Featuring Caroline Berry Of Spring Valley Construction Company
“We have had a lot of success with SmartBid. They continue to improve their product and are on the leading edge of technology in the construction industry.”
Caroline Berry
Spring Valley Construction Company
A construction prequalification case study investigating how a relationship-driven general contractor switched to using SmartBid. Spring Valley Construction now accurately and efficiently manages complicated plans on tight budgets for highly visible projects in their region by using the industry’s leading construction bid software.
About Spring Valley Construction
Spring Valley Construction Company is a general contractor serving the Greater Dallas area and surrounding region. SVCC thrives on developing relationships with their clients, their subcontractors, and the communities they serve. SVCC does this by honoring their commitment to superior service, maintaining outstanding character throughout all jobs and a commitment to delivering excellence on all projects. SVCC constructs projects in many commercial construction sectors, including multi-family, office & retail spaces, as well as industrial and educational buildings.
SVCC has always had a strong process mapped out for managing subcontractor bids and working with subs through project completion. As early adopters and strong believers in technology, they have high expectations for a tool that helps them execute this process as efficiently as possible. After a disappointing experience with their previous invitation-to-bid management software, SVCC found SmartBid.
Their Previous Bid Process
The SVCC bid process has always began with receipt of project plans and specifications, which had to organized, uploaded and distributed to the correct groups of subcontractors. While SVCC waited for subcontractor responses and bids, they performed a thorough review of the project in search of any scope gaps that may need to be corrected and resent. A week before subcontractor bid day, SVCC would follow up with invited subcontractors to ensure adequate bid coverage and thorough understanding of project needs and scope, and answered any questions regarding the project. On bid day, subcontractor and supplier bids were received and logged. This created a history of the bid activity of each company, which SVCC has found to be a valuable reference.
This process required an invitation-to-bid software solution that allowed for the uploading of project documents, the ability to send bid invitations, and the ability to log and track subcontractor bids. The solution also needed to allow for sending communications to subgroups of subcontractors or individual subcontractors. All communications must be straightforward, easy to understand and simple to access for subcontractors, without creating extra cost or difficulty. SVCC also needed easy access to prequal information and live call support for its users or their subcontractor users trying to access projects.
Switching to SmartBid
Before using SmartBid, SVCC’s inferior invitation-to-bid solution only worked on outdated internet browsers that weren’t supported on the latest operation systems readily available on most PCs and Macs. Support was also slow, unreliable and difficult to reach. In addition, needed updates to the software features and functionalities came slowly or not at all. With SmartBid, SVCC solved these pain points and many more.
SmartBid supports and removes roadblocks to the bid process already established by SVCC by allowing them to solicit and receive bids in a timely and organized fashion. Budgets are tight on most projects won by SVCC, as was the case with the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house on the campus of Southern Methodist University. By allowing SVCC to easily log and compare subcontractor bids, SmartBid enabled convenient access to the subcontractors and suppliers with accurate scope and the most competitive pricing. Communication with that group of subs on cost-saving options was quick and easy.
Additional Benefits to SmartBid
In addition to an organized and systematic approach to sub communications, bid management, ease of use for subs and readily available support, Caroline Berry shared the following highlights of using SmartBid:
- “The ease of selecting scopes of work and adding a subcontractor to a project at a later time was a key differentiator for us.”
- “The ability to isolate a group of subs so we can send solicitations to a select few and not have to send to large groups is a benefit we use every day.”
- “We like that the prequal information is easily accessible in the system.”
When asked about how she might respond if she were helping a contractor decide between SmartBid and another construction bid software product, Berry stated, “We have had a lot of success with SmartBid. They continue to improve their product and are on the leading edge of technology in the construction industry. JBKnowledge [makers of SmartBid] has outpaced their competition by providing timely and necessary updates in an ever-changing market.”
In Conclusion
Caroline Berry, Estimating Assistant at Spring Valley Construction Company, needed a solution that allowed for streamlined communications with subcontractors, ease of use, fast and effective support and easy viewing of prequal information, as well as the ability to send and receive bids. After difficulty with their previous bid management system, which also claimed ownership of SVCC’s subcontractor information, SVCC made the switch to SmartBid construction bid software, a solution able to meet SVCC’s demands for agility and efficiency in a competitive construction industry.
