While there are plenty of construction estimating and project management tools available, many small to mid-sized asphalt paving companies have felt neglected when it comes to creating accurate, reliable proposals, handling bidding and all aspects of customer engagement.
Pittbos, a Boston-based startup, aims to provide a more approachable, budget-friendly project management solution for asphalt contractors. The software is designed to give field and office teams complete visibility into projects to drive better business decisions.
“We look at pen and paper as our competition. This is for the smaller contractors that have nothing,” says Pittbos CEO and co-founder Mark Peach. “A guy that has a $5 million business is not going to spend $30,000 on an estimating system that is really complex to use, requires a server and has software you have to update all the time.”
The cloud-based solution costs $100 per user per month and can be accessed via desktop or mobile device. Users get a real-time overview of key business metrics such as proposal status, remaining backlog, the total amount invoiced, recent project activity and the local weather.
Pittbos speeds up estimating by capturing and storing all of the user’s labor and equipment types, crews, material types, trucking providers and material suppliers. Once the initial template is created, users can apply quantity or production rates to each project. Branding, contract conditions and payment terms can be preloaded into estimate templates, and proposals can be sent directly from the system.
Once a proposal is sent, it is automatically logged into the customer relationship management (CRM) system. Follow-up emails and texts can be sent directly to the client, and sales representatives can enter status notes and updates.
If the proposal is accepted, the job is pushed into the backlog of active projects. The project information can be tailored to the information needs of both field and office staff.
