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

JBKnowledge's SmartBidNet Software in Constructech Magazine - "Prequalification Tech for Construction"

Published in Constructech
December 4, 2012

Is a subcontractor qualified for a project? Technology not only helps answer this question, but also stores data associated with subcontractor qualifications for use on a project. These days, more general contractors are using such technology to manage sub qualifications electronically.

One recent example comes from Miller Construction Co., www.millerconstruction.com, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., which is encouraging its subcontractor and supplier base to maintain a complete qualification profile inside the platform from jobsite123, www.jobsite123.com, Plantation, Fla.

According to jobsite123, open access to the platform allows for sharing of qualifications information between all project stakeholders. The data within the jobsite123 platform can also be automatically distributed to other construction software such as SmartBidNet from JB Knowledge Technologies, www.jbknowledge.com, Bryan, Texas.

Click here to read the full article

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

James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies Inc., Presents the Exclusive 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report | The Boston Globe

From The Boston Globe via PRWeb
July 30, 2012 

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has chosen James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., developers of SmartBidNet construction bid software, to deliver the keynote presentation at the 2012 AGC IT Forum. Mr. Benham, an entrepreneur and avid construction technologist, will present exclusive findings from the 2012 Construction Technology Integration Report, compiled from responses of over 400 industry professionals. He will also discuss the latest free and paid solutions for streamlining construction projects in the office, on mobile devices, and at the jobsite.

The 2012 IT Forum will take place in Chicago, August 16-17. Over 200 construction information technology professionals will gather to learn and discuss current trends, issues in the industry and how to stay on the forefront of the technological developments yet to come.

Click here to read the full article

Tech Innovations Simplify and Coordinate the Bid Process

Published in Construction Executive
July 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., Maker of SmartBidNet 

Twenty years ago, the preconstruction process involved stacks of paper, trails of phone calls and nothing more high tech than a filing cabinet. Thanks to the cloud, everything from prequalification to proposal review has become paperless, automated and centralized—cutting administrative costs and boosting project efficiency from subcontractors, estimators and construction managers.  

Which technologies are transforming the bid process for today’s general contractors, and what’s in the works to enhance their future operations? Let’s take a look.  

Click here to read the full article 

Building the 2012 London Olympic Village

Published in Construction Today
July 23, 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., Maker of SmartBidNet 

With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London beginning later this week, regular Construction Today blog contributor James Benham and his team at SmartBidNet recently created a infographic spotlighting all the hard work that has gone into building the Games’ most notable venues.

Click here to see the full article

JBKnowledge's SmartBidNet Software Releases Preconstruction Android App

from the SmartBidNet Blog

College Station, TX (PRWEB) July 16, 2012

SmartBidNet construction bid software introduces the Android version of its mobile application for commercial general contractors. Released from beta testing on July 11, 2012 in the Google Play marketplace, the app provides all functionalities of SmartBidNet’s iOS app for the Google Android operating platform.

“These days, we all value a solution by its mobility and accessibility. I, for one, am not interested in an application unless I can access it seamlessly from my smartphone. We have to assume our clients feel the same way and are very excited to offer this feature to iOS mobile and now Android mobile users. We’re hoping to get lots of feedback from our users to further improve both applications,” stated SmartBidNet President James Benham.

Click here to read the full article

Constructech Recognizes SmartBidNet as an "Up and Comer" to Lead Technology Transformation

Constructech Magazine, July 5, 2012 – Where will your IT department stand in a few months? How about in a few years? This is the question on the minds of construction professionals across the industry. Today, with the announcement of the Constructech 50, Constructech magazine aims to make the future just a bit clearer.

The Constructech 50, published in the July/Aug issue of Constructech magazine, is a listing of the most influential construction-technology providers with a strong and ongoing market presence, as determined byConstructech’s editorial team.

...

Constructech magazine also named five companies “Up and Comers” for 2012. Those listed as such are companies the Constructech editors believe are primed and ready to take that next step to penetrate the construction industry, leveraging the latest technology and looking to fill specific gaps in the market.

Click here to read the full article

The Jobsite of 2025 | Construction Today

Published on the Construction Today Blog
June 15, 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc. 

Who doesn’t enjoy a good tennis match on the Wii? And the Kinect/XBox combination is also pretty cool (even if the voice recognition software could use a little fine-tuning.) But a recent development announced by San Francisco startup Leap Motion has officially made both the Wii and Kinect look as technologically advanced as Lincoln Logs in comparison.

The newly announced Leap 3-D Motion Control system is accurate to a hundredth of a millimeter. It’s “200 times more sensitive than anything on the market” and “creates a ‘three-dimensional interaction space’ of four cubic feet and is more precise and responsive than a touchscreen or a mouse,” reported CNET.

Click here to read the full article

Building Socially

By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Maker of SmartBidNet Software
Published in Building & Construction Canada 
May 2012 Issue

Forty-two years ago, the first email was sent between two computers, side by side. Additionally, eight years ago, Facebook was launched. Today, roughly one in every eight people on Earth has a Facebook profile.

Three months ago, during the final 57 seconds of Super Bowl XVLI, 12,233 tweets per second were sent across North America. No matter how annoying the email notifications and constant flood of updates, social media is here to stay. So it’s about time we all got a little more comfortable with using it for personal and professional purposes.

Click here to read the full article 

The Must-Have Technology Tools, Part 3 – Staying Social and Mobile | Construction Today

from SmartBidNet.com

This is the final part of a three-part series.

By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies

Previously, we’ve discussed Google’s suite of useful freeware and solutions that are revolutionizing preconstruction and BIM. Now I’d like to wrap it up and discuss social and mobile tech, as they are quickly finding their way from your personal life into your work day.

Social Media

For those of you who had hoped to avoid the ever-growing social network scene, it’s probably best you give in now. Not only do sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ help you connect with industry personalities and brands that could lead to business opportunities, they are also very powerful project management platforms. LinkedIn Answers is a human-powered search engine, ready at all times to poll the architecture, engineering, and construction professionals you need insight from, both inside and outside your personal network. I’ve used it to gather opinions on everything from which software providers we should team up with to which apps everyone is most excited about.  Facebook Groups and Pages give project teams an online space to share events and discussions, whether in the design, bid, construction, or follow-up phase of development. Twitter can be a powerful jobsite, project, news and job notification tool to reach internal and external stakeholders. And if you haven’t tried a Google+ Hangout yet for a project team video conference, I highly recommend you do so. With 70 percent of daily mobile device use being social media, it is one of the best mediums to communicate with employees, clients, and prospects alike.

Click here to read the full article on the Construction Today Blog

The Must-Have Technology Tools, Part 2 – In The Cloud | Construction Today

from SmartBidNet.com

This is the second of a three-part series. 

By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., maker of SmartBidNet

Last week we covered “All Things Google” that should be a part of your Tech Toolbox. This week, we’ll discuss a couple of cloud-based tools that are transforming the way project participants communicate and collaborate from bid to build.

Traditional Plan and File Sharing
Thanks to the proliferation of “the cloud,” most general contractors now realize the cost savings in going paperless. The entirety of preconstruction documents and data can be shared online with the click of the button via preconstruction software like SmartBidNet or file sharing sites likeDropBox and YouSendIt, eliminating the need for printers and scanners while putting documents and communications that are too big to email online with viewing and/or editing access to all those you approve.

Click here to read the full article in Construction Today 

The Must-Have Technology Tools for Construction Professionals

AGC TechBrief, April 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., Makers of SmartBidNet

Depending on your age, the technology on your desk has probably evolved quite a bit since your first day there. Whether your beeper was going off at your hip or you were punching away at an encyclopedia-sized laptop, technology today makes those days seem archaic in retrospect. But the best part is there’s a good chance you haven’t even seen the best of today.

Every day, an innovation emerges with the potential to propel your work day into the Jetsons’ era faster than you could have predicted. Many of these developments will be bought by the likes of Google or Facebook, who will then find a way to incorporate them into something you already use or an unreachable luxury for high-class nerds. But some will find their way into what I will call your "Tech Toolbox." These are the technologies that can and will impact personal and corporate bottom lines and whose value far outweighs the minimal capital investment required to employ them. Most are cloud-based, some are free, some are $1.99 in the app store and some are business suites with annual subscriptions well worth the price tag, but all of them can transform your work day.

Click here to read the full article from AGC TechBrief

Collaboration, Integration And Interoperability Through The Cloud

Featured in the April 2012 Jobsite123 Newsletter
Written by James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc.

The evolution of technology in your office probably looked something like this: copy machine, fax machine, microwave-sized personal computer, inter-office email, bulletin board systems, really slow websites with lots of blue hyperlinks, loaf of bread-sized cell phones…until finally instant messaging, laptops, smart phones, printer/scanners and now the occasional tablet came to save the day. No one wants to remember the black screen and green letters – but it’s important to understand how far we’ve come.

Now what exactly made it possible for you to abandon that pager and flip back and forth between your Angry Birds app and this article on your smart phone? Internet? Laptops? Steve Jobs? What if I told you they were all a part of this term everyone is throwing around as if it’s brand new… The Cloud?

Click here to read the full article

The Future of Online Plan Rooms

Constructech Magazine
April 6, 2012

The plan room has evolved from paper, to FTP (file transfer protocol) sites, to online collaborative platforms where partners can download files, and print only when necessary. The online plan room opens the door to new technology capabilities, such as integrations with other technology solutions.

This week, Barryhund Online Plan Services, www.barryhund.com, Sacramento, Calif., a Web-based plan room solution, and SmartBidNet, which is developed by JB Knowledge Technologies, www.smartbidnet.com, College Station, Texas, announced new integrations between the two platforms.

Click here to read the full article