New Alerts and Notifications Capabilities Headline First 2023 B2W Platform Update

Immediate, event-triggered communication gets information to people that need it, when they need it

Extensive new alerts and notifications capabilities lead the list of enhancements in the first 2023 update to the B2W platform. The features spanning resource scheduling, field performance tracking, and equipment maintenance workflows create opportunities for contractors to communicate automatically and in real time (see list below).

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B2W 2023 Innovation Awards Winners

Four Contractors Earn 2023 B2W Innovation Awards

Four construction companies bested the largest field of applicants to date and took home this year’s B2W Customer Innovation Awards in March. B2W began presenting the awards in three categories in 2017. Judges select winners from applications submitted by contractors throughout North America.

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In Their Own Words: Why Contractors Come – and Keep Coming – to the B2W User Conference

Training, collaboration with fellow users and interaction with the B2W team are primary reasons contractors come to the B2W User Conference and why many return year after year. Registration is now open for the 2023 event March 10-12 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. Here are some first-hand comments on the value of attending.

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B2W Earns Construction Software Awards from Two Magazines

B2W Software and the company’s newest application were recognized for 2022 technology awards presented by two leading trade magazines. Established estimating and fleet management solutions placed B2W among the top technology firms listed by Construction Executive. A new application for tracking time and performance of employees working independent of crews was cited by Construction Equipment.

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NASCAR Crew Chief will Discuss Performance-Driven Leadership in B2W User Conference Keynote

Steve Letarte relied on critical leadership principals in the pit box and in preparing teams for some of NASCAR’s brightest stars and biggest races. The former crew chief will share those principals and highlight colorful characters and experiences from 20 years on the NASCAR circuit when he delivers a keynote presentation at the 2023 B2W User Conference.

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Image of CEO and Founder Paul McKeon

Actionable Insight: B2W CEO on Success with Technology

What areas of technology advancement/deployment are you focused and why?

We focus on the core workflows where profits are won and lost: estimating, resource scheduling and dispatching, performance tracking, and equipment maintenance. We provide differentiating opportunities to manage them, not only more efficiently, but also more cohesively and collaboratively through a true software platform.

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High Stakes Demand High Performance: Why Priestly Switched to the Cloud

Priestly Demolition is a family-owned company incorporated in 1993 that utilizes innovation, technology, and experience to service the construction industry throughout Canada and the United States. Priestly provides various services, including excavation, hazardous material abatement and demolition. Before discovering LoadSpring, Priestly faced a choice between upgrading their on-premise equipment or migrating their entire network of applications to the Cloud. Their dilemma was two-fold: they needed a new on-premise solution or cloud service provider.

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What Matters and What’s Working in the Challenging Construction Labor Market

One of the most popular thought-leadership sessions at this year’s B2W Software User Conference validated one of construction’s top challenges and presented creative solutions.

Close to 50 contractors shared experiences and ideas in the interactive roundtable session titled Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Talent. Herb Brownett, a former construction company CFO and industry veteran who consults on financial and operational topics, facilitated the discussion.

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DA Collins

Software for Equipment Maintenance at D.A. Collins/Kubricky

“We need to come into the future, not go back into the past,” says Jeremy Teneyck in summarizing the role of B2W Maintain at D.A. Collins/Kubricky Construction.

The company has 15 mechanics in two shop locations. Six more are on the road. That team services more than 600 assets used for bridge construction, paving, site development, marine and utility jobs across the northeastern US.

Teneyck says the maintenance program was in a “stone age” prior to adopting B2W software to automate preventive maintenance, streamline processes and access real-time information. “We were running off of spreadsheets, and it was all paper work orders,” he elaborates.

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Palmer Paving

New Video: B2W Estimate at Palmer Paving

Not many users top Jim Madden in experience and expertise with B2W software for estimating, and he shared his thoughts in a recent video on how B2W Estimate has helped his team generate thousands of winning bids.

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B2W User Conference 2022

Ten Reasons to Register Today for the B2W User Conference

The B2W User Conference returns to an in-person format February 6-8 at La Quinta Resort & Club near Palm Springs in California. Make Work Flow is the theme for three days of intensive training, networking and new opportunities to optimize the B2W platform. Here are 10 reasons not to miss it.

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Contractors realizing big benefits by auto generating repair requests from construction equipment inspections

Auto-generating Equipment Repair Requests from Inspection Forms

Early adopters are praising a new ONE Platform capability that allows them to generate equipment repair requests automatically from inspection forms.

Danielle Ehler at Zutphen Contractors and Jon Ewart at GW-EX are among users confirming that the new workflow helps them to identify and complete equipment repair work more efficiently. A new video from B2W illustrates the process.

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Utility Contractor Webcast

Webcast: Utility Contractors to Discuss Operations Technology Strategies and Advantages

With utility construction growing and poised for a boost from increased infrastructure spending, Utility Contractor magazine and B2W Software are teaming up for a webcast to explore how contractors can complete projects more profitably.

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Tenex Contractors

Industry veteran sticks with B2W Estimate for new company

When Don Pearson struck out on his own to start Tenex Contractors in early 2021, he brought along a trusted partner: B2W Estimate. The estimating and operations veteran has used the B2W construction estimating software for close to two decades. Most recently, it helped him turn out up to 1,200 bids a year as chief […]

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Real numbers prove the ROI value of equipment maintenance software

Real numbers prove the ROI value of equipment maintenance software

Benefits of specialized software for equipment maintenance are easy to talk about anecdotally, but nothing tells the ROI story better than real numbers. Here are a few impressive ones from contractors that have implemented B2W Maintain.

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College Students Getting a Head Start with B2W Software for Construction Estimating

Steve Muench challenges about 70 college juniors taking the Construction Engineering course he teaches each quarter with a real-world assignment and he provides them with real-world software courtesy of B2W to handle the estimating portion.

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2021 B2W Innovation Awards

Four Contractors Earn 2021 Innovation Awards for use of B2W Software for Construction

B2W Software presented this year’s Innovation Awards at the 20th annual User Conference, held online March 2-4, to a diverse group of contractors excelling with its ONE Platform. Please watch the video to learn more from the winners.

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Construction Management Software Market Leader - B2W Software

B2W Software Named Market Leader in Construction Management Software Customer Success Report

B2W Software has been named a Market Leader in the Construction Management Software category for the Spring 2021 Customer Success Report. The report is published by FeaturedCustomers, the leading customer success content marketing platform for B2B business software and services. The organization helps potential B2B buyers make informed purchasing decisions through vendor validated customer success content such as customer testimonials, success stories, case studies, and customer videos.

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NBA Hall of Famer to Deliver 2021 B2W User Conference Keynote

Claiming with only slight hyperbole that “the fate of the heavy construction world hangs in the balance,” Bill Walton is all in as keynote speaker for the 2021 B2W User Conference. The basketball legend is preparing to share insights into big challenges, world-class performance, great teams and winning and relate them to the construction sector in his presentation on March 2.

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B2W Software for Construction Pays Off for Payroll Processing

Paying construction employees properly isn’t easy but doesn’t have to be as hard as some contractors make it. Two recent trade media articles explain the advantages of electronic field logs over processes built around paper timecards, spreadsheets and manual data transfer. An article in Building Profits magazine focuses on using technology to eliminate payroll errors and inefficiencies.

“When you’re using paper, there are a lot of data issues that arise,” says Eric Sellman, a vice president and general manager at M.A. Mortenson. “Handwriting can be an issue. People can put hours against task codes that maybe they shouldn’t be assigning those hours to.” Patrick Holland, vice president at A.J. Coleman & Son describes the payroll information transfer prior to adopting B2W Track as time-consuming, slow and not very accurate or reliable. “Information was submitted weekly, and there were weekly disputes, depending on the diligence of the supervisor’s input,” he adds.

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B2W Software is Taking the 2021 User Conference Online

With an in-person event unrealistic, B2W switched gears and redesigned its 2021 User Conference. The result is Innovation Forward, an event featuring unique opportunities for software training and technology exploration. Sessions will run in late February and early March and be set up specifically for online delivery.

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Software for Construction Management Beats Spreadsheets

Construction fleet management and field tracking are different, but two new B2W case studies show how the move from spreadsheets to specialized software pays off in both workflows.

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Keyboard Shortcuts in B2W Heavy Construction Bidding Software

Bidding faster is the goal of every estimator, and B2W Estimate includes major features and capabilities that speed up the estimating process while ensuring accuracy. However, we have paid attention to some little things too.

A keystroke or mouse click might not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of creating an estimate, but each one takes time. The larger the bid, and the more bids you do, the more they add up.

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Five KPI’s to Improve your Construction Fleet Profitability

Every golfer I know keeps score each round and can tell you several numbers about their game. These include best score ever, target score on home course and, if they are serious, their handicap. Why keep track? As a long-struggling golfer, I can tell you, it is to measure improvement and strive to be better. I recommend that construction managers and executives responsible for their fleets take a similar approach, assisted by construction equipment maintenance software like B2W Maintain.

Most businesses track key numbers. In construction, these include annual revenue, gross profit margin and backlog. Refining this with additional metrics tailored to the business called key performance indicators (KPI’s) has become vogue. The intent is to create and track KPI’s that reflect significant aspects of the business, so management can improve them. Think of this as a handicap for each key business activity.

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Referral Program

Customizing Electronic Field Logs for Construction with User-defined Fields

Daily field logs are a staple in heavy construction, and B2W Track includes a differentiating feature that makes it fast and easy to customize them. Almost all contactors use daily logs to record what happens on the jobsite. A standard, generic list of fields, however, can limit the accuracy and quality of that data and make it harder to collect it. That’s because the ideal format and range of fields for recording productivity, employee hours, material and equipment use and other data varies widely, depending on the type of work being performed, the size and reporting requirements of the company and other factors.

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Notifications are another Vital Advantage of Construction Scheduling Software

Creating an efficient, effective plan and adjusting it on the fly are big challenges in heavy construction project scheduling. Getting the latest information about assignments to the people impacted shouldn’t be.

In addition to providing enterprise-wide visibility into a central schedule, B2W Schedule makes it simple for users to push notifications about assignments by email or text message immediately, accurately and efficiently. This is another big advantage that real-time, online construction scheduling software provides over processes that rely on spreadsheets, whiteboards and the chaotic, disconnected phone calls, emails and texts that many contractors are all too familiar with.

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Manage Complex Pay Items in B2W Estimate with this Time Saving Tip

Managing Complex Pay Items in B2W Estimate with this Time Saving Tip

Working faster is one of the big advantages of construction estimating programs like B2W Estimate. Here is a tip that can help estimators save time by managing complex pay items with many components without having to look at the details of all the different components of an item one by one. The trick is to customize the Item Listing tab grid to show information that can then be reviewed and modified on the grid itself.

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Automating Preventive Maintenance

Automating Preventive Maintenance with Construction Equipment Management Software

The equipment maintenance approach at a mid-size excavation and site work contractor that recently adopted B2W Maintain software was very typical.

The owner has a mechanical background, knows every piece of equipment inside and out and takes pride in keeping his fleet in top condition. He was managing a relatively effective maintenance program based primarily on his individual knowledge and supported by some basic spreadsheets and paper-based process.

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How to Synergize Your Construction Fleet Management Efforts

How to Synergize Your Construction Fleet Management Efforts

Within the context of process improvement, “synergy” is defined as the interaction of two or more processes to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. I can think of no greater example of this than B2W Software’s ONE Platform.
I have written previously about the value and high ROI that individual B2W Schedule, Track and Maintain elements bring to heavy construction contractors. However, the interaction of all three within the unique ONE database platform creates tremendous synergy and multiplies the value for fleet management.

