State contractors can do bidding online

State contractors can do bidding online
By Charles Rathmann, SBT Reporter
A cooperative initiative by the two largest construction associations in the state will allow contractors to search an on-line database of projects and use automated functions to bid on jobs around the state.
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Wisconsin and AGC of Greater Milwaukee are creating the state-wide Internet plan room using iSqFt software from Construction Software Technolgies, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. The program has been adopted by a growing number of AGC chapters from around the state.
According to AGC of Greater Milwaukee Executive Vice President Mike Fabishak, the new system will make both the associations involved and contractors who use it more efficient.
“It has its orientation toward a strategic relationship between ourselves and AGC of Wisconsin,” Fabishak said of the plan room, which will go online in January. “iSqFt is really the state of the art software as it relates to electronic plan rooms, takeoffs and bidding. We have seen numerous other programs, but this is the one that has been adopted by our association and 20 other AGCs across the country.”
IsqFt is also endorsed by AGC’s national office. Wisconsin is the eighth state to actually open an Internet plan room, according to sources at iSqFt.
“This system lets contractors do takeoffs of bidding on plans on anything from Lambeau Field to a project that is under $100,000,” Fabishak said. “They can do estimating from their offices by keying in various elements. The system assists in the calculation of square feet, number of doors, number of outlets, etcetera. The bidding system will be useful to materials and product vendors, too.
“If a vendor wanted to identify a particular product he sells, he can identify through the specifications and the plans what projects within this specific geographic area incorporate his product,” Fabishak said.
By cooperating on the implementation of iSqFt, Fabishak said the staffs of AGC of Wisconsin and AGC of Greater Milwaukee will forge a stronger relationship — and work more effectively in their respective plan room efforts.
“We currently produce 3,700 plans while AGC of Wisconsin harvests 1,700,” Fabishak said “There is some overlap. We anticipate that our overall harvesting will go up to about 6,000 plans. We will not be duplicating some of the harvesting, and will coordinate our activities not only for the physical plan room but for our Internet plan room.”
Using the iSqFt system will not require a contractor to invest in significant hardware if they have a relatively current computer. The system relies on the application server provider (ASP) model. Both the program and related data are housed on a server at a remote site accessible by subscribers over the Internet.
“We built the product for two specific users — the ideal situation is to be on a high-speed connection — DSL, ISDN or T1 and have a pretty significant speed which enables them to view the projects and drawings and specs in a pretty rapid environment,” Mark Welker of iSqFt said. “But for contractors connecting at 56K or less — we work with them to use the product in a fashion to fit the speed in which they connect. For instance, we have a download application that allows contractors to quickly download plans in a compressed file and do the take-offs on their desktop at desktop speeds rather than over the Web at Web speeds.”
Slow growth
While the construction industry tends to be conservative in adopting new technologies, Fabishak said he anticipated rapid acceptance of the new system. Participation grew quickly in other states, he said.
“We had conversations with people in Atlanta, Alabama and Iowa,” Fabishak said. “In Iowa, it was introduced five months ago — and was accepted quite handily. This is an industry that has to kick the tires. In the next two months as we do demonstration programs, we anticipate we should have 300 to 400 people signed up for this service by the end of the year.”
The AGC chapters will charge for the service based on geography. The state will be broken into four zones — Southeast Wisconsin, the Madison Area, Northeast and Northwest. Participation in either the Madison or Milwaukee areas will cost $1,900 annually, according to Fabishak, while participation in either the Northeast or Northwest will cost $700 each. Contractors can access and use project information in the whole state for $2,400, according to Fabishak.
“We are trying to tie people into the whole state,” Fabishak said. “Obviously there are other subcontractors or suppliers who might want to operate in just a specific geographic area.”
Fabishak added the system will also include portions of Iowa, northern Illinois, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
November 9, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee