5 Best Software Tools for Avoiding Construction Project Document Disarray

Pritam Tamang profile picture
By Pritam Tamang

Published
6 min read

Managing construction project documents can be an administrative burden if you're not using the right tools.

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Contractors and construction companies, a warning: If you think securing licenses and having contracts and designs approved is the end of your responsibilities when it comes to documentation, think again.

Having your project documents in a disarray corrodes your operational efficiency, inconspicuously. And that's bad for your business.

According to a report by PlanGrid and consulting group FMI, in 2018 the construction industry was projected to lose approximately $177 billion in labor costs because of time spent on activities such as hunting down project data (revised drawings, material cut sheets, and other information).

For the average midsize construction company, the losses were estimated at over $2 billion per year.

Fortunately, there are construction management software solutions that offer specialized functionalities to help your business improve your document management processes. We've put together this report of five construction management tools that are rated highly by Capterra users.

Here are the key benefits to using software to manage your construction project documents:

  • Improve traceability: Organize relevant documents in a central location to make them easily searchable.

  • Improve accuracy of documentation: Minimize errors resulting from manual data entry.

  • Avoid compliance issues: Maintain an updated and searchable repository of contract agreements, licenses, and certifications.

  • Improve team collaboration: Allow teams to document and share project-related information more quickly.

To be selected for this report, the tools had to have above average overall ratings (at least 4.5 out of 5) and offer relevant document management functionalities.

Read more about our selection methodology here.

5 best software tools for managing construction project documents (presented alphabetically)

1. Assignar

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Assignar offers document management features that help businesses store and track compliance-related information, such as certifications and licenses, in a single location. The tool sends out automatic alerts about compliance certifications that are about to expire or have already expired.

When you might need it: The cost of failing to comply with OSHA standards can run you, at a minimum, $5,000 per violation, and OSHA isn't the only regulatory body construction businesses must comply with. In an industry with frequent regulation changes, keeping up with evolving compliance requirements is a key challenge.

Assignar can help you maintain a centralized repository of information such as employee/subcontractor licenses, experience, and certifications. The tool also alerts you about certification expiry to help ensure that your workforce is compliant with labor laws and safety standards.

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Tracking compliance in Assignar (Source)


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2. CoConstruct

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Overall rating: 4.7

Value-for-money rating: 4.1

Functionality rating: 4.0

Device compatibility

Screenshots

CoConstruct

Construction estimating in CoConstruct

* Analysis accurate as of October 14, 2022

CoConstruct is designed to help you create, track, and organize the documents needed to manage project finances. These include not only the obvious financial documents, such as the project budget and invoices, but also timesheets, which have extended use in financial processes.

When you might need it: As your construction business grows, you'll eventually need an industry-specific accounting tool to centralize and streamline your project's financial processes and documents. However, at this point, your business's accounting needs may be simple enough to be met by a tool that offers templates for quickly creating, managing, and tracking financial documents, such as CoConstruct.

The tool's budget tracking template helps users track and compare initial estimates with actual project costs. Likewise, its timesheet template allows users to record the time employees spend on tasks, which ultimately helps them generate billable hours reports to be sent to clients.

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Tracking time spent in projects in CoConstruct (Source)


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3. Dashpivot

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Dashpivot is a construction project management tool that offers features for capturing and organizing jobsite data. Its digital forms support photo and video file uploads so on-site crews can collect, upload, and maintain project-related data in a central location.

When you might need it: Handling jobsite data manually is not only time-consuming, it also makes you more susceptible to data collection errors.

For instance, field operatives documenting change orders may fail to mention the exact or complete set of modifications requested by clients. According to a survey conducted by TrackVia, which polled more than 500 construction and engineering professionals, 65% of managers believe manual processes cause change and work orders to be missed at least some of the time.

To capture construction job site data more accurately, you can leverage a tool such as Dashpivot, which allows you to create digital forms/surveys that serve as standardized templates for your workforce. For instance, you can create a "change order" template to ensure that your field crews don't leave out on any necessary information when recording change orders.

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Creating a digital form with Dashpivot (Source)


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4. Estimate Rocket

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Estimate Rocket helps contractors create documents important for managing projects, such as project cost estimates and bid proposals. The tool offers built-in templates that help contractors design professional-looking documents and reduce errors when making cost calculations.

When you might need it: Regardless of what type of contractor you are, you'll inevitably need to create and manage documents such as bid proposals and construction estimates. A hastily created cost estimation report can have computation errors, duplication or omission of data, and other estimation blunders that could lose you a contract.

Estimate Rocket offers templates that can help you calculate cost estimates while avoiding data entry errors. You can add the quantity of material and dimensions required, and the costs of labor and materials are automatically calculated.

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Creating a cost estimation report with Estimate Rocket (Source)


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5. JobNimbus

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

JobNimbus is a construction management solution that makes it possible for contractors to create a centralized library of all project-related documents (including legal contracts and bonds). Additional document management features include file sharing and e-signature.

When you might need it: Creating and maintaining up-to-date records of contractual agreements is a critical task for every construction business.

This is where a tool such as JobNimbus can help. With this tool, you can create a central repository to track all documents shared with, and received from, a particular client, subcontractor, or vendor.

You can also take e-signatures from stakeholders to approve contracts, making the process of managing contracts faster and full-proof.

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Tracking status of contract documents in JobNimbus (Source)


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Conclusion and next steps

While the five tools mentioned above are highly rated by users on Capterra, they might not necessarily address all your business needs.

To check out more solutions, visit our construction management software category page. There, you can apply custom filters in order to shortlist products based on parameters such as the number of users supported, pricing models, and deployment options.


Methodology


To be shortlisted, products had to fulfill the following criteria:

  • Products had to offer the following document management capabilities: Cloud document storage and archiving in a central location. Document capture with the ability to scan and upload documents. Full text search so that users can search and retrieve documents

  • Products needed a minimum of 20 user reviews on Capterra (published in the last two years).

  • Products had to have a high "likelihood to recommend" rating (an average recommended rating of at least 9 out of 10 on Capterra).


Looking for Construction Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Construction Management software solutions.

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About the Author

Pritam Tamang profile picture

Content writer at Capterra, passionate about digital content marketing and technology trends. MA, University of Delhi. Based in New Delhi, India. I love the music of the 60’s and 70’s, and goofing around with a book.

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