Level Up Your Construction Administration: Mitigating risk and improving ROI through information management 

The first conversation at the start of the construction phase is usually the same:  

“What tools are we using for our construction administration workflow?”  

That usually begins a bit of friction between stakeholder groups; with each party pulling to use their platforms of choice to mitigate risk by ensuring they have the most up-to-date information in their product. 

For example, general contractors in the industry use construction management applications such as Procore to help optimize their construction administration workflows. They log and process all their RFI and submittal data straight into Procore and then send off the RFI or Submittal to the relevant parties to get answers to their queries. 

However, a general contractor using a system like Procore to generate submittals and RFIs might not always jive well with the architect or engineer that are more than likely using a different system for the review and response process.  

Let’s just say it creates a little friction, wastes a ton of time on all ends and exposes each stakeholder party to potential human error and possible litigation if something goes wrong. 

So how do we get everyone on the same page? By using information management platforms that can automate data transfer between stakeholder groups. 

One such platform is Newforma Konekt. 

As the leading information management platform in the AECO industry, Newforma Konekt seamlessly integrates into your existing tech stack, ensuring a smooth collaboration with your team.  Its in-context add-ons are designed to enhance project connectivity, improve workflow efficiency and streamline collaboration between parties. 

Sound too good to be true? Let’s unpack it. 

Let’s go back to the beginning here, with the game of tug of war between different groups at the start of the construction phase. 

Each stakeholder group on the project will push to use their software of choice in the upcoming, rather than having to learn a new platform for one project or accept the added risk of missing information. 

A general contractor who would want to continue working in Procore will likely not want to learn the engineering or architectural firms’ software of choice and vice-versa. It creates unnecessary tension, as the battle for platform supremacy becomes the focus, rather than the smooth execution of the project. Not only is it unpleasant for all involved, but owners also find themselves in a bind as they look to get their project started on the right foot and ensure that the investment, they just made was worth it. 

Newforma Konekt immediately ends any potential dispute before it can even happen, thanks to its Procore connector. By automating the transfer of RFI and submittal information, contractors can continue to work within Procore, while design teams can work from Newforma Konekt; ending any potential disputes and ensuring everyone’s happy! 

Here’s how it works. 

Acting as a central hub of information, Newforma can automatically transfer RFIs and submittals coming from the general contractor to the design teams using Newforma Konekt without the need to transcribe the information again and again. 

Thanks to the Procore connector, those same RFIs and submittals would be accessible in both Newforma Konekt and Procore simultaneously; allowing information to flow freely from both sides without the need for stakeholder groups to have to learn how to use a new platform or dig in their emails for missing information. 

As the web that ties major third-party software together, Newforma Konekt is the ultimate master aggregator of project information. Its purpose-built workflow connectors are set to ensure coveted cohesion in AECO processes, rather than simple data connections.  

There’s nothing like starting a multi-million dollar project off on the right foot, am I right? 

Now, let’s say we’re still back at square one, and the architectural or engineering firm on the project acquiesces to the general contractors’ demands and tries to adopt Procore.  

After receiving their licenses and getting familiar with Procore, they’d receive an RFI or submittal from the general contractors in the field.

As the information comes in, you’d then have to log said RFI or submittal into your own system first; downloading and re-entering information into your own platform of choice to keep a full project record to protect yourself and your firm. Then you’d have to answer the query in question and send it back; by first taking the time to fill in the information on your end before transcribing it into Procore to send off to the general contractors. 

On top of being incredibly annoying, it eventually leads to delays and unnecessary data duplication; increasing the likelihood of human error. 

With Newforma Konekt, all that needless extra work and unnecessary risk quickly becomes a thing of the past. Through the power of Newforma Konekt’s Procore connector, you can receive an RFI or submittal from a general contractor using Procore and have it automatically flow into Newforma Konekt, streamlining the review process by removing the need to re-create those items in Newforma Konekt.  

When the design team completes their review, the RFI or submittal is then returned directly to the Procore user, allowing construction and design teams to work where they are most comfortable.  In fact, by using the Procore connector within Newforma Konekt, you can save an average of 12 minutes every time you receive and respond to an RFI or submittal, without sacrificing security, project integrity or protocol. 

As an example, Moseley Architects had 28 projects that were using Newforma’s Procore Connector, processing over 3000 submittals in total. They were able to save nearly 600 hours and approximately $30,000 for the firm thanks to the automated data transfer.* 

Gaining back such a considerable amount of time and money, on top of the added convenience of working out of your preferred platform, is simply game-changing. 

Speeding up your RFI and submittal workflows are all nice and dandy, but it wouldn’t mean much if you were able to capture all that data to keep a robust project record. 

In the past, you would be given a licence to work in Procore or another third-party platform; only to have your access revoked at the end of the project. With all that data effectively lost, it makes for a huge hole in your firm’s project record and leaves you open to the risk of litigation. 

To ensure the proper and consistent development of your project record, Newforma acts as a unifying force, becoming the system of record for your organization. In doing so, the platform helps all stakeholders mitigate risks by connecting scattered information, ensuring that if it exists, it will be found and recorded.  

Newforma Konekt acts as one centralized and secure location for your data to live, regardless of whether you have a license to work in construction management platforms like Procore. Not only does Newforma Konekt keep your CA workflows logged and secure, but it helps you organize and record project emails and files, manage RFIs and Submittals and keep a complete project record, by seamlessly connecting itself to other major platforms in the AECO industry.  

On top of being able to automate the transfer of data between Procore and Newforma Konekt, Newforma’s information management features also allow you to quickly scan through your data with its deep search and filtering capabilities. 

So, not only can you record your project data accurately, but you’ll be able to access it precisely when you need to; even after the project is done. Because all that connectivity and centralized data doesn’t mean much if you can’t find it exactly when you need it. It may not seem like a big deal at first, but keeping a complete project record can be the difference between peace of mind and a multi-million-dollar lawsuit – and let’s face it collecting data and not being able to find it, makes collecting it useless. 

We both know what the preferable choice is.  

Newforma’s integration with Procore saves time and reduces errors with the automated transfer of information relating to RFIs or submittals for review. Each team can use the software that they are already familiar with, keeping design and construction projects organized, on track, and protected. 

By organizing and connecting you to crucial project data in Procore or helping other project stakeholders connect to your hub in Procore, you can save a considerable amount of time; with an estimated potential savings of up to $30,000 on larger projects. 

You read that right. With the strong partnership between Newforma and Procore, streamlining communication and collaboration between the Construction and Design teams has never been this easy or cost-effective. 

Do we have your attention yet? If so, let’s chat! 

Schedule a demo to learn more about how Newforma Konekt can take your construction administration game to the next level.