How many bids are you currently working on? Would you like to bid on more? Competition for construction projects bids is as fierce as ever so finding ways to speed up your bidding process should always be top of mind. The more projects you bid on the higher the chances that you’ll win more bids.

How do you know when to hire out and when to do it in-house? Well, like many things…it depends. When it comes to your digital modeling needs, you thankfully have options. We’ve put together a list of pros and cons to help with your decision.

The years fly by, and we live in a world of constant change but when it comes to building a career in construction, several things stand to the test of time. One of those constants is that in our industry, there will almost always be more projects than there are laborers to work on them. Proving this still remains true today is the fact that this theme came up again recently when Ray attended Build Witt’s first Dirt Summit in Houston, TX last month.

We all know that computers are significant in today’s world, and its impact on the construction industry is no exception. Whether it is the computer systems that are being used to design projects or the machinery used to build them, computers are critical to the project’s success. For example, the days of designing sites using hand-drawings or blueprints are long gone, and that includes redlines of the blueprints which were replaced by As-Builts. Systems such as computer-aided designs (CAD) have taken the place of blueprints and become more sophisticated from year to year.

It’s essential to get accurate site calibrations when it comes to earthmoving projects. A single-point calibration is the simplest type of calibration performed. Site calibrations are necessary because they enable multiple GNSS-based rover systems to work in your local site's coordinate system. How do you know when a single-point calibration is sufficient or not? We'll share some information and advice to help you figure it out!

The primary advantage of CIM is the benefit it provides to our client partnerships. We seamlessly integrate our modeling work into their workstreams, which allows them to plan their resources and their projects most efficiently. When CIM processes are incorporated into civil engineering workflows, the result is far better than when it is not, including higher profits for contractors!

In our industry, precision is one of the most fundamental factors to successful project execution. Precise measurements lead to precise calculations, precise calculations lead to precise specifications, and ultimately that all leads to better project outcomes. Being able to calculate accurate local elevation for job sites is essential. However, our planet is not the perfectly round, smooth shape that some think it is. Earth is very bumpy and irregular. This irregular shape is called the geoid.

Geometry is the basis for civil engineering. You may have heard the term TIN when speaking with a civil engineer about a surface model for your project. So, what is this TIN thing you hear them talking about? Basically, it’s a bunch of triangles all joined continuously together at their points (vertices). TINs provide a visual of a topographical surface and are the building blocks for creating 3D surface models of civil works.

CONEXPO CON/AGG 2023 is coming up quick and if you’re headed to Las Vegas you’re sure to see many cool Artificial Intelligence options that can be useful in construction project management. From the bidding stage through completion, there are many reasons why you might want to consider adding AI into your workflows.

The evolution of surveying over the years is very impressive. What used to take months to do years ago has been reduced to days or hours in modern-day surveying. There are many different methods used by surveyors. This blog will cover some of those methods.

We are often asked how we can provide value to a road, utility, or site contractor who already has an in-house GPS model builder. The answer is simple, we work collaboratively with them to add the modeling expertise of our VCEs, we take up the slack to get large projects ready for construction, and we bring more modeling tools to the table.

By bringing together virtual models, data analytics, systems, people, and improved workflows through CIM you will gain efficiencies in every phase. Stakeholders will be able to easily access and rely on accurate and timely information which will enable them to do their jobs better. Your projects will not run behind schedule as often and your overall costs will decrease.

So, you’ve invested in some GPS machine control technology. You’ve weighed the option of training or hiring an in-house person versus hiring an external service provider to handle the data prep. Based on your research, you’ve decided to partner with an external company that specializes in data prep and want to know what the next steps are.

A question we are frequently asked by our clients and prospective clients is “What is the turnaround time for this project?”. Generally speaking, we typically run on average with a two-week turnaround time but situations sometimes impact that timeline which means it could take longer. Let’s go over some problems that impact the speed of model building.

The increased use of GPS systems for construction projects has led to contractors often asking themselves or service providers like us, “What does a 3d road model cost?”. Typically, you’ll hear the standard reply of “it depends” which it does. However, we’re going to explain why it depends and what each type might generally cost.

There are tons of specialties that one can build off of within construction. Not everyone has to be a carpenter or a heavy equipment operator. However, if you do start in one of those jobs, your chances to further build out your skills are plentiful.

In tribute to October’s Careers in Construction month, we’re sharing what it’s like to pursue a career as a Virtual Construction Engineer (VCE). It’s not necessarily a widely known term, so we’re glad to share our knowledge as well as some insights from our very own VCEs.

We love watching stuff blow up – what a rush! Blasting in construction is an efficient way of getting a job site prepped. Using controlled explosives in the excavation has been a popular method for breaking rock for over a hundred years. The size of the rock you’re demolishing will dictate the velocity of the explosives. The harder the rock type, the higher the velocity.

There is so much for a PM to consider when managing a construction project. Establishing and maintaining effective monitoring and control protocols improves project success. With so many moving parts and the potential for changes arising at any point, how can you best monitor and control your job site?

Breaklines are essential for creating a precise 3D surface model. Breaklines connect data representing specific features on a surface, such as the centerline of a road, a ridgeline, or a ditch's flowline. Whether to use spot elevations or contour lines to determine your breaklines is not always clear. Here, we help shed some light on the differences between contour lines and spot elevations and provide guidance on when to use which one.