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Construction Safety Management

2020 Dodge Construction Safety Management Survey Takeaways

The recent Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2020 SmartMarket report by Dodge Data & Analytics provides a comprehensive look at efforts by contractors to improve jobsite safety. Here are three highlights related to technology and the potential safety benefits of replacing paper-based processes for data capture and analysis with a system like B2W inform.

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Lakeside Industries

Case Study: Unique Heavy Construction Progress Reporting and Analysis with B2W Track

Objectives and results may have been typical, but the deployment and customization of B2W Track that took place in between at Lakeside Industries was unique.

The contractor with wide ranging requirements exemplified how good things happen by combining honest assessment of workflows, employee involvement and a mobile performance tracking and reporting software flexible enough to adapt to those varying needs rather than one that forces the needs to adapt to the software.

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B2W Cloud

Exploring Construction Technology in the Cloud

Whether they’re looking for performance and cost advantages across essential construction projects in general or specific ways to better use mobile construction technology and desktop applications, more and more contractors are considering the Cloud. These are the most common questions they ask us as they explore options for running B2W estimating and operations elements in a cloud environment.

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Severino Trucking pictured at the B2W User Conference in March 2020 after winning an award for exceptional use of B2W’s construction equipment maintenance software.

Efficiency, Uptime and Cost Benefits at Severino Trucking

Learn how Severino Trucking used B2W’s construction equipment maintenance software to improve shop efficiency and reduce equipment downtime.

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COVID-19 and Construction Site Safety

Working in construction comes with more than its fair share of risks. When we think of the common types of risks on the job, we often think of falling, equipment issues or maybe electrocution. Safety on the job is paramount for all and, with the global pandemic of COVID-19, the construction industry faces a new and different kind of risk to workers. At times like these, keeping safety top of mind to prevent or minimize spread of an illness is just as important as being aware of physical jobsite risks.

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Construction software awards winners pictured at the B2W Software User Conference in March 2020

Four Contractors Earn B2W Construction Software Awards

Help congratulate 4 contractors who won construction software awards at B2W Software’s user conference for achieving high ROI & measured improvements.

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Construction Software at Tradeshows

Investigating Construction Management Software Options at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 and other Construction Tradeshows

Construction management software might not command the attention of heavy machinery at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020. Savvy contractors that visit software suppliers at construction tradeshows, however, could uncover opportunities that rival or even exceed the ROI value of that shiny new hardware.

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The University of Notre Dame Football team carrying Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger off the field in 1975.

B2W Software Announces Keynote Speakers for 2020 User Conference

The unlikely football hero immortalized in the blockbuster film Rudy will be a keynote speaker at the 2020 B2W Software User Conference, and a senior strategist from construction consulting firm FMI will lead a unique panel discussion on innovation and technology. The annual event for B2W users runs March 6-8 in Las Vegas, prior to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020, North America’s largest construction trade show.

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Heavy Construction Estimators

7 Habits of Highly Effective Heavy Construction Estimators

Individually, each of these habits can improve a contractor’s ability to estimate with maximum speed and accuracy, free up more time to focus on strategy and, ultimately, win more bids at better margins. There is also strong crossover and complimentary effect across all seven, with specialized estimating software and the concept of real-time connectivity playing important supporting roles. Additional details are available in The Ultimate Guide to Heavy Civil Construction Estimating & Bidding Software.

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Two Benefits when Construction Maintenance Software is unified with Scheduling and Field Tracking

Switching from paper and spreadsheets to specialized software brings proven advantages to the equipment maintenance workflow. The benefits increase when that fleet management software is connected in real time with the construction scheduling and the field tracking software.

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Networking: Another Reason to Attend a Construction Software User Conference

Training might be the first thing that comes to mind when contractors think about a user conference for construction estimating or construction operations software, but classes presented by the supplier are not the only opportunity to get more proficient and get more out of the technology.

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Customer Portal

An Innovative Way for Users to Define the B2W Construction Software Roadmap

Any construction management software company can claim a ‘client-driven’ approach to developing new features. The real trick is getting beyond the marketing cliché and backing up that claim. B2W does this with a structured process for encouraging input from users, prioritizing it and taking action. The online B2W Community Portal is a valuable part of this process.

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ENR Webinar - Equipment Maintenance

Industry experts will cover construction equipment management and fleet maintenance in upcoming webcast

“When the yellow iron runs, we make money” is a known adage in heavy civil construction, but complex equipment maintenance, uptime and utilization challenges are a constant threat to profitability. Three leading contractors will share strategies and technologies they have adopted to tackle these challenges in an upcoming webinar sponsored by B2W and ENR magazine on Tuesday, October 22 from 2:00-3:00 PM EST.

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Heavy Construction Meetings

Make post-project reviews a more effective tool for managing construction projects

Best-in-class heavy civil construction contractors not only excel at estimating, project management and field supervision. They also learn from experience and apply the gained knowledge to future projects. Post-project review meetings are important to accomplishing this, and using an e-forms and reporting tool, like B2W Inform, to document the results of these meetings in a structured manner and make that information easily searchable is a smart move.

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Job Costing

Get Accurate Labor and Equipment Hours to Improve Construction Cost Management

Accurate job cost reporting is essential for successful financial management but, in my experience, many companies not using electronic field logs in construction are plagued by their inability to capture two essential data points from the field. Labor hours and equipment hours, key building block of what are typically the two highest job cost items, are frequently inaccurate. This is because many contractors still rely on paper for construction time tracking and to record equipment hours.

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B2W Apps Keep Mobile Construction Software Working Online or Offline

Anytime, anywhere connectivity for mobile devices may seem like a given in modern society, but contractors know the reality. Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity is not always available where heavy civil construction takes place. Even when it is, it may not be the most efficient way for some companies to use essential construction management software in the field.

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A Better Way to Track Employee Licenses, Certifications and Training

Credentials are critical in managing construction projects, but keeping track of who is licensed, certified or trained for which activities is a management headache. Many contractors, like RJV Construction in Massachusetts, rely on the ONE Platform to minimize this challenge.

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Accounting or Field Tracking Software?

There is no dispute about the importance of tracking actual performance in the field against the estimate and budget for effective construction cost management. Contractors, however, often debate whether to rely on an accounting system or a specialized construction field tracking software option like B2W Track to do it.

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The B2W Knowledge Center

After a contractor purchases B2W construction software, there are a series of steps before they are ready to start using it. The software is implemented, training sessions are completed, and the users are ready to hit the ground running – right? Yes, but as the B2W support team can verify, questions are bound to come up after initial training. Maybe an employee was out that day, or a new employee was hired who didn’t attend training. Even users with years of experience can use a refresher. B2W also adds new features and updates constantly, so there’s always more to learn.

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Stopping the Hidden Profit Killer

The profit killer lurking for many contractors is unplanned downtime. This is the time, outside of scheduled maintenance, when breakdowns or emergency repairs knock a machine out of service. However, contractors with best-in-class maintenance processes supported by software like B2W Maintain can change the equation by taking unplanned downtime rates to five percent or lower.

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Daily Field Log

Daily Field Logs: Faster, Easier, Better

Once the estimating and bidding are completed, the daily logs for construction projects become cornerstones to effective management. Foremen and supervisors know timely, accurate data is vital, but let’s face it. There are more productive things they would rather do than record labor, productivity, materials and equipment utilization.

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Jennifer Musil – Principal User Experience Designer

When good software is hard to use, it’s bad software. As a user experience designer, Jen Musil plays a key role in the “look and feel” of the B2W elements. That involves a lot of listening to what users need, along with the software expertise to make powerful features easy and intuitive to use.

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Costing Construction Equipment Accurately with B2W Software

Best-in-class heavy construction contractors accurately cost their equipment. Doing this requires two things: an efficient method for tracking equipment utilization time on the job and an accurate calculation of what it costs to operate that equipment. The B2W Software ONE Platform can help with both.

