General contractors turning to tech to remain competitive | 7/28/2010 | Salt Lake City Enterprise
"More general contractors are turning to technology in the midst of increased competition brough on by the slugggish construction market...Three Utah-based general contractors have opted to embrace SmartBidNet, a product created in 2004 by College Station, Texas-based JB Knowledge...More than 100 general contractors in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean are now using SmartBidNet..."
Businesses honores for being at the top of their game | 6/11/2010 | The Bryan-College Station Eagle
"Some of the area's most successful business owners and their employees joined community leaders Wednesday at the College Station Hilton Hotel and Conference Center to honor 10 of the fastest-growing local companies during the Bryan Rotary Club Newman 10 Awards."
Construction Bidding Goes Online | 04/20/2010 | Ottawa Business Journal
"When the Ottawa-based chief estimator at general contracting firm Pomerleau needed to invite subcontractors to bid on a job, he’d often program the fax to send documents overnight. But even doing that, he says, was sometimes insufficient. The machine would often remain tied up the next day."
Software helping contractors forge ties with subs | 2/14/2010 | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Several Utah contractors are using a new software program that allows them to interact more easily with subcontractors so they can submit more successful job bids...Called SmartBidNet, the program enables contractors to keep better track of available subcontractors for different types of projects and gives subcontractors online access to blueprints and other materials pertinent to a project..."The easier you can make it for the subs, the more likely they are to give you a preferential bid, simply because of the way you organize things and do things," said Reed Ewell, a chief estimator for Sandy-based Layton Construction."
SmartBidNet Offers Smarter Construction Bidding Process | 12/09/2009 | Smarter Technology.com
"But thanks to College Station, Texas-based SmartBidNet, assembling a bid is getting more and more streamlined. The company’s Web-based software package allows contractors to create a database of subcontractors that may be organized in a variety of ways — where they’re located, their level of skills, their federal minority status, their bid participation levels and even a "report card" on their general performance track record. All of this information is then processed and analyzed to rapidly produce a hopefully winning bid. The product also allows for electronically based bid submission, so lead construction contractors don’t have to spend those extra hours on printing, shipping and other traditional logistical needs to get the bid to the potential customer."
Take the hassle out of managing subcontractors | 09/03/2009 | Building Design + Construction
"As general contractors look to technology for an edge in the slowing commercial construction market, Web-based bidding programs are helping them to connecting bid information, subcontractors, and proposals. A 2008 survey by the Construction Financial Management Association found that 62% of general contractors participated in Web-based construction bidding vs. 43% in 2006."
Contractors change focus to survive downturn | 08/07/2009 | Atlanta Business Chronicle
"The construction industry has been hit as hard as any by the recession. When the credit crunch dried up financing for new office buildings and mixed-use projects, an already overbuilt inventory piled up, creating an oversupply of commercial space. Construction contractors large and small have been forced to lay off employees."
SmartBidNet software simplifies bidding and subcontractor communication for builders | 07/10/2009 | Memphis Business Journal
"Not all technology is used to help construction companies in the field. Some of it can help in the office with bidding. Texas-based JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., developed, produces and sells such a product: SmartBidNet, a Web-based software which helps commercial general contractors in many facets of bidding."
The Latest in Bidding Technology: How Atlanta General Contractors Can Gain A Critical Edge | 07/08/2009 | Atlanta Office & Commercial
"In spite of today's economy, there are bright spots for general contractors in Atlanta. One of these bright spots is the city's new focus on establishing itself as a major biotech and life sciences center. Combined with federal stimulus package dollars, there are genuinely positive signs for builders, particularly those operating in health related and other institutional construction."
Moving to Technology-Based Estimating May Lower Costs and Produce Better Bids | 07/01/2009 | The Addenda News - ASPE Arizona Chapter 6
"According to recent construction figures released by the Department of Commerce at the beginning of June, construction spending actually rose. In fact, a recent article in the Associated Press noted that 'The unexpected gain marked the second straight month that builders boosted spending on construction projects around the country.'"
Contractor software boosts solid deals | 05/27/2009 | Memphis Commercial Appeal
"James Benham's mantra is simple: "Bid more projects, win more projects." Benham is president of JB Knowledge in College Station, Texas. His product, SmartBidNet, might be hailed as a way for contractors to "go green" before ever taking shovel to earth, but that's not the angle Benham is using in a time when too many shovels are clean and leaning against walls."
