Specialty contractors, especially mechanical contractors, are the primary workforce that completes work on a construction site and are key to making large construction projects possible. With the growing complexity of projects in both the preconstruction and construction phases, many mechanical contractors are struggling to stay ahead. 

In preconstruction, roadblocks such as lack of communication, collaboration, bid standardization and estimate accuracy make it difficult to take full advantage of opportunities in the market. In construction, mechanical contractors must consider employee satisfaction and safety, skilled labor challenges and shortages, plan, documentation and cash flow management, and adoption of new technology. 

Luckily, the Autodesk Construction Cloud can help mechanical contractors combat these challenges and standardize workflows, capture and track work, mitigate risk and more. 

Create and deliver bids in minutes (and track them, too)

Without a centralized database for bidding, mechanical contractors have no way to view all bids in the office at the same time, which can result in many missed opportunities. Mechanical contractors typically spend many hours responding to bids, and since they’re handling subcontractors under them, they have to track bid information across all general contractors in addition to bids coming from their subcontractors. In other words, that’s A LOT of information to keep up with! 

By hosting construction bid management on a single platform, mechanical contractors can maximize productivity and work confidently knowing their information is up-to-date. Adopting an online bid board solution to manage bid invites, projects, team workload and deadlines is the ideal method to ensure nothing is missed. Bid Board Pro is an online bid board that allows you to quickly identify new job opportunities and track bids any time during the bidding process. 

With BuildingConnected Pro, choose the best subcontractor for your project with accurate bid comparison, intuitive collaboration tools and integrated risk analysis. Plus, you can get bids delivered in under 10 minutes – project details, design files and custom bid forms are included with BuildingConnected so you can quickly create bid packages and send bid invites. 

Improve Communication and Collaboration Throughout the Entire Project

During preconstruction, mechanical contractors with multiple offices and departments often struggle to effectively communicate as a team. Issues are best solved before they arrive on site, so collaboration with other trades is extremely important. Clash detection and tracking are a must-have so involved trades can jump into action before a delay happens.

With the Autodesk Build and the PlanGrid Build app, you can connect the office and field, configure project management workflows to meet your team’s needs and keep your projects on track. Centralized construction meeting minutes improve team coordination and project tracking, allowing your team to gain visibility into commitments, link to references and refer to meeting record history. To keep projects on track, you’ll have access to current schedule information, which can be imported from Primavera P6, Microsoft Project or ASTA Powerproject into Autodesk Build.

Track commitments, link essential information and access an organized history of all meeting records.

Get accurate estimates during takeoff, every time

Accurate estimates are crucial in the preconstruction phase. For mechanical contractors, takeoff of materials can be extremely complex and time consuming – If the quantity takeoff is wrong, the subcontractor risks losing the job because their estimate is too high or critical bid components are missing. While 3D-based model takeoffs are more accurate, many mechanical subcontractors are still using 2D.

With Autodesk Takeoff and BIM Collaborate, mechanical contractors can connect estimating and BIM teams in one common data environment. Features such as cloud-based document management, simple 2D takeoff, automated 3D takeoff and more allow mechanical contractors to win more work with accurate estimates and connected teams.

Ensure your team has the latest plans and documentation

Multiple projects across multiple job sites can be hard to manage, and ensuring all teams have the latest plans, changes and updates is crucial – you don’t want teams to work from outdated plans! If mechanical contractors adopt the same software, everyone has access to a single source of truth.

Autodesk Takeoff can help you align estimators and construction teams with cloud-based data management that ensures everyone is working from the same source. Mechanical contractors get simplified access to relevant construction documents, drawings and 3D models, empowering teams to put collaboration first.

Video from Autodesk Construction Cloud 

How do I get started with Autodesk Construction Cloud?

Ready to do all the above + more? Get expert guidance from your ATG Sales Representative or contact us to get started!

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