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Three Contractors Named B2W Client Innovation Award Winners for 2019

The exceptional ROI value achieved by adopting B2W Software in support of visionary thinking was clearly evident, as three contractors claimed the 2019 Client Innovation Awards at the B2W User Conference in early March. Casella Construction, Priestly Demolition & Soletanche Bachy Canada claimed the 2019 Client Innovation Awards at the B2W User Conference.

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Jennifer Angrisano – Business Analyst

The team creating and standing behind the B2W Platform is as impressive and important as the software itself. In this article, we profile Jennifer Angrisano, who has extensive experience working directly for heavy construction companies and as an industry consultant. Jennifer is putting that background to work at B2W, helping contractors optimize equipment maintenance with B2W Maintain.

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Building eForms with B2W Inform Just Got Easier

Users can create and manage form templates, fill out forms, and view data anytime, anywhere and on any-device. Features include built-in approval workflows, data binding of form fields to a central database, and the ability to capture rich data on forms, such as e-signatures, images, videos, time stamps and GPS locations.

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B2W Maintain Users Confirm: Strong Preventive Maintenance Requires Software

Recent comments from equipment experts using B2W Maintain sum up a simple truth about fleet maintenance and management. Preventive maintenance is essential to keeping maintenance costs low and uptime high, and heavy construction contractors will struggle to sustain a strong PM program without specialized software like B2W Maintain.

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B2W Marks 25th Anniversary with Future Focused Enhancement of Estimating Solution

B2W Software and its flagship estimating solution are celebrating 25th anniversaries in 2018. To mark the milestone, the company completed a proactive enhancement that gives B2W Estimate a head start towards remaining the industry leader for the next quarter century.

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For Subcontractors, Estimating Software Does More Than Help Them Win Bids

Think about heavy construction estimating, and putting together winning bids is probably the first thing that comes to mind. For companies that serve frequently as subcontractors, however, the ability to evaluate and present multiple alternative scenarios for general contractors can be equally important. Adapting bids to changes in the job scope is also an everyday requirement.

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Exploring Holistic Fleet Management at October EquipmentSHIFT Conference

The EquipmentSHIFT conferences promise insightful information on innovative technology and how it will impact the construction sector, and this year’s event did not disappoint. A wide range of suppliers, contractors and other industry experts made presentations on an equally broad range of equipment related topics.

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B2W Platform is Technology Product of the Year Finalist

The ONE Platform is well known in heavy construction, and now it’s getting some heavy recognition in technology circles in its home state. The New Hampshire High Tech Council named the ONE Platform as a finalist for its annual High Tech Product of the Year Award. The winner will be chosen at the group’s Product […]

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New B2W Videos Take a Humorous Look at Familiar Challenges

A new video series from B2W takes a lighthearted look at one of heavy construction’s most important workflow challenges.

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Production Targets: What They Are and Why You Should Use Them

Timely, data-driven decision making is a key to successful heavy construction operations, and contractors can’t make good decisions without gauging actual performance in the field against the expectations established in the estimate. That comparison on a daily basis provides supervisors with the means to address job issues and make corrections days or even weeks before reports can be generated through their company’s accounting/job cost systems.

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You Can’t Do That with a Whiteboard

Getting crews, equipment and materials to the right place at the right time isn’t easy in the ever-changing construction environment. Doing it effectively goes a long way towards keeping projects on schedule and under budget.

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Going from B2W Estimate Pro to Enterprise

Each of the three versions of B2W Estimate provides unparalleled performance and reliability. So why would you take the leap from the Professional edition to the Enterprise edition? If any of these situations apply to you, it might be time to upgrade.

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New Survey Yields Interesting Results on Technology in Heavy Construction

Heavy construction companies know there’s a lot to gain when their office, field and maintenance operations run efficiently and communicate with each other in real time. Most recognize that they need software and mobile capabilities to make this happen. Still, many stop short of investing and continue to miss out on opportunities technology could provide.

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Software Adoption for Heavy Civil Construction Companies

As technological innovation continues at a breakneck pace, many heavy civil construction companies remain reluctant to move into the era of software-driven business processes. Some fear the unknown. Others have been bitten by experiences with inferior applications, ill-conceived implementations or poor support.

