7 Most Popular Preconstruction Topics of 2023
Beck Technology had a huge year! We have a lot to celebrate:
- We launched Precon Geeks, our podcast for preconstruction professionals.
- Pamlico made a strategic growth investment in Beck Technology.
- Precon World 2023 rocked the precon universe!
- DESTINI Estimator and DESTINI Bid Day users can now achieve certifications for completing training.
- The integration with Togal.AI takeoff software within DESTINI Estimator was completed.
- Held our first Customer Appreciation Week.
- Implemented a Pre-Production Environment allowing users to beta test new functionality.
- Rolled out Standard Reports.
- We started selling packaged assemblies.
Many of our clients have had successful years, as well, which we love to highlight on our social media channels. Though we have been busy, we have kept our fingers tight on the pulse of what is going on in the industry and what precon teams are going through.
You’ll find the answers to your questions, topics you’re interested in, and what precon professionals are talking about in our blog, podcast, and webinars.
We analyzed our topmost-read blog posts for 2023 and curated them here for you for easy access.
It’s no surprise what articles took top billing this year. AI was on everyone’s minds, and we wrote plenty about it! People were also curious for information about the nature of precon work. With the labor shortage still being a challenge at the end of the year, we predict that retaining and hiring good employees will remain something precon managers and directors will continue to grapple with in 2024.
We excitedly look forward to a prosperous 2024 by blowing you away at Precon World, hosting more of the industry’s top tech leaders on Precon Geeks, and providing you with the tech solutions that help make you successful.
Share your successes with us, we’d love to shout it from the social mountain tops. Email us at info@beck-technology.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to Become a DESTINI Estimator Expert User
The majority of precon teams use Excel for estimating in some way; yet most users of Excel only utilize 5% of Excel’s functionality. Enterprise software ain’t cheap so when you don’t use it—it’s like flushing money down the toilet.
It also wastes time if you don’t make the most of your investment. Using only a part of the software you purchased adds just another additional step to your process negating the entire reason why you bought it in the first place!
Much of our success depends on your success, plus we truly are contributing to making the world a better place when you fully use DESTINI Estimator construction estimating software and push it to its limits.
Our customer success team’s sole purpose is to make you a master of DESTINI Estimator! This article walks you through six steps on how to become a master user of DESTINI Estimator.
AI and Augmentation in Preconstruction
We began our integration journey with Togal.AI takeoff software in 2022, but we’ve been thinking about automation, artificial intelligence, augmentation, and machine learning long before then. This article was written in January, less than two months after ChatGPT launched.
Even though an overwhelming majority of general contractors were using outdated methods at this time, 87% of them agreed that digitizing their processes was the way forward.
This article describes how early-adoption precon teams use AI and augmentation.
Does Preconstruction Promote a Workaholic Culture?
Preconstruction. The “flyover state” of the industry. But like those who live in a flyover state, we know that precon is exciting, fun, and can be an amazing place to “live.”
For those entering the construction workforce, precon is an overlooked career path because the perception is that precon is boring, unchallenging, and that estimators are overworked.
Our writer found a Redditt thread talking about how preconstruction “…is portrayed as a career path with a workaholic culture….” We explored this misconception and got a lot of great insights from estimators for this article.
10 Things Your Construction Competitors Can Teach You About Winning Work
The best way we can help solve preconstruction problems is by learning about them. When you choose DESTINI Estimator construction estimating software, you aren’t just buying a tech solution, you’re also gaining a partner. We keep in regular contact with our users, learning about their struggles, their successes, and their future vision, so we can provide the best possible product.
Because of this continuous collaboration, we know what general contractors are doing to win more projects. In this article, we list the top 10 things contractors are doing to win work.
How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Win Construction Projects
Speaking of winning more work, precon teams are using AI to help speed up their estimating process and be more efficient. DESTINI Estimator’s integration with Togal.ai takeoff software is one successful example.
The Precon Geeks podcast sat down with Togal.AI CEO and founder, and Executive Vice President of Coastal Construction, Patrick E. Murphy, to talk about how precon teams are utilizing AI and how generative AI will contribute to the construction industry in the future. This blog post summarizes the interview.
Preconstruction and Estimating Salaries
Compensation can be an awkward conversation. Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about how much they make; however, there are many estimators that are curious about their salary and how it compares to other estimators’ salaries.
Do you make enough? Could you be making more? In this article, we list ways to find out and the best way to go about asking for a raise.
BIM Pros and Cons
Brent Pilgrim, National Director of Preconstruction at The Beck Group, and expert user of DESTINI Estimator is a huge advocate of BIM. In fact, he is a founding member of the Estimating with BIM Task Force.
We asked him about the advantages of using BIM and then dared another preconstruction professional to tell us the disadvantage of using BIM.
This article highlights the pros and cons of BIM and after reading it, I’m sure you will also have a stronger opinion either way about Building Information Modeling.