4 Ways Autodesk Construction Cloud Helps General Contractors

A recent Autodesk article stated that over three-quarters of the top 100 contractors ranked by ENR (Engineering News-Record) have chosen Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) for use on more than 350,000 projects around the world. The ACC platform was developed for the purpose of connecting construction project teams. Data management and information sharing are two of its strong points.

A lean, agile approach to projects is needed by general contractors (GCs) in today’s market because of the level of customization that they are still required to provide. Following are four ways ACC helps GCs with quality and efficiency:

1. Integrated teams – ACC enables integrated 3D modeling and a single source of truth. Each stakeholder does not have to start from scratch with their model. One of the highlights of the ACC platform is a better process for design documentation, improving project outcomes. The single, user-friendly platform makes for better design collaboration.

This “one-model” approach eliminates duplication of work and improves accuracy. Even more helpful, trade contractors can add their input earlier in the project, during the design process. Fully coordinated construction documents enable model-driven design and estimating and more accurate cost valuations. Since details and quantity takeoffs used for estimating are extracted from the same model, shop drawings reflect the same information as the AOR (architect of record) and engineering drawings.  

2. Scope and budget alignment – An integrated approach helps GCs stay informed on changing quantities as the design advances. There is a more direct correlation between design and estimating, with 2D and 3D quantification possible. Contractors can ensure bid leveling* and insights using historical bid data. Third-party applications can help confirm design intent with owners – for instance sharing 3D views or scans of a certain phase of the project – and communicate feedback to project partners.

3. Schedule alignment – ACC enables faster decision making, hastening response times from the designers and keeping the project schedule on track. Having this expertise improves the way the company responds to changes and makes adjustments. The resulting flexibility, including mobile capabilities, helps centralize data management and improves efficiencies to shorten the project delivery schedule.

4. Construction readiness – Model collaboration, conditioning** and coordination ensure that the project model is ready for construction when it’s needed. Tools in the ACC platform enable automated issue tracking, so corrections can be made immediately. With these features, plus standardized safety plans, ACC makes risk mitigation possible. In addition, the ability to show the owner progress in real-time helps build trusting relationships.

Beginning with design, then groundbreaking and preconstruction, proceeding through finish work, ACC provides one platform for information to be disseminated to the entire project team. By uniting office and field teams, the single interface eliminates duplication of work and promotes efficient communication and smooth project management.

*ensuring all bidders submit comparable bid packages

**adding information to the design model to make it more useful in later phases

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