With SmartBidNet, general contractors can invite firms to bid on their jobs | 02/20/2009 | Dallas Morning News
"More general contractors are turning to technology to give them an edge amid increased competition in a slower construction market. Enter SmartBidNet, created by James Benham at his College Station, Texas-based JB Knowledge Technologies Inc. The Web-based program gives general contractors a private, secure place to invite subcontractors and vendors to view and bid on projects."
New Technologies Produce Winning Bids | 02/02/2009 | Construction Executive
"Smart contractors are bucking today’s economic challenges by utilizing all the assets at their disposal to produce winning bids at the highest volumes possible. The math is simple: bid more projects, win more projects. Contractors are employing a new wave of online estimating technologies that allow them to communicate more effectively with their networks of subcontractors, reduce operating costs associated with printing and shipping, and significantly reduce the stress associated with managing the bid response process."
New Efficiencies in Digital Estimating May Cut Costs and Produce Better Bids | 01/05/2009 | Construction Business Owner
"Figures recently released by the federal government found that initial construction of U.S. homes in September fell to a 17-year low. One recent article, in the Sarasota Herald Tribune noted that "Construction of single-family homes-the bulk of the housing market-were at a rate so low that one would have to look back to February 1982 to find a comparable figure." Other reports have been similarly bleak."
Bid Management and Response: Break Away From The Pack | 01/01/2009 | Design Cost Data Magazine
"Those that have moved their estimating operations online are at a distinct competitive advantage in today’s tightening market. And with GCs nationwide expecting a further decrease in new projects, the benefits of such competitive advantages become obvious. By bringing the estimating process online, GCs greatly improve their chances of producing winning bids — in greater volume -- while spending much less to do so. And at the same time, GCs are finding that the latest estimating technologies pay for themselves with the first job on which they are used to bid."
Moving Online to Create Efficiencies in the Estimation Process | 12/01/2008 | ASPE National Magazine
"In the construction industry, the estimation process - labor intensive, time-intensive, and data-driven - is a key battleground for general contractors (particularly when involved in Tenant Improvement bids, which require extremely fast turnarounds)...Many developers and owners are moving from negotiated work to hard bids and the pressure on general contractors to produce more estimates has never been greater."
Q&A with SmartBidNet | 08/26/2008 | The Daily Journal of Commerce - Gulf Coast
"How is SmartBidNet different from other online plan rooms or software? There are other businesses out there whose main thrust is to not lose print revenue. They allow contractors to download low-resolution plans that still need to be taken to a professional printing company. There are also other companies that are sales-led services, and they advertise projects to everyone. Then there are pure software companies that want to sell their programs."
SmartBidNet Pushing Change in Industry | 11/12/2007 | JBKnowledge
One construction estimator who switched to SmartBidNet earlier this year is Mark Fly, an outsource estimator whose client list includes Davaco, Truwall Interior Systems, Inc. and Citadel Construction Corporation.
“I’ve used many different software packages with all the clients we’ve had and did not like any of them,” said Fly. “SmartBidNet has every feature I want – speed, accuracy, and instant reporting. Being able to upload a document in real time is great, especially for the inevitable addendums. The upload wait with other software is typically 24 to 48 hours.”
JBKnowledge awarded 2007 Aggie 100 | 10/28/2007 | The Eagle - Bryan/College Station, TX
"The 2007 Aggie 100 recipients represent a wide range of businesses -- from a Segway and bike tour company to one that studies petroleum-feeding ocean creatures -- that collectively represent more than $3.3 billion in revenues, officials said..."That's what catches my attention every year. [Aggies] do everything, and we're everywhere," said Richard Scruggs, executive director of the Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, which has presented the Aggie 100 awards for the past three years.
More than 400 companies were nominated, and more than half of those completed the application process, Scruggs said."
JBKnowledge receives 2nd Aggie 100 in two years | 10/28/2007 | KBTX - Bryan/College Station, Texas
"Over 650 people gathered in The Zone Club at Texas A&M University Friday to recognize the fastest-growing Aggie-owned businesses. Ninety-six of the 100 companies were in attendance at the event, including more than 190 business representatives and 100 current students. The Aggie 100 focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. Recipients were selected based on compound annual revenue growth rate for the 2004 to 2006 period."
JBKnowledge in the 2007 Newman 10 | 06/14/2007 | The Eagle, Bryan/College Station, TX
"The area's top-performing businesses were honored Wednesday during the Bryan Rotary Club's 14th Annual Newman 10 Business Performance Awards...The dedication to hard work that's come to characterize the awards kept at least one winning entreprenuer away on business...Sponsored by Newman Printing Co., the awards recognize the 10 local businesses that have experienced the most sales growth over a three-year period."
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 3:43PM