JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. Named to the 2013 LSU 100 for Outstanding Growth

May 8, 2013
Houston Chronicle 

Premier IT solutions provider, JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. becomes one of only two companies named to both LSU 100 and Texas A&M University’s Aggie 100 for exceptional company growth.

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., maker of SmartBidNet and SmartCompliance business solutions, has been honored as one of the 2013 LSU 100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses. JBKnowledge is only the second company to be named to both the LSU 100 and Texas A&M University’s Aggie 100. Father and son duo, Jim andJames Benham, started the company in 2001 and have been recognized by their respective universities over the past several years.

LSU alum, Jim Benham successfully pioneered four companies before starting JBKnowledge with son, James, a graduate of Texas A&M University. Based upon its compounded annual growth rate from 2009-2011, JBKnowledge ranked 24th among the 2013 LSU 100 honorees.

"Since receiving my degree at LSU, I've had the pleasure of leading several successful companies and leading one with my son has been the icing on the cake. I'm proud of this great university and the values it instilled in me, and even prouder...

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Web-based Bidding Advances Construction

Published in Constructech Magazine
March 12, 2013

As the construction industry evolves so too does the use of construction technology on projects and in companies. One area that continues to progress is online bidding and subcontractor prequalification. Managing all this can be challenging, but construction companies are finding technology can ease processes.

Such is the case with the Swinerton Family of Companies, www.swinerton.com, San Francisco, Calif. Part of the company’s strategy is to prioritize investment in construction technology. The company has adopted technology for years, but systems and processes within the company have evolved as the industry progressed.

Looking back 15 years ago, the company was using home-grown construction management and accounting software, along with scheduling software and customized spreadsheets for estimating to access data in the field and manage business processes.

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The Next Step in Construction Technology is Here

Published in Construction Business Owner Magazine
Written by James Benham, President of JBKnowledge, Makers of SmartBidNet
March 1, 2013

Imagine your project managers in their offices with a real-time dashboard of all jobsite progress and a 3-D graphic that updates every five minutes, rendering your structure as it advances floor by floor. They can click to see a live video feed through the eyes of an HVAC subcontractor with augmented reality safety goggles that have overlaid, before their eyes, the rendering of the 3-D model in their section of the jobsite. You can even send a link to your project owners with a note to “check out the view from your soon-to-be 22nd floor office, and meet the guys working on it right now” and the option for everyone to jump on a video conference call.

The capabilities of technology, once merely imaginative concepts in science fiction movies, are quickly developing for daily use in commercial and residential building. Advancements in cloud computing are redefining expectations in building information modeling (BIM) as well as data availability and mobility. The evolution of imaging and file sharing is redefining project collaboration, and advancements in integration are redefining how your processes and departments share project data.

BIM
Our company recently performed a survey about commercial construction technology solutions and found a pleasantly surprising statistic...

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Integrating Standards Across Construction

Published in US Building Digest
​On February 22, 2013

What kind of technology are you using for construction business?

An article in this month’s Constructech Magazine features different software that is available to business owners that can help them standardize things across the office.

This week, Viewpoint Construction Software, Portland, Ore, and JB Knowledge Technologies, Bryan, Texas, which provides the SmartBidNet platform, have announced a new partnership.

SmartBidNet, which offers subcontractor management, project document distribution and collaboration, subcontractor prequalification, and bid invitation and management, is now part of the...

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Constructech 2013 Tech Preview: The Future Is Now

​Published in Constructech Magazine
​On February 22, 2013

As trends like BIM, mobile, and cloud continue to shape the construction landscape, technology providers weigh in on how to best leverage such tools in the year ahead.

If there is one thing most contractors can agree on it’s that the last few years have been more hardship than hard profits. The economy is picking up speed in its recovery, but it could revert to the slow growth mode again very easily. Commercial construction is slightly ahead of the residential market and the month-to-month growth is improving for both segments.

As companies start to see some light at the end of the tunnel—although a few are still worried it is the headlight of an oncoming train—they are analyzing their position and making decisions on technology directions for the near future. What evolving technologies should we be aware of? What changes are coming and how should they be dealt with by contractors?

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Throughout the past decade and more, an approach to making IT investments a little less expensive and a little more connected has been the open-systems movement. One of the more recent movements is COSA (Construction Open Software Alliance). James Benham, president, JB Knowledge Technologies, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas explains, “If the Construction Open Software Alliance continues to gain momentum, IT managers will see more and more of their favorite software (providers) offering open integration with their other favorite software.”

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SmartBidNet Accepted as Viewpoint Development Partner

Users of both construction software solutions will have the ability to integrate subcontractor, bid, and project management data through the new partnership.

Bryan, TX (PRWEB) February 18, 2013

Commercial builders looking to streamline their technology without having to buy a one-stop suite of software can now look to alliances like Viewpoint Construction Software Development Partners, and their latest member, SmartBidNet. In an effort to strengthen their product offering by supporting complementary products, Viewpoint has accepted 30 industry software providers into its development partner program to facilitate and integrate the software experience for their 2,000 general contractor, civil contractor, and specialty contractor clients.

Rob Humphreys, Vice President of Product Management at Viewpoint states, “We look forward to working with SmartBidNet to provide customers even greater efficiencies with their projects. We thoughtfully select partner products like SmartBidNet that compliment Viewpoint V6 Software to extend the capabilities of and empower specialty contractors to increase profits...”

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February Webinar - What's New with SmartBidNet Version 12 and Bid Project Management in the Cloud

Have you heard? We gave our system a major makeover. Version 12 of our online construction bidding software has a brand new user interface, English, French, and Spanish language capabilities, and load times are up to 75% faster. The dashboard, subcontractor profiles, bid projects and online plan room are easier than ever before to navigate and customize. You can learn more here: www.smartbidnet.com/version12 and we are offering informational webinars in February for current users and prospective users.

Are you a commercial general contractor not yet using SmartBidNet? Pre-construction manager, project estimator, project manager? Tune in to a free webinar demo of SmartBidNet Version 12 and learn what all the hype is about. Ask our live presenters any questions you have about managing your bid projects, documents, and subcontractors online, from anywhere, with SmartBidNet. 

Click here to register for this free, informational webinar on February 12th

Are you current a SmartBidNet user? Version 12 operates the same way as the Version 11 you’ve recently been using. This user webinar is simply a chance for users to walk through the new user interface and added features to ensure you are taking advantage of the improvements. You will also have a chance to ask questions, provide feedback, and submit requests to our live presenters. 

Click here to register for this user webinar on February 13th

The Spreadsheet Endemic

Published in Construction Executive 
Written by James Benham, President of JBKnowledge, Makers of SmartBidNet
January 2013

The first commercial spreadsheets, called VisiCalc, came about in 1978 on an Apple II computer. A huge improvement from number mapping on a blackboard, VisiCalc allowed professionals to manipulate and organize numbers based on underlying formulas. The 1980s brought Lotus 1-2-3 onto the scene with basic database options and faster computing, referencing and graphing integration. In the early 1990s, Microsoft Excel finally overtook Lotus and has since been the preferred spreadsheet application.

When the only alternative was a piece of grid paper, the ability to reference and calculate quantity, cost and item cells in spreadsheets soon became invaluable to estimators and other construction professionals. The proliferation of the Internet and PCs in the construction workplace introduced a range of technology solutions in the 2000s, including all the functionalities of spreadsheets along with dynamic, real-time collaboration and imaging capabilities.

However, more than 52 percent of commercial construction companies still use static Excel spreadsheets to transfer data between processes and departments, according to the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report. The main reasons for resisting newer, better technologies include convenience, efficiency and fear of the unknown.

The Convenience of Spreadsheets 
Being one of the longest surviving computer applications—next to notepads and web browsers—spreadsheet applications are programs familiar to all generations of employees. Additionally, historical estimates, budgeting projections and bid project distribution lists produced before modern day construction management, accounting and estimating software often are archived in spreadsheet files. Plus, spreadsheet programs are almost always pre-installed on staff computers, making them incrementally “free” for employees to use.

The Efficiency of Spreadsheets 
Because employees typically are comfortable with spreadsheets, they don’t require extensive training. The exact opposite can be said for trying to introduce new solutions such as estimating or bid software. Perceived cost and implementation time of new technology often outweighs the future cost savings.

The Fear of Anything but Spreadsheets
 Spreadsheets are predictable, mainly because they are static repositories of information that can’t be touched by a cloud service provider or tapped into by any other solution. Their old-school reliability has become a safe zone where anything outside of a spreadsheet is corruptible and shareable beyond control. Most construction software packages look nothing like...

