Buildings are constructed on the joint effort of many over a period of time and all of it precisely coordinated by contractors. Regardless of a contractor’s specialty, their day to day responsibility includes overseeing construction sites, coordinating and managing vendors, ensuring smooth communication runs between all parties involved.
These responsibilities run deeper with details like risk assessments, paperwork & policies, managing team communication all while being prepared to handle any crisis that may show up. As contractors are not tied to a single office space, convenience becomes a matter of importance as they travel from location to location, keeping all their responsibilities in check.
Here are 5 apps that contractors need to have to ease their day to day workload:
1. Time & Attendance Tracking: Jibble
Jibble is an online time clock app that has an accurate time tracking system complete with facial recognition, time stamps and geolocation. Contractors don’t have time to constantly be checking in on employees, especially when they are spread out over several sites.
Jibble offers managers the ability to keep tabs on teams and departments, both full time and part time by tracking their activity online. This app also has timesheet and report generation that assists contractors/managers with overtime calculations and productivity tracking.
Because this app utilizes biometric validation and geolocation, buddy punching is a concept that managers need not worry about. Jibble is also integrated with Slack & Microsoft Teams so you can accomplish both time tracking and communication with one app!
The app is supported on:
- Web, Desktop, iPad kiosks and mobile
- Available for download from Google Play or Apple App Store
Pricing plans:
- Attendance: free
- Attendance Pro: $2.00/ per user a month
- Desktop Pr : $4/ per user a month
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- User friendly
- Accurate time tracking
- Customizable to business
Cons:
- Dependant on employee accountability to log in and out
- Lacks project milestone
2. Project Management: Procore
Project management in construction can get complex and Procore is an all in one software specifically for construction that covers project management, quality and safety, design coordination and BIM. However for this article, we will be focusing on the project management aspect of this app.
With its integration with over 200 apps and programmes, it is no wonder this app has specific tools and software such as directory, documents, reports, task tracking, photos, drawings scheduling, emails, meetings, RFIs, Daily Logs, Specifications & Correspondence for different contracting needs. These services cover preconstruction, project management, resource management and financial management as well as BIM Management and Prequalification products that help you save time and minimize any risks in this industry.
The app is supported on:
- Web, iPhone & Android
Pricing plans:
- Getting Started – The basic project management plan starts at $375/month.
- Most Popular – Project management + Financial management at $549 a month
- Recommended – Custom bundle that brings to you more value when you combine preconstruction and Resource management with financial and project management.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Feature rich construction management solutions
- Handles complex projects due to its vast integration
- Efficient customer support
Cons:
- On the more expensive end
- Less supporting in small businesses
- Potentially complicated due to the large number of functions
3. EHS Management: Gensuite
In construction, EHS management ensures that contractors have all necessary areas accounted for before diving deeper into their project. Environment, Health and Safety Management is Gensuite’s specialty as they aim to create practical solutions for business, environmental and sustainability challenges.
Gensuite speaks for themself by preparing Pandemic Response & RIsk Management Tools and a COVID-19 Workgroup as well as numerous webinars that users can access and educate themselves on.
However in general, this app serves 6 functional areas with tailored EHS Management which are EHS & sustainability, Quality, Security, Sustainable Resourcing, Product Stewardship and Equipment Asset Management. They offer managers/contractors with a wide range of features from inspection tools, training compliances, equipment maintenance, auditing tools, regulation trackers and much much more.
The app is supported on:
- Apple, Android and Windows
Pricing Plans:
- Subscription price model with free trial
- There is no fixed available pricing as costing is dependent on factors such as the organization’s footprint, facilities, type of operations and the number of employees.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Deep technical capability and functional application.
- Feature rich application integratable with most IT systems
- Flexible solutions for teams of any size
Cons:
- Potentially overwhelming initial configuration
- Certain integrations unavailable for smoother processes
4. Reporting: GoCanvas
Paperwork is no easy feat for contractors considering the amount of compliances and stakeholders involved. GoCanvas eases off that burden by having construction, repair, and improvement templates readily available for differing uses, all of which are simple to deploy and update. Some of these forms are contract forms, building permit inspections and property assessment forms.
There are a variety of PDFs and apps that are customizable to an extent, allowing managers to quickly and easily share details with the teams involved. GoCanvas also sports tools to ease communication like image capture, barcode scanning, PDF designers, GPS, Offline Working, Reference Data and Signature Capture.
The app focuses on accurate data collection to a cloud storage feature that contributes to reducing liability and improving safety coordination by ensuring data is accurate and secure.
The app is supported on:
- Android and iPhone/iPad/iTouch & Windows
- Available for download on Apple App Store & Google Play Store
Pricing Plans:
- Individual : Free
- Business : $45 USD per user per month
- Professional : $ 55 USD per user per month
- Enterprise: Custom quotation
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- User friendly
- Value for money
- Flexible services for business of all varieties
Cons:
- Limited customizations
- Unable to capture image/paper taken from scanners or multifunction printers.
- Does not have optical character recognition (OCR) capability.
5. Calculation & Estimation: BuildCalc
Contractors may need to perform calculations on the go, or on the spot and a regular calculator just won’t cut it. Calculations in construction cover more than just 2 dimensional calculations but are inclusive of the angles, 3 dimensional aspects of a building as well as material and design costs.
BuildCalc provides contextual and extensive in-app assistance complete with full manuals and test spreadsheet style forms. They have 11 categories of design layout calculations, 8 categories of material estimation as well and instant conversions for distance, area, volume, weight and angles.
You may not think much of imperial and metric unit conversions but BuildCalc has taken that into consideration, allowing for fast switching between such measurements so that contractors can save time on calculations and estimations and focus more on building. They’ve even gone as far as to create a Daylight Display Mode for better visibility onsite and integrate email, save and recall analysis results to smoothen a contractors calculation process.
The app is supported on:
- Android and iPhone
- Mac & Windows (with an emulator software)
- Available for download on Apple App Store & Google Play Store
Pricing Plans:
- Free for PC & Mac devices
- $19.99 on Google Play Store & Apple App Store
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Large range of material calculations
- Intuitive and user friendly
- Excellent customer service
Cons:
- On the pricier side in the market
- App asks for an excessive amount of personal data.