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Greg Dubois – Client Services

Get to know Greg, one of our client services team members who works closely with customers to integrate B2W products with their existing accounting systems.

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How Much Does Estimating Software Really Cost?

When heavy construction contractors that rely on spreadsheets to manage estimating begin to look at an enterprise-class solution like B2W Estimate, one obvious question comes up early in the conversation. “How much does the software cost?” I sometimes answer, jokingly, that it’s free. Before they get their hopes up too much, I feel compelled to […]

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Turn Employee Competitiveness into an Advantage

Heavy construction employees tend to be competitive by nature, and a growing number of managers are using performance data to turn that trait into performance improvements. Relying on tools like B2W Track and B2W Inform, allows them to capture data electronically and use it to populate timely reports and dashboards, which are easy to produce […]

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A Better Way to Track Time and Materials Work

Implementing a software solution for field tracking and analysis can help construction contractors: Log, track and differentiate all work performed by a crew on a single field log, Keep costs and resource utilization separate for fixed price contract work and T&M work and add T&M work to a fixed-price job to handle additions to work scope and track those items separately from original scope of the contract.

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Construction Payroll Processing Advantages with B2W Track

M&M Excavating used to refer to it as a “dreaded, day-long Monday ritual”, and the experience is all too familiar at heavy civil construction operations of all sizes and specialties. Two or three employees at that company used to spend most of the day pouring over job reports and time cards for work performed at each […]

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Software and the Struggle to Find and Hire Construction Employees

“We need technology to attract the younger, tech-savvy employees to grow the workforce industry-wide,” the CFO at M&M Excavating in northern Michigan says.

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Talk the Talk:

Are you considering new software solutions at your heavy civil construction company? Here are some straightforward definitions for the most important software and technology terms contractors need to know. Chances are, these terms aren’t completely foreign. Still, many people have a vague or partial understanding of exactly what they mean. Brushing up will help you […]

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Want Best-in-class Fleet Maintenance for Your Heavy Civil Construction Business?

In addition to personnel, equipment is essential to heavy civil construction operations. Keeping a fleet on the job and in safe, working order is a challenge with considerable financial risks and rewards. Add maintenance and repair costs to the impact that out-of-commission equipment has on productivity, and the bottom line can suffer significantly. The logical […]

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Streamline the Process for Heavy Construction Equipment Moves

Not much happens in heavy civil construction without equipment, and those responsible for scheduling and dispatching face four critical challenges: Identifying what needs to be moved Tracking information related to equipment movement Efficiently assigning moves to drivers Communicating with the drivers Let’s take a look at each of these requirements and how a comprehensive software […]

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B2W Construction Software User Reviews “5 out of 5 Stars”

B2W Software clients review their experiences implementing our construction software, optimizing it and getting buy-in from their teams in the field.

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Don’t Just Collect Safety Data – Use It to Create Actionable Measures and Precautions on the Job Site

Every construction company collects a high volume of safety information, but Minger Construction is using B2W Inform to do something not many others do particularly well. “Instead of just collecting the information, we can actually use it to identify trends and improve our performance,” explains Mike Nelson, safety director for the Minnesota based company. Minger […]

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6 Steps to Implementing Maintenance Software

Switching from a fragmented mix of spreadsheets and paper-based processes to specialized software to manage equipment maintenance and repairs can have a big impact on profitability for heavy civil construction companies. The most effective companies leverage software sometimes referred to as a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to hold maintenance costs close to the best-practice standard of five percent of total revenue. Their success, however, depends on more than the software itself. These are the top six supporting steps to overcoming resistance, ensuring an effective implementation and achieving long-term results.

