e-Builder makes its “major announcement”

I wrote last month about US construction collaboration vendor e-Builder and its impending major announcement. I waited well into July to see what this would be, but nothing appeared on the e-Builder website until just over a week ago when a release finally appeared, backdated to 29 June.

e-Builder announced “the launch of e-Builder Enterprise 6.0, the next wave of on demand capital program management software”, aimed at owners and owner’s representatives for whom enterprise class systems were too expensive to purchase or manage. With Enterprise 6.0, e-Builder says it:

“delivers an integrated, customizable enterprise project management solution for companies of all sizes. Simply put, it’s easier to learn and can be implemented in days and weeks instead of months and years and requires a much lower cost and time investment than traditional systems.”

Given that some US vendors (eg: BricsNet, Autodesk Constructware, Meridian) already seem to offer enterprise class collaboration solutions, I am not sure this development will have the “resounding impact in the industry for years to come” that e-Builder promised. The company now offers three levels of product (within an over-arching Framework):

  • Enterprise – “an integrated capital program management solution …”
  • Collaborator – “a web-based document management and collaboration system for construction projects”
  • Professional – an “integrated document management and collaboration system for A/E/C professionals”

Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2007/07/e-builder-makes/

3 comments

    • Eric on 6 December 2007 at 5:45 am

    Enterprise Software equals slow under performing bloat ware that provides zero return on investment. If you want to see a real collaborative application check out EADOC, http://www.eadocsoftware.com. Their application can be setup in hours for small projects and requires only several days for larger CIP programs. Also they don’t charge per user, allowing team to achieve true collaboration. FYI they just beat E-builder, Autodesk, and Prolog for a $100 Million project. Check their site in February for more details on this deal. I didn’t realize bricsnet was even still in business?

  1. While true that several U.S. vendors offer enterprise-class collaboration solutions, you will also find that the cost for these continues to be prohibitive for a lot of mid-sized companies. These vendors offer very ‘robust’ and complete solutions. However, what we continually encounter are ‘bloated’ and underperforming solutions that require a) a very high, upfront investment, b) significant customization to make it perform to a client’s standard, c) significant consulting costs. Ask around at major organizations that have implemented some of these solutions, and you’ll feel like you’re talking to the same person:
    “We paid X thousands of dollars and the system is still not doing what it’s supposed to”
    “It’s got a lot of capabilities but it’s been so difficult to use that people on the project are not willing to use it”
    “We’ve gone through several customizations and we’re still not there…”
    So while companies like Banner Health, who are managing a billion expansion, can (perhaps) afford to spend hundreds of thousands on such a tool they can also appreciate the benefits that a platform like e-Builder 6.0 provides – rapid deployment and implementation, simple-to-use interface to increase adoption and improve usability, fast and responsive data transfers, and integrated project management and collaboration capabilities.
    If you think in terms of the savings we are providing the firms that choose to put this platform to the test, then we’re comfortable making the case for a resounding impact, at least on our clients’ bottom line and long term savings – which can add up to a lot given current construction costs : )
    Cheers

    • Ex e-Builder Employee on 10 May 2008 at 4:29 pm

    This is a little dated, but worth posting in case someone actually sees it. It might save them a lot of hassle.
    I worked for e-Builder during its early expansion period (around the time investments began to come in from McGraw Hill). With one exception (as far as I know) every original architect and developer left the company about five years ago, to be replaced with an army of consultants. I won’t go into the appalling and hilarious details but until Ron Antevy is no longer associated with e-Builder, I warn you to steer clear of this company.
    Mr. Antevy, the CEO, once stated that he could hire “$5 an hour monkeys” to do better work than his development staff and proceeded to attempt to logically defend an obviously satirical comment when confronted with anger by the staff.
    In my opinion, the development staff was among the finest collection of developers, architects, and technical writers I’ve known to date. The problem wasn’t the now departed staff, but the ex waste management executive’s inability to transition his skills from one sector to another.

Comments have been disabled.