Data Before Construction

Before the concrete flows, before the bricks get stacked, before the material even arrives on the jobsite, there is work to be done. Preconstruction is a different world, populated by data more than paper these days. There are developers that focus on that period between award and start, creating the digital technology that makes preconstruction easier and more efficient.
 
Data from a construction project’s different estimate versions can be visualized, sliced, and sorted through a variety of options with the right program. Comparison data can be viewed through various work breakdown structures and custom parameters giving estimators clarity on changes over time through project iterations.
For example, Beck Technology is a preconstruction data lifecycle company that has connected estimating data from its DESTINI Estimator, a construction estimating software, with Microsoft Power BI, a data visualization platform. The connection to Power BI supplements the comparison view of DESTINI Estimator so users outside of the estimating software can access data necessary for better decision-making.
 
According to Beck Technology, the goal is to give DESTINI Estimator users a visualization tool, Power BI, so that they can easily collaborate with project stakeholders and gain buy-in on project decisions. This will allow preconstruction teams to digest project data faster and easier so they can pinpoint variances in project iterations. Through a few clicks, the estimating data is presented in easy-to-understand graphs and charts that help speed up the decision-making process within the preconstruction data lifecycle.
 
DESTINI Estimator’s Project View enables users to set up templates that contain lists of variables they want their teams to track throughout the life of the company’s projects. In the conceptual phase, these variables can be used to formulaically drive quantities and items in the estimate. Additionally, linking the variables in the Project View to a company defined conceptual workbook that is stored within the template can drive the values of the variables and correspondingly the estimate.
 
Benchmarking unit prices against similar projects is a breeze. All projects being benchmarked can be both regionally and time adjusted enabling a very simple, efficient, and transparent method of assigning the most appropriate unit prices based on your cost history making conceptual estimating easy.
 
H.J. Russell & Co., selected DESTINI Estimator as its commercial preconstruction solution. Based out of Atlanta, Russell has extensive experience in building and renovating projects in a variety of segments including high-profile offices, public assembly, retail, multifamily residential, student housing, parking decks, institutional, education, and sports facilities. They work as a construction manager, general contractor, design-build contractor, program managers, or consultants.
 
Russell is one of Beck’s first client partnerships to adopt the new hosted environment, as well as the Power BI dashboard set up. Russell began using Estimator in July 2021 for all its projects. As Russell’s estimating team expanded into new offices located in Dallas, they wanted a single integrated solution instead of splitting their projects between Sage and Excel.
 
With their focus on many multifamily projects, Russell’s preconstruction team finds that DESTINI Estimator’s database functionality paired with conceptual estimating ability within one reliable integrated database system and hosted offering were several of the driving points for choosing Beck Technology.