Your project team is typically made up of 7 key stakeholders – architects, engineers, the contractor or specialist contractor, estimators, site manager(s), and the owner. In this post, we delve into each role to bring you a clear overview of key benefits to be had with Bluebeam Revu.
Since its launch in 2002, Bluebeam has continually made the lives of design and construction professionals easier with their simple, smart solutions to PDF mark-up technology.
Nearly twenty years on – and over 2 million users worldwide – the software company is firmly established itself as one of the leading global mark-up solutions, upgrading their software each year to keep up with ever-changing technological demands.
The launch of their latest software, Bluebeam Revu 2021, is the most advanced version yet – with 70% faster takeoffs, 90% snagging accuracy, 60% time reduction, 83% paper reduction and an estimated 950 hours saved across the duration of a project.
Whilst some of the stats above are undeniably impressive, it’s useful to take a step back and truly understand how each stakeholder in a construction project will benefit.
So, if you’re new to PDF mark-up technology, or if you’re in the market for a different solution, this post aims to breakdown each job role within a typical project team, highlighting exactly how each professional will benefit.
We will cover:
- Architects
- Engineers
- Contractors & Specialist Contractors
- Estimators
- Site Managers
- Owners
#1 How Bluebeam Benefits Architect Teams
If you’re used to reams and reams of paper hiding underneath people’s desks – with various mock-ups, red lines and pen, you’ll understand how difficult paper-based workflows can be.
The sheer number of documents alone makes it difficult to meet project deadlines, not to mention the fact that you’d have to distribute the documents across multiple offices.
Digitising the design review process streamlines the entire QA process and reduce the chances of error, and with real-time collaboration communication is so much faster.
Here are some specific benefits to be had if you’re an architect:
- Faster Design Reviews – Getting timely design feedback from project stakeholders is critical to avoid costly changes during construction. Revu speeds up design reviews by allowing project partners to mark up and collaborate on the same documents in real time or any time.
- Better document management – You can manage all your project folders and files in one location, allowing teams to easily access, upload and review the most up-to-date documents.
- QA/QC – Markup and collaboration tools make for faster, more accurate (and more thorough) quality reviews.
- Submittal review – Powerful markup and editing tools simplify the submittal process. And it also integrates into many document management systems.
- Request for information Posting – RFIs are kept clear and organised via smart markup, hyperlinking and visualisation tools.
- Snagging – Your snag items can be easily sorted and summarised, achieving a 90% completion rate of first back check!
To find out more or to book your demo, click here.
#2 How Bluebeam Revu benefits Engineers
As an engineer, it’s your job to plan, design, monitor and inspect systems to make buildings comfortable, functional, efficient and, of course, safe.
Yet, all-too-often, changes can become costly if design feedback has inaccuracies and not provided in a timely manner.
Revu gives you the ability to mark up and collaborate on the same documents in real time, drastically speeding up design reviews and reducing those costly changes.
Here are some specific benefits to be had if you’re an engineer:
- Quantity Takeoff – You can capture a project’s true scope with advanced measurement tools. This allows you to build a stronger tender, giving you a competitive edge.
- QA/QC – As with architects, markup and collaboration tools make for faster, more accurate (and more thorough) quality reviews.
- Document Management – All your files and folders can be managed in once location, allowing teams to access and review them.
To find out more about how Bluebeam can help engineers, click here.
#3 How Contractors & Specialist Contractors Can Win With Bluebeam Revu
As a contractor, your role in planning, managing, accurately tracking and completing work to a high standard is instrumental to the success of any construction project.
You’re also under pressure to win more work – which is why accurate tendering is a must.
For these reasons, contractors and specialist contractors will perhaps experience the most benefits out of all the stakeholders by implementing Bluebeam Review. Here’s a breakdown:
- Document Management – You can simplify and manage your project folders and files in one online location, making it easier for your team to find what they need whether they’re in the field or the office
- Drawing Management – The document tools in Revu are highly dynamic, allowing you to manage and share the most current drawing set with project partners, wherever you are.
- Quantity Takeoff – The measurement tools allow you to capture a project’s true scope. This will enable you to create a stronger tender, and therefore a more competitive edge.
- Submittal Review – The powerful markup and editing tools simply submittals, keeping your project running smoothly.
- Request for information posting – RFIs can quickly become un-clear and unorganised. However, with smart markup, hyperlinking and visualisation tools, you’ll easily stay on track.
- Snagging – 90% completion rate on first back check by sorting and summarising snag items with drawings
- Project Handover – Deliver smart O&Ms that gives you quick and easy digital access to critical building information.
- QA/QC – Faster, more accurate quality reviews
To find out more about how Bluebeam can help contractors & specialist contractors, click here.
#4 Bluebeam Revu Helps Estimators Create Faster and Accurate Tenders
When you’re involved in calculating the cost of a project – whether its materi
als, labour, equipment hire or anything in between – you need to rely on accurate information at design stage.
Therefore, alongside Contractors, estimators will experience a whole host of benefits from using Bluebeam Revu.
And even if you’re a self-confessed technophobe, Revu doesn’t discriminate. In this article, you’ll learn of an estimator – who had been in the industry for quite some time – found that he managed to complete, in just one day, an estimation that was not only more accurate, but would have taken two weeks initially.
The benefits of Bluebeam are shared amongst estimators and contractors, yet Revu helps estimators with smart takeoff tools that accurately capture drawing measurements and calculations. Revu customers experience 80% faster estimations, which helps estimators win more business rather than being slowed in doing calculations. Revu also helps by:
- Faster Design Reviews – Revu speeds up design reviews by allowing project partners to mark up and collaborate on the same documents in real time or any time.
- Document Management – You can simplify and manage your project folders and files in one online location, making it easier for your team to find what they need whether they’re in the field or the office
- QA/QC – Markup and collaboration tools make for faster, more accurate (and more thorough) quality reviews.
#5 Empowering Site Managers With Bluebeam
Site managers are often plagued with the pressure of keeping projects on schedule, up to code and within budget – but real time updates directly from the field can certainly make any site manager’s life easier.
Here are three key benefits for site managers, at a glance:
- Request for information posting – RFIs can quickly become un-clear and unorganised. However, with smart markup, hyperlinking and visualisation tools, you’ll easily stay on track.
- Snagging – 90% completion rate on first back check by sorting and summarising snag items with drawings
- QA/QC – Markup and collaboration tools make for faster, more accurate (and more thorough) quality reviews.
#6 Bluebeam Can Help Building Owners, too
And lastly, we have the building owner. Whilst the building owner won’t necessarily need (or want) to know the nitty gritty, they will, of course, have invested interest in the overall progress of a project.
And you don’t need this article to tell you that project delays can sting financially.
The design review, document management and QA/QC functionalities within Revu will ensure that the building owner, is kept up to speed with key stages in the project, allowing them to prepare (and even mitigate) any problems that may arise.
Owners also benefit from having a successful project handover. This handover and closeout process is crucial for the long-term health, safety and cost of a building. With the dynamic document creation tools in Revu, you can deliver smart O&Ms that give facilities managers quick and easy digital access to critical building information.
To find out more about how the building owner can benefit from Bluebeam Revu, click here.
Conclusion
Implementing new software into your business can be an investment in both time and money. That’s why you need a solution that allows for a more simplified process – for everyone involved.
When used effectively by all project stakeholders, you will find that the first job done with Revu often pays for itself.
If you ar
e one of the key project team members listed above, don’t hesitate to reach out to an expert today.