If you are in the construction industry, you know how overwhelming it may be to organize all aspects of a project in one place. Construction ERP (enterprise resource planning) software is a business solution that allows you if you have a construction company to have a system that includes all parts of the project. Now, more than ever, you need to have digital options when it comes to managing any project. With ERP software, you can do just that.
What should the system include?
Depending on the project capacity of your business, you should find software that includes the following:
- Contractor management- Control who works on projects.
- Project scheduling- Control when projects begin and end.
- Inventory management- Control inventory coming in and going out.
- Computer aid design of user interface- Control the software from a computer.
- Financial management- Control all cost aspects.
- Payroll- Control when you pay employees.
- Workflow process- Control the project progress.
- Workforce management- Control who sees projects.
- Cost estimation- Control costs for new projects.
- Bid management- Control all active bids.
- Project management- Control all project aspects.
Top 10 Construction ERP Software Systems
No matter what size your business is, you should find software that has aspects that could help your business become more successful. Here are our top software choices and what they are best for.
- Procore- Best for Project Management
- Vista- Best for Financial Management
- Spectrum- Best for Document Digitation
- Acumatica- Best for Organization
- Sage- Best for Estimations on projects
- Viewpoint- Best for Accounting
- Solidblox- Best for General Construction
- CMiC- Best for Many Projects
- Epicor- Best for Marketing
- Maestro- Best for Heavy Construction
1. Procore- Best for Project Management
Pricing: Starts at $667/Month
Procore gives you as the contractor control of all of your projects. This platform allows you to view project analytics at a glance. If this software does not include a feature that is vital to your business, it will integrate with over 300 other platforms so you can get everything your business needs in one place.
| Pros | Cons |
| Connects every contributor | Can be expensive |
| Allows for drawings | – |
| Extremely versatile | – |
| One location for all management tools | – |
2. Vista- Best for Financial Management
Pricing: Contact platform
Vista gives you a great sense of project visibility. It allows you to have team collaboration on every project. This software allows you to centralize all of your activity in one location.
| Pros | Cons |
| Material management | Can be expensive |
| Service management | – |
| Equipment management | – |
3. Spectrum- Best for Document Digitation
Pricing: Contact platform
Spectrum allows for easy connectivity from any device- making it easier to get work done from anywhere. This software is known for its ease of use.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easily accessible | Needs more accurate reporting |
| Understandable analytic tools | – |
| Automated workflow | – |
4. Acumatica- Best for Organization
Pricing: Must contact platform for specific pricing
Acumatica is best for your company if you want your documents digital. This software allows you to have everything online- all in one place.
| Pros | Cons |
| Don’t have to pay per user | Pricing may be difficult depending on what you need |
| 24/7 customer support | – |
| Multiple integrations options | – |
5. Sage- Best for Estimations on projects
Pricing: Starts at $567
Sage allows you to customize your dashboard, making it easier to find everything in one place. This platform allows you to invoice your customers and collect payments from the field. It also has the ability to connect to the Cloud so you can work from anywhere.
| Pros | Cons |
| Sophisticated software | Can be expensive |
| Strong inventory management | Hard to navigate at first |
| Allows for Microsoft integration | – |
6. Viewpoint- Best for Accounting
Pricing: Starts at $10,000 per user
Viewpoint software was created for a variety of construction industries such as highway, engineering, or mechanical- just to name a few. Viewpoint offers a well-developed accounting system that allows you to find all of your financial needs in one place.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good financial management | Highest cost |
| Benefits many construction industries | – |
| – | – |
7. Solidblox- Best for General Construction
Pricing: Must contact platform for specific pricing
Solidblox software is perfect for you if you are a general contractor who is looking to manage labor, inventory, and costs. It also includes integrations for financial management and human resources.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good for general contractors | Expensive |
| Easily able to manage different aspects | – |
| – | – |
8. CMiC- Best for Many Projects
Pricing: $15,000 one time cost
This platform allows different options for each user. Whether you work in the office or out in the field, there are ways for you to find everything that you are looking for. This software gives you capabilities for virtually any project that you are managing.
| Pros | Cons |
| Mobile capabilities | Expensive |
| Easy project management | – |
| – | – |
9. Epicor- Best for Marketing
Pricing: Starts at $4,000
Epicor is unique because it gives you sales and marketing features. This is great for contractors who don’t have an in-house marketing team. This platform is also highly customizable.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great marketing features | Not as expensive as other software |
| Sales features | |
| – | – |
10. Maestro- Best for Heavy Construction
Pricing- Must contact platform for specific pricing
Maestro allows you to customize modules based on the needs of your business. You can choose specific needs from bidding and estimations, to equipment management. It also gives you placements for accounting and project management needs.
