When it comes to the bidding process, most people within the construction industry can agree on one thing: it can quickly become frustrating and time-consuming. Whether it's problems with accessing plans, communication, or incorrect documents, it happens often. When seemingly everyone is struggling with parts of their process, it’s easy to accept this as the norm. However, that doesn’t have to be the case.
An online planroom is an easy way to streamline your process. As the industry becomes more digitized, adjusting to the new nature of the industry is vital part of your growth. Having a custom planroom to host your jobs can drastically improve your experience and your bid response. Here are five ways that having a planroom gives you a competitive edge and streamlines your process:
1 - Accessibility & Saved Time
Whether your job is posted publicly or privately, a planroom allows your intended audience to have immediate access. If you send it through email, or even post it online, a simple link can take bidders directly to a site where all of the relevant information is stored. With an easier process, time is often saved that would otherwise be spent fielding phone calls and emails asking for the same information that will readily be available on the planroom.
2 - Organization
One of the biggest headaches during the bid process, or even the construction life cycle as a whole, is the dissemination of incorrect information. Whether it's missing sheets, pages that are out of order, or a set that isn't completely up to date, there is a huge risk of incorrect bids being placed, therefore delaying the process further. If you host your project on a platform that performs quality checks before the information is posted, ensuring that all of the information is correct and up to date, you greatly reduce that risk. Also, planholders are notified of addenda as soon as they are posted on the planroom. Now, bidders don't have to take it upon themselves to ensure that they have all of the information that they need.
3 - Real-Time Information
Stop wondering whether or not your job is getting the traction that you had hoped for. With email notifications automatically sent through the planroom to bidders, you can view the actions that are taken as soon as they happen. Also, a planholder's list can be created as soon as someone downloads a set of plans. These features help you gauge whether or not you're getting the interaction that you need.
4 - Electronic Bid Submissions
The ability to submit bids online opens you up to a greater bid response. This eliminates the struggle that some bidders face when two bid dates overlap, which previously led to a bidder choosing one project and all-together refraining from the other. Mailing in bids has been a second option for submissions, but here bidders can risk missing the deadline. All information that is submitted as an electronic bid stays locked and secure until the bid date begins.
5 - Brand Exposure
Distributing incorrect documents, rebids, and wasted time on a project can all impact your company's branding. When put in a negative light, it can greatly affect how you win future work. Having a streamlined process helps eliminate risks that can lead to pitfalls that cause a negative brand perception. In addition to enhancing your brand's reputation, a custom planroom can also help further your brand exposure. Custom planrooms are modeled after your existing website, creating an experience for users that is more likely to stick out to them. Furthermore, when a job that is posted on a public bid list is hosted on a custom planroom, you are continuing your brand exposure to a larger audience.
If you want to drastically improve your process, stop relying on Dropbox or email communication to be an efficient way to relay all of the important information for your projects. A custom planroom helps you save time and money that you can reallocate to other important tasks. If you are interested in learning more about what having a custom planroom looks like, check out this video.