees have been terminated from their companies but on Building Connected they are my point of contact so I ask for them and get that bad news. More clear information as to the exact type of services companies provide. For example some will say millwork but they only provide design oriented woodwork.

Pros

Simple, easy to learn - can teach anyone in my office
Quick, no waste of time due to long processes
Keeps track of correspondence
Document control
Bid Forms are flexible

Cons

Lack of being able to update trade partners' information. I get that it is great that the trades feel like they get to have total control over their account, but I am constantly calling wrong contacts because I cannot update their info myself. Trades are not always willing (or have time) to update their own information.

Pros

Davaco's business model is to perform commercial remodels of Retail, Restaurants or Hospitality Projects throughout USA and Canada. While we have many W2 employees which travel throughout the territories to perform a variety of tasks - we are heavily dependent on partnering with local Subcontractors to perform additional remodel tasks. In this process BuildingConnected tool is essential to send invitation to bids and collecting bid proposals from multiple sources in the geographic location radius of the project itself. As such BC performs marvelous in that task.

Cons

Geographic radius invitations of Bidders with the filters for Non or Union based, minority business owners. Easy proposal creation and upload of proposal - tracking and overall ease of use.

Pros

The ability to distribute plans, specs and addenda is easy and consistent. It is also very easy to send messages to individual bidders, all bidders in a bid package or the entire project. We can create bid forms that the subs can fill out when submitting their bids. The system also tracks all quotes and allows us to level the bids. Their support is great with fast responses! We also use BuildingConnected to have subs fill out our qualification form.

Cons

The only thing we would like to see would be to list the number of those that are not bidding in the overall view that lists the number of invitees, the number that have viewed the project and the number that say they are bidding.

Pros

For a quote on a task, take advantage of BuildingConnected's unique feature that allows you to collaborate with different office locations within the same company profile to acquire an estimate. It's also extremely simple to operate. You can invite existing building connect companies to participate, as well as invite new trades. Changes to the tender package can be made quickly and easily without having to email each contractor individually.

Cons

In areas where the BuildingConnected can readily perform magnificently, there aren't many dislikes, and we haven't had any issues with it yet, which is encouraging.

Pros

General ease of use. Easy to sign folks up and get them started quickly. Customer service is also very helpful.

Cons

Not enough reports available and not a great printout. I wish there were more report options that were more easily accessed. I would like to quickly run a full report on a particular sub - general contact info, projects they have been invited to, if they replied, if they bid, etc. A quick snapshot of the company as a whole.
Also, the management of contact data is terrible. There are lots of flagged contacts and they aren't resolved by BC. Often, the admin of the company is the one no longer there and then nobody can make the edit.

Pros

- Easy to use, intuitive interface.
- Scalable, great option for small or big teams

Cons

- too many extra features/sales pitches
- originally was designed for GCs, has advanced in terms of subcontractor usability

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to BuildingConnected

Pros

This software platform is intuitive and easy to use. The public contractor database is already populated with most people we work with, adding other contacts is easy as inputting an email address!

Communicating with every invited bidder or just a subset with follow up information is just as easy.

Cons

We've submitted a couple suggested enhancements, the Building Connected team is always willing to listen to feedback and improve the platform.

Pros

I like that we are able to look up any project and see if we are bidding or if we are declining, Makes it easy to manage. I like that we can store all correspondences in each project folder so we know what's going on at all times.

Cons

I havnt ran into any issues so there is nothing to dislike

Pros

The interface is very user friendly overall. The network of contractors is very helpful.

Cons

The communication tends to come across to the contractors like a spam email and is ignored. I find myself needing to always follow up with a company email to get any real traction in communication. I also don't like the fact that the contractors can not be deleted after they are in the bid package. there are errors made sometimes and it would be nice to be able to delete.

Pros

It is the best "software" on the market. With the integration into the whole Autodesk family, BuildingConnected is definitely the best "bang for your buck".

Cons

The only thing is one item, and I have told this to many of the programmers; to be able to enlarge the left side of the trades on the project window.

Pros

Highly recommend Building Connected for its intuitive ease of use and the simple integration into a construction company's arsenal of estimating software.

Cons

Minor adjustments regarding the process and meaning of non disclosure agreements has to be carefully monitored.

Pros

This program is easy to use and has a large database. It is very useful in organizing bids.

Cons

I wish you could have the program pick the maximun number of subs available as default instead of 10 subs in each scope and then having to move the scale to a higher number. We always want a maximun number of subs invited in each scope.

Pros

The software is user friendly. The navigation to get from task to another is with ease. It manages and gives a report of subtrades expression of interest to bid and submission is a great tool. Our internal team is able to view the progress/ status of the project, which makes life easier.

Cons

I would like to see an option for the administrator to add/delete subtrade contacts (as majority of the time the information/ contacts are outdated). Example: Employee no longer with company, etc.
We should have the option to modify contacts / emails.

Pros

Ease of selecting bidders and sending out invites quickly

Cons

When selecting bidders, sometimes there are subs on the list that do not even do the work you are selecting.