| Pros | Cons |
| Perfect for heavy construction | Pay per module |
| Easy customization | Can get expensive |
| – | – |
Benefits of using an ERP Software Solution
If you own a construction company and are trying to find the perfect software for all of your needs, you should understand what exactly it is that you are looking for. Here are some specific ways that construction ERP software may benefit your business:
Planning
Planning in construction is a big deal. You plan out every aspect of every job to make sure that things get done correctly and on time. You plan for materials, labor, timelines, designs, and so much more. The software can help you keep all of your resources in one area so that you can locate them easily. This helps you when you need to update timelines or labor sources.
Project management
With an ERP solution, you get to monitor the status of every project that you currently have. You can assign or reassign projects to other employees and keep track of how things get done. While you are utilizing the software, you can view multiple other aspects as well. These might include things like payroll or human resources. Everything about your business you will easily be able to locate on one platform.
Simplify project communication
This is especially helpful for larger companies. You can make communication between clients and managers easier with this kind of software. Plus, you get firewalls to keep all of your information safe. Any company knows the importance of keeping their project information safe- not only from hackers but from the competition as well.
Increase your return on investment
The software gives you insights into how all of your projects are progressing. This allows you to understand how your investments are moving along, whatever form that may be in. Your return on investment does not always necessarily mean actual money. You can see the progress of your employees or equipment functionality.
Improve processing
This system gives you a centralized point for all of your projects. This makes it easier to view all of your inventory, equipment and makes decisions based on the data. Some software applications will give you integration options so you can seamlessly get all projects done in one place. You can also find an integration to give you the option to order more supplies or find more labor.
Control costs and estimations on projects
ERP software allows you to find out how much you are going to profit from each project. You get the opportunity to manage the cost and time of all of your projects. This benefit will also go along with payroll. You can keep track of virtually every financial aspect of your business with an ERP software. This may be extremely beneficial for you if you are a construction company owner. You will be able to give people raises, pay for supplies, or anything else that has something to do with your finances.
How to choose the best software for your company
Trying to find software that will work for your business might be difficult. There are steps that you need to take to be sure that you are finding the exact software that will benefit your business.
Identify your specific construction industry
We know that having software is important. But, it is also important to know your specific industry. Whether you are a general contractor or an engineer, you will be able to better understand the software knowing which industry you are in. You may need software that you can control finances or projects. Some software applications work better for certain industries.
Understand your top priorities
What projects do you work on most frequently? How often do you start new projects? How long does it take you to finish a project? These are all important questions when it comes to understanding your companies priorities. Once you have figured out all of your top priorities, this will better help you choose software to help your business.
What do you look for in software?
Do you need financial management? Do you need project management? Do you need payroll? Once you know your priorities, you will start to understand what you need software to do for you. You may need a specific software for accounting or project management. You should find software that is able to perform your top business needs.
Are you willing to learn?
A new software application can sometimes be tedious to learn. It might take some time for you to fully understand how their software functions and how to make it do everything that you need. Also, if you choose to use software that allows integrations, you will need to learn how to use those as well. The good thing is, most software applications have a customer service team that will be available to help you with any questions that you have. If you are wanting to go more in-depth with the software, you can usually request a demo. With a demo, someone from the software team will show you exactly how to work the platform and answer any questions that you may have.
How large is your business?
Depending on the size of your business, you may need more modules or integrations within your software. This also has a lot to do with how much profit your business makes. If you tend to do large projects that make a higher profit, you may need more functions to make everything progress smoothly.
How many employees do you have?
If you have more employees, you may need more functionality. This helps so everyone is able to view their specific projects. If you have different teams for different projects, you can find software that will allow you to easily collaborate with all team members and clients. This is perfect for busy companies who work on many projects at a time and require the labor of a large number of employees.
Will your business depend on software?
If your business will depend on software to function properly, you may want to invest more into it. This will help you to be sure that it does everything that you need it to and when you need it. There may be some aspects of your business that you can not live without in order for your business to function properly. For example, you may have an accountant in your office that will do that portion of the work. So, you would not necessarily need to have an accounting option in your software. It all depends on what your company can not live without to be successful.
How much are you willing to invest?
This is the ultimate question when it comes to software applications. Many factors will go into the cost of the software. Once you understand everything that goes into your business, you will better understand what you should invest into the software.