Working on a HazardCo site? One tool, all corners covered – in your back pocket!
The construction apps and technology that will help you get ahead in 2023
Jan 16, 2023
Phew, what a year 2022 was. With continued labour shortages and skyrocketing supply increases it certainly wasn’t an easy year for residential builders in Australia.
The reality is that no one knows what 2023 has in store, so the best bet is to take stock of the things in your control. With a deep understanding of your business and some rock-solid processes, you can build a strong, resilient building company that is prepared for anything!
Check out this list of construction apps and technology that can help you stop scrambling around with paperwork and manual time-wasting tasks. Go digital and build a resilient business that gets ahead in 2023.
BuiltGrid
Supplier-connected project management
BuiltGrid is Australia’s supplier-connected project management system. The platform empowers builders to manage existing trades and find new trades & suppliers who want work. BuiltGrid will ensure your construction business completes your next project on time and under budget.
With no supply chain connectivity material and trade pressures are likely to continue into 2023, Toby Loft, co-founder at BuiltGrid says, “We’re dedicated to improving project visibility to reduce costly waste and rework; with real-time connection to your supplier’s builders save tens of thousands for every house built. Builders using BuiltGrid achieve a cost reduction of 8.75% in time, work and materials, giving them a significant boost in profits. With BuiltGrid, you can manage existing or find new trades & suppliers, compare quotes and automate your admin.”
Find out more about BuiltGrid.
Buildxact
Construction management and estimating software
Buildxact is easy to use construction management and estimating software designed for small builders and contractors. It will help you to run your construction projects, from take off to invoice.
“With all of the current challenges in the market, building companies can really benefit from putting a system in place that helps them to deal with last minute schedule changes and price increases on the fly. Buildxact is really flexible. It will help you to stay on top of each job, giving you a clear picture of income and outgoings so you’ll know exactly where your job profit stands. Buildxact also now integrates directly with your supplier to get the latest prices to you to make your quoting quicker and more accurate”, says Julian Krishnan Nair from Buildxact.
“Our customers often tell us that using Buildxact cuts the time spend on take offs by 80%. You can upload the PDF and do your takeoff on-screen in minutes, you don’t need paper plans or scale rulers. Measure in a few clicks and price jobs in one step.”
Find out more about Buildxact.
HazardCo
A simple health and safety system
HazardCo is a digital health and safety management system for home builders. It makes health and safety simple, giving you the confidence you’re keeping your crew and business safe, while cutting the time you spend on paperwork.
“When small builders want to move away from paperwork and digitize their processes, the first place they often start is health and safety. It’s an easy win that’s quick to implement and delivers instant results. You can create a site specific safety plan in minutes and have everyone scanning into your site in no time. As well as saving time, automating your contractor management processes helps to deal with labour shortages and provides flexibility,” says Luke Williams, from HazardCo.
HazardCo is trusted by 10,000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand
Getter
Supply procurement
Getter has created an on-demand procurement platform for all tools and materials, bridging the gap between wholesaler and construction site. Getter has an extensive supply chain that can tip the scales to your competitive advantage as project margins fall and programs tighten.
Sam Hatty from Getter explains, “Getter is the answer to one of the greatest productivity killers all builders and tradies face in their day-to-day – supply procurement. We were founded by a group of tradies so we’re well aware of the constraints that sourcing and procurement can put on a project, both economically and time-wise. What makes us different is our unique technology backed by an enthusiastic team and an extensive supply chain. We have a heavy focus on customer service and precision delivery by our own inhouse fleet.”
The platform consists of 2 sourcing options; ‘Shop and Deliver’ and the recently launched ‘Getter Quotes’.The Shop and Deliver service offers an online catalogue boasting over 100,000 products categorised into trade-specific genres with an intuitive product availability filter according to location. Getter Quotes simplifies a traditional material sourcing process from clunky emails, phone calls & over the phone prices to an easy to use, transparent, itemised quotation process. Giving customers access to a much wider range at incredibly competitive pricing.
Landchecker
Instant property and land data, in one place
Landchecker brings over 300 sources of information into one place so you see the full story of any property.
Craig Heaven from Landchecker says, “When a potential client calls you up about a site and they’re wanting to know the possibilities, you can quickly put the address into Landchecker and view up to date property information about the site in one place. Landchecker is fast, accurate and easy to use so you will look like a pro to the potential client and ensure the build aligns to your company”
Information includes land size, planning zones, overlays, and previous planning permits for the property and surrounding area. Turn on high-resolution aerial imagery to get a good look at the site and to see what it looks like now and historically to see what’s developed around the property. Landchecker is currently available in Vic, NSW, Qld,WA, Tas and SA with more than 3000 builders regularly using the platform.
Find out more about Landchecker.
Xero
Accounting software
Xero is online accounting software for your business that connects you to your bank, accountant, bookkeeper, and other business apps. It’s made for small businesses, so you can automate admin and work from anywhere, any time.
The thing about construction accounting is that you have to do it regularly. If you fall behind in your accounts, things can quickly get out of hand. So it’s vital to build accounting into your workflow. Xero is cloud based and simple to use. Whether you are on site or in the office you can access Xero on your smartphone or tablet so you’ll never get behind.
PSI Global
Property information
PSI Global specialises in property information for builders and trades.
“We know builders are busy managing their business, so we make it our mission to do the grunt work”, comments Samantha Whitmore, PSI Global.
“Our process is simple – we have great relationships with local government authorities, we gather all the information for you and we even do all the chasing up! We proactively keep you updated on how your job is tracking through our online portal and you can opt to receive your property information as we get it or at the very end in a neat package. We then provide you with one easy-to-manage invoice when your job is complete, no monthly subscriptions and no hidden fees.”
You can order Certificate Of Title, DP Plan (Title Plan), Instruments 88B, Sewer Drainage Diagram, Planning Certificate 10.7(2), Planning Certificate Section 10.7(5) and more.