As someone who worked on large construction projects, both in the military and here at home in the US, I believe the days of pencil and endless paper as the tools for managing time & material (T&M) in construction are dead, or at the very least, they should be. That’s why I’ve taken on the job of transforming cost management in construction as the CEO of Rhumbix.

In a world of narrow margins and a relentless move to the cloud, as well as a labor shortages with the expectation of faster project delivery times, digitization of T&M may lower the blood pressure of owners, general contractors and trade contractors everywhere.

If you’re in the construction industry, you’ve probably experienced first-hand that T&M is one of the most frustrating interactions between owners, general contractors and trade contractors. The bottom line is that T&M deals with one of the most challenging aspects of the construction process: change.

Changes comes from many places – some expected and some unexpected – but nevertheless, completion of a project is a winding road of work order changes and surprises.  Whether the shakeups come from an owner who wants something different, or change comes when a field installation is not working out due to coordination issues, or the proverbial “rhut-row” at the end of a project (you know those holes in drywall, scuffed up doors or simple clean up), these issues must be addressed – quickly.

Change, however, doesn’t have to be so hard. At Rhumbix, we think it is time to break up with the old habits of the past. Breaking up is hard to do, sure, but it is time to eliminate paper and the associated time delays and mistakes which have plagued our industry. Automation of T&M is the future of the construction industry and it is time to get moving.

Thanks to the recent announcement of an integration of Rhumbix Time & Material Tracking with Autodesk BIM 360 Cost Management, it’s now easier than ever to digitize T&M.

Rhumbix, a powerful mobile platform designed for smarter construction sites, now offers a seamless integration with the Cost Management Module of the Autodesk BIM 360 construction management platform. Via this cloud-based, paperless solution, we expect you will be able to better manage your field change orders through digital reporting, tracking and approval of time and material tags (aka T&M).

Thanks to this integration between Rhumbix and Autodesk, our shared users are expected to be able to see details such as hours, times, equipment costs and expenditures for T&M tags in the Potential Change Order (PCO) module of the BIM 360 Cost Management tool. This allows for an instant and more precise understanding of the true costs of a PCO.

Andrew Cameron, a project manager at Hensel Phelps, is one of those shared customers and he points to how the integration impacts work in the field, “With Rhumbix and Autodesk BIM 360, users now have faster access to the data, rather than doing it through traditional methods handling or physically handing off the information from one desk to another. The teams are now able to collaborate in a central environment.”

Moving to digital tools can be daunting for those who have only known paper, so it is time to break up with paper and get know digital T&M a little better.  You’ll be glad you did and will reap the benefits right away.

Remember to join us for the June 6 webinar to learn more about our integration with Autodesk should help make your job simpler and smarter.