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Paper Forms in Construction Can Be Costly. It’s Time to Consider Going Paperless with Mobile Data Capture

Paper forms have consistently been the most common method of data capture within the construction industry for decades. However, as technology plays a bigger and bigger role within companies, and business processes become more complex, paper forms are a growing threat to efficiency and profitability. Most companies cannot rely on these slow and inefficient data […]

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Preventive Maintenance Planning & Scheduling

Preventive Maintenance is the backbone of a productive, profitable heavy civil construction company. As a matter of fact, keeping assets in the field running and maximizing utilization is, in large part, the Shop Manager’s main focus and a large piece of the profitability puzzle. The modern Shop Manager must analyze the fleet and the capabilities […]

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Top 10 Things You Can’t Do With Paper Forms

Paper forms and the headaches that accompany them are all too familiar in the construction industry. For many years, paper forms were the most effective solution for capturing data in the field, as digital, mobile solutions were unavailable, not user friendly, or cost prohibitive. However, this has changed significantly in the last ten years with […]

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Defining World-Class Software Support

Any computer user who has ever placed a call to a support hotline knows the difference between a quality support experience and, well, the opposite. But what does quality support really mean?  Let’s start by talking about what it isn’t. How many of us have… called a support line, only to be greeted by an […]

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The Value Proposition for Mobile in Heavy Civil Construction

Heavy civil construction projects need to carefully manage logistics in order to ensure success. Project complexities are driven by large amounts of resources over huge geographic regions, with three key resources needing optimization so projects are efficient and successful: People Equipment Materials The rise of mobile technology is well aligned to address the field operations […]

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Technology to the Rescue

Recognizing the advantages of new technologies and enabling them in practice, the industry can realize improvements in efficiency & productivity.

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Digitizing Your Holistic Safety Program on the Construction Job Site

Working in the construction industry comes with its fair share of risks: roughly 20% of all worker deaths occur at construction jobsites, with the top four causes of these fatalities including falling, being struck by an object, electrocution, and getting caught/compressed between two objects. In order to help keep workers risk-free and jobsites compliant, a […]

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B2W’s Guide to Managing Construction Costs

Explore 6 essential steps contractors can take to shift to a more proactive, real-time approach to managing construction costs at the operations level.

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Streamlining Key Construction Operations with Software

Equipment inspections, repair requests and maintenance work orders are essential, every-day processes within heavy construction operations. Let’s take a look at: How contractors typically complete these process and the challenges they face with current workflows. How they could complete them more effectively with connected workflows and a unified construction software platform. Problems with Paper and […]

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Going Paperless: The Benefits of e-Forms in Construction

The switch to digital forms in the construction industry has closed the gap between the field and the office; between identifying a problem & correcting it.

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B2W Track Tips & Tricks

We’re all pressed for time and trying to “do more with less”. This blog post highlights little-known and underutilized features in B2W Track to help recoup some time each day. Over the years, B2W Software continuously adds great features, and more than a few go unnoticed – including these overlooked gems. Exclude Zero Cost Labor […]

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Automated Warranty Tracking

Contractors maintaining a few dozen or a few hundred pieces of equipment know that keeping track of warranties and optimizing coverage are real challenges. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars can be lost by not knowing which repairs and replacements could be covered and when.

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B2W Estimate and the Error-check Wizard

For heavy construction cost estimators juggling multiple bids on a tight deadline, every second counts and – if they aren’t careful – so can every error. That’s one reason why the B2W Estimate software application includes a unique and powerful tool: the Estimate Error-check Wizard.

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Horizontal vs. Vertical Construction

While similarities exist between vertical and horizontal construction projects, there are key differences that alter software requirements.

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Field-centric cost management at M.A. Mortenson Company

An accounting or ERP system is the go-to tool for managing project costs at many heavy construction companies, but those systems are specifically designed for recording and reporting after costs occur. The limitation is that they are not very effective at helping contractors stay on top of project costs where and when those costs actually […]

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The Key to Connectivity – Unlocking the Full Potential of Mobile Technology in Construction

Technology is gaining prevalence in the construction industry. While this upward momentum in tech—specifically mobile tech—allows contractors benefits such as GPS tracking, account management, bidding, equipment management, etc., there remains a drawback. A primarily untapped market has the potential, once technology gains footing, to become flooded with various software and applications. This issue is already affecting the construction industry.

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