09.06.2016
Construction management as an intelligent service
More and more companies are realizing the value of quickly using electronic drawings on a construction site with the ability to update and supplement them. Even those who are not at the forefront of implementing BIM technologies are beginning to implement data sets with professional software applications for the construction industry in their work.
Russian design organizations have long been ready to transfer project documentation to the customer in electronic form. All participants in the process, including the builders themselves, are forced to varying degrees to use it directly on the construction site, and not unfold the paper “A0” on the knee.
1. Opportunities and obstacles
To eliminate paper, you need a convenient and effective tool that meets the requirements of the customer, contractor and designer’s supervision of the design organization. There seems to be hardware - various tablets, phablets and smartphones. But it’s too early to talk about the availability of a domestic software product that will become a single work tool for all construction participants; it must satisfy a number of, in general, simple requirements:
- provide the opportunity to structure all comments on construction projects;
- replace the means of operational communication with built-in means of discussion and notifications;
- provide access to different formats of drawings and documents directly on the construction site;
- to be recognized as the main tool for maintaining “reporting” journals;
- be simple, convenient and understandable. Paperless document flow
design and construction has been a stable trend for a long time. Because the weight of paper project documentation can be measured in tons, it becomes almost impossible to work with it, especially “in the field,” and also to track the consistency of versions and carry out synchronization. Or, for example, craftsmen have to report on the work performed in
a paper log, supervisory engineers use it, and customer representatives most often receive separately generated reports. Although, in principle, now everyone is happy with everything: the processes and tools from the 20th century still work. But sometimes suddenly:
The reports do not correspond to reality, because the creation of the report is done manually and some are forgotten, and some simply become irrelevant by the time the report is submitted;
- supervision engineers come for the next inspection, but it turns out that there is nothing to check: the comments found earlier have not been corrected - time is wasted;
- not all photos taken during the control session end up in the report, simply because when the time comes to compile it, the engineer forgot where he took this or that photo and what it refers to;
- at a construction site, a question arises that requires a prompt response from the customer or designer.
You have to call and explain by phone or write an e-mail. The person may simply not answer. And the question remains pending until the next supervision session. It either resolves itself (most likely, far from optimally), or it hangs and stops further work. And so on. The main reason lies in the predominance of paper recording of the problem, as well as the need for personal contact between the customer and the contractor to clarify problematic issues.
But does a report in a communicator replace a paper work log? No.
For now, it acts as an additional tool for receiving quick feