![Project management and estimations software have never been more advanced. © Nasir1164 | Dreamstime.com](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds.jpg)
Leaps and bounds
Software
It’s amazing: Project management and estimations software have never been more advanced. And whether you need it on your laptop, iPad or smartphone, it’s available. As software platforms designed to make contractors’ lives easier continue to improve and expand, masonry industry manufacturers of all types are joining the party. An app to determine the best brick shape or mortar color, or to determine if weather is favorable for bricklaying tomorrow – the innovation just never stops. Masonry has profiled eight software advancements and new products we think you’ll find useful. More and more, it’s a tech-lover’s world.
BID2WIN Branding and Vision
BID2WIN SoftwarePortsmouth, N.H.
![BID2WIN Branding and Vision](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-1.jpg)
Operational elements include: estimate - managing the entire estimating and bidding process; dispatch - planning, analyzing, scheduling and dispatching your human, mechanical and material resources; track - comparing original bid numbers to real job costs to better understand and remain in control of real costs; maintain - minimizing unplanned downtime and optimizing production.
www.b2wsoftware.com
Revu 11 Software
Bluebeam SoftwarePasadena, Calif.
![Revu 11 Software](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-2.jpg)
Studio Projects Offline mode enables project teams to centrally maintain a digital master set. Bluebeam Studio allows users to access and edit files stored in a Studio Project from a desktop, tablet PC or an iPad. Revu 11's AutoMark feature allows organization of PDFs by automatically creating bookmarks and page labels from PDF content, such as drawing title blocks. “Sets” enables team members to view, navigate and edit multiple files as if they were one. The Format Painter applies property settings across multiple annotations. VisualSearch performs robust searches, regardless of an object's size, color or rotation or even another intersecting object. Users can create 3D PDFs from any IFC file, and do more with 3D content.
www.bluebeam.com
Spectrum Project Management Software
Dexter + ChaneySeattle
![Spectrum Project Management Software](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-3.jpg)
Spectrum Project Management combines the tools and information that project managers need into a single application. Project managers are at the center of a storm of data and documents, says Dexter + Chaney. The company adds that, instead of using three, four or more applications to build a picture of project status, they can use Spectrum Project Management to combine financial and field information, manage people and documents, and track workflow from a single project log screen that eliminates the need to maintain multiple logs. The application covers numerous project management functions, including job cost and progress reporting, project logging, submittal and RFI tracking, and project document storage and sharing.
www.dexterchaney.com
Mobile App for Construction Planning, Estimating
General ShaleJohnson City, Tenn.
![Mobile App for Construction Planning, Estimating](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-4.jpg)
Mobile app users may locate the nearest General Shale retail store or distributor, as well as a GPS map, from the "Where to Buy" feature. They also can link to the General Shale or Brick Industry Association websites.
www.generalshale.com
Holcim (US) Masonry App
Holcim (US) Inc.Waltham, Mass.
![Holcim (US) Masonry App](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-5.jpg)
By dynamically selecting brick colors, patterns and one of the 60 different Rainbow mortar colors available, much of the guesswork and color speculation can be avoided. The free application is supported by the Apple iOs for the iPad via web browsers. Other technology solutions include Holcim’s weatherApp, which utilizes ACI standards tied to global forecasting to determine the favorability of conditions for placing concrete.
www.holcim.us
ProContractorMX Web-Based PM Software
Maxwell SystemsKing of Prussia, Pa.
![ProContractorMX Web-Based PM Software](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-6.jpg)
“ProContractorMX Construction Project Management has saved us countless hours of pain and frustration,” says Harry Pettyjohn, president of HP Flanagan Inc. “ProContractorMX has several weapons in its arsenal. With the Daily Field Reports we can update multiple projects in minutes versus the hours it used to take. The Work-In-Progress reports allow us to update the schedules in real-time; this allows us to see if items are on track to meet deadlines or moving ahead of schedule. ProContractorMX is an intuitive system that sends us alerts and notifies our trades. The real values are better visibility and one stop organization; everything can be managed in a central location. No longer are there stacks of paperwork to bog down our time, it allows us to be where we belong – out in the field building.”
www.maxwellsystems.com
Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 2013
SageIrvine, CA
![Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate 2013](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-7.jpg)
The latest release of Sage 300 also provides users with improved design and software performance to simplify everyday tasks and work more effectively. New capabilities include expanded Microsoft Outlook and Excel integration as well as direct integration with Aatrix tax eFiling Services. A highly skilled specialist in providing government forms through its partnership with more than 170 government agencies, Aatrix offers Sage 300 customers a highly automated, hassle-free filing process that greatly reduces the risk of errors, minimizing late filings, fines and penalties.
SageCRE.com
Master Estimator with On-Screen 3D Estimator
Tradesmen’s Software, Inc.Morris, Ill.
![Master Estimator with On-Screen 3D Estimator](/images/news/leaps-and-bounds-8.jpg)
Use the On-Screen 3D Viewer (OS3DV) to help manage the project in the field. The new viewer allows you to put your project into the hands of more people without the worry of sharing private company data. Tradesmen’s now offers an .IFC export for your projects that require a model for BIM.
www.tradesmens.com
Originally published in Masonry magazine.
About the Author
Jennifer Morrell was the editor of Masonry magazine. She has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry as a writer and editor, covering such topics as real estate and construction, insurance, health care, relationships and sports. A graduate of The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in magazines and is an award-winning newspaper columnist.