Beck Technology's Integration Process

Beck Technology’s goal is to make estimators’ lives as good as possible.

replace software Piggybacking on our success with our first preconstruction solution DProfiler and our partnership with Sundt Construction, we started filling the gap to provide an estimating software that replaces most tools preconstruction teams use to build estimates, like Excel, Sage, and MC2.

Focusing on building a cost history, data-based system, Beck Technology developed its revolutionary estimating software, DESTINI Estimator in partnership with one of our existing clients, Sundt Construction. Although we know our strengths, we’re also keenly aware of the needs of our clients. To provide the absolute best service possible, we chose to integrate with the key tools that precon teams need to complete their jobs. We let other software providers do what they do best so we can focus on what we do best—building a preconstruction platform that produces more accurate estimates faster.

When asked how Beck Technology chooses software to integrate with, Eric Fritsche, Head of the Innovations Lab, describes the Hedgehog Concept: “The hedgehog folds himself up and focuses on one thing to defend itself well.”

What is the Hedgehog Concept?

Based on Isaiah Berlin’s essay, “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” in business, companies that have a well-defined focus on one thing are more successful than companies that try to do everything. Businesses that follow this concept focus on what they are most passionate about, what drives them, and what they can be the best at.

In Beck Technology’s case, that is:
1. Mitigating risk in construction by making better project decisions early in the life of a project
2. Making the world a better place for everyone
3. Developing data-based technology

Jim Collins, business advisor and author, writes:

Every company would like to be the best at something, but few actually understand—with piercing insight and egoless clarity—what they actually have the potential to be the best at and, just as important, what they cannot be the best at. And it is this distinction that stands as one of the primary contrasts between the good-to-great companies and the comparison companies.

Therefore, Beck Technology recognizes that there are some things other construction technology companies do best. Instead of wasting time and getting lost in a million different directions, we collaborate with those companies to integrate their workflows with DESTINI Estimator.

Our Way

There are three major ways we decide to integrate with other technology:

1. Technology that supports part of the workflow that we don’t intent to target.
2. Technology in the workflow we do target but another provides does better and so it doesn’t make sense for us to write it.
3. Technology that supports the workflow in an innovative way that no one else is and is complementary to our software.

Beck Technology has a tech roadmap of where we want our product to go in the future and who we want to serve. Our integrations are based on the understanding of our users’ needs. When looking at the tools that preconstruction teams are using, we look to see if the workflows of that software make sense to integrate with DESTINI Estimator. Those workflows must fit in with a streamlined process and our goal of making estimators lives easier.

Our first integration was with Autodesk BIM 360 3D modeling. DESTINI Estimator users were getting 3D models from their design teams and requested we support 3D modeling. However, because it is an Autodesk proprietary format, we couldn’t write the script for it and the integration was born.

At the time, the industry began to split. Some preconstruction teams were using Procore, and some were using BIM 360 for model-based estimating. To leverage the tech stack and data teams using DESTINI Estimator already had, we also integrated DESTINI Estimator with two of Procore’s tools, Procore Financials and Procore Documents.

Since then, we’ve made additional partnerships with Join and Togal.AI. Join provides extended project management capabilities, while Togal.AI brings in advanced and automated 2D takeoff, saving estimators hours on work.

Beck Technology's Integration Process

What is the Hedgehog Concept?

Our Way

Let’s revolutionize the industry and create the future together.