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Construction Slow to Adopt Cloud Computing

Publish in Daily Commercial News
Written by Peter Kenter, Correspondent
January 4, 2013

Cloud computing is an esoteric name for a simple concept. Instead of relying on one’s own hardware and software for a suite of services, users rely on software, information storage and computing resources accessed over the Internet.

Construction companies, however, have been slow to make use of cloud technology, says James Benham, founder and president of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., a Texas-based information technology services provider, focusing on the construction, real estate, risk and insurance industries.

“With cloud computing, you can access the digital information you need from anywhere, any time through any device — from mobile devices to the computer at home, to the computer at your desk,” says Benham.

“The cloud centralizes, organizes and disseminates your data to the access point most convenient for you.”

The company’s recent survey, the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report, revealed...

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A Unique Christmas Construction Invitation to Bid

We're grateful to Carol Hagen of Carol's Construction Technology Blog (a resource we highly recommend you check regularly!) for sharing some of the great work our clients are doing this holiday season in building communities as well as structures. 

"The Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA) is having their Toy Drive to make a difference in the lives of Phoenix Area displaced children.  Instead of a regular press release, McCarthy used SmartBidNet to get the word out about Sunshine Homes to their subcontractors.  Many other commercial construction companies that belong to the ABA are planning to do the same with their own invitation to bid software..."

Click here to visit Carol's blog and read the full post

JBKnowledge's SmartBidNet Software Reveals Latest Technology in Construction Bidding

Sets new construction technology industry standard for user interface, system navigability and customization.

Bryan, TX - November 27, 2012

Released this morning, under the tagline “Construction software never looked this good,” information technology provider JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. has introduced a new version of their cloud based invitation to bid software, SmartBidNet. The revamped user interface was developed to look and feel like a consumer application and has redefined usability in construction technology. The added functionalities and ease of use are being applauded by clients who had the last month to test out the Beta version of the system.  

"I’ve been using Version 12 since the Beta was first released. The software looks and feels like a more polished version of its former self with improved performance to boot… I’m thoroughly impressed!” stated Seth Cheever, LEED AP, Preconstruction Manager at Stiles Construction.

The completely renovated user interface includes a drag and drop dashboard with customizable widgets, skin color, and the highest resolution window to fit any display. The web-based bid management system also features multi-lingual capabilities in English, Spanish, and French on both the general contractor user side and their subcontractors’ side of the portal. With dramatically faster load times, time to load on all screens has dropped by as much as 75% in testing and users now have the ability to search all subcontractor and project data in real-time with instant results on their data grids.

“We believe construction professionals should not settle for any less in their business software than what is available in their consumer technology.  With this latest version, we’ve made our user interface as intuitive and customizable as any personal applications our clients use. The user interface is essential to a positive user experience and there is no reason business software should not be applying the same quality of design as consumer software,” stated JBKnowledge President James Benham.

Hundreds of commercial construction companies across the US, Caribbean, Canada, and Middle East currently use SmartBidNet to manage commercial construction prequalification, invitation to bid, subcontractor data, and project document distribution and collaboration. Version 12 will be available to all clients on an opt-in basis, at first, and officially implemented for all users in November 2012.

To learn more about SmartBidNet Version 12 and get an online demo or 30 day free trial visit: http://www.smartbidnet.com/version12

Construction in the Cloud: What Are You So Afraid Of?

Published in AGC TechBrief
By James Benham
President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. and SmartBidNet

There’s a good chance the entirety of your personal data resides in the cloud (e.g., email, social media accounts, banking accounts, calendar, etc.). You’re able to access the digital information you need every day from your home and mobile devices because the cloud centralizes, organizes, and disseminates that data to the most convenient access point for you. Some of you may read the privacy and security statements before signing up for online banking, for example; others assume that the large population of people already employing the service know what they're doing. Either way, you put a great deal of trust in your consumer technology services and devices every day. In return, your technology gives you a mobility, redundancy and efficiency that was unattainable before the original cloud, the Internet, graced our horizon.

Now consider the technology you use exclusively at work on a daily basis. How much of your information is stored on your computer desktop, in a file cabinet, on the company's internal servers, or on servers hosted remotely via cloud services? I'm willing to bet the amount of work data you access from the cloud is significantly less than the amount of personal data you access from the cloud. The 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report revealed that out of over 450 commercial construction industry respondents, 30.4 percent...

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Construction Technology Standards

Published in Constructech Magazine​
​October 9 , 2012

At last week’s Technology Day conference, held October 5 at the San Mateo Marriott, much talk centered on mobility. A number of technology providers were showcasing new solutions and speakers were identifying trends in the markets. But another age-old topic garnered a bit of attention as well—standards.

On Friday, Sage North America, www.na.sage.com, Beaverton, Ore., announced it has been accepted as a member of COSA (Construction Open Software Alliance),www.constructionosa.org, which is a new organization dedicated to empowering better sharing of information between all project participants in the construction industry regardless of the systems they use.

COSA’s aim is to encourage the adoption of agcXML, which was developed by the Associated General Contractors of America, www.agc.org, Arlington, Va., in 2008 in an effort to standardize and encourage the exchange of data among technology applications in the construction industry. Since that time, a small number of technology providers have adopted the agcXML standard—although many have discussed the value of such as standard. Enter COSA, which was founded in August of this year and includes members such as SmartBidNet, eSUB, NoteVault, To-Scale Software, which provides Cloud Takeoff, and Online Plan Service.
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2012 Construction Technology Integration Report Reveals Lack of Cloud Adoption and Need for Integration in Construction Industry

Published in Construction Business Owner
September 13, 2012

Compiled from survey responses of over 450 construction professionals, the report shows a surprising number of companies still storing and transferring project data in spreadsheets. 

Bryan, Texas (September 13, 2012) - First presented at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) IT Forum in Chicago, the results from the 2012 Construction Technology Integration (CTI) Survey have been released in a full report and accompanying infographic by JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., developers of SmartBidNet construction bid software. The 2012 CTI Report compiles and analyzes responses from over 450 industry professionals who answered questions on their companies’ cloud construction software usage, mobile expectations, and application integrations.

“I recently stated in my keynote address at the 2012 AGC IT Forum, and still believe, that many firms in the construction industry are “just this side of pen and paper when it comes to technology.” Too many companies are not integrating data or seeking solutions that integrate data. I hope this report serves as a call to action to both construction software end-users andproviders to raise expectations and standards of data integration to the levels offered in other industries,” stated JBKnowledge President James Benham in the Foreword of the CTI Report.

The report holds a number of enlightening and concerning statistics on construction software and the integration capabilities available and in use. While more firms are considering mobilecapabilities in purchasing decisions, many firms are still afraid of accounting software “in the cloud.” In the end, a high percentage are still settling for the manual transfer of data via spreadsheets instead of adopting automated, integrated software. A glimmer of hope lies in the surprising number of firms adopting Building Information Modeling software, a technology previously viewed as a luxury only for larger scale design and build firms.

After exploring the different categories and brands of software in use, the report investigates how many applications each professional uses in a day and how those solutions transfer data internally, if at all. The numbers indicate a serious lack in cross-application integration between construction processes due to a lack of integration development between individual software providers. In the conclusion, the report evaluates the cause of slow adoption of integrations among industry software providers and how the Construction Open Software Alliance (COSA) hopes to overcome the obstacles. COSA is committed to developing standards in open APIs, based on of the 2007 AGC XML initiative, to facilitate integration between the industry’s various software providers.

To download a free copy of the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report visit:http://www.smartbidnet.com/ctisurvey.
To view the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report Infographic visit: http://www.smartbidnet.com/infographics

An information technology services and products provider, JBKnowledge specializes in enterprise applications and databases, electronic data interchange, strategy consulting, mobile solutions, and web design and development. Makers of SmartBidNet, construction bid software, thecompany is based in Bryan/College Station, TX, and serves construction clients on an international basis.

Click here to see the original article in Construction Business Owner 

August Infographic of the Month: The 2012 Construction Technology Integration Survey

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., makers of SmartBidNet, conducted the first annual Construction Technology Integration (CTI) Survey May 30-June 16, 2012. The online, 20 question survey was emailed to thousands of commercial building professionals and promoted via social media, eliciting more than 450 responses. The results were first presented by JBKnowledge President James Benham at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America 2012 IT Forum in Chicago, August 16. This infographic provides a snapshot of the survey results.

Any and all feedback is appreciated and will help in developing the 2013 CTI Survey. Leave us a comment!

Check out the infographic here: http://www.smartbidnet.com/infographics

Download your copy of the full CTI Report here: http://www.smartbidnet.com/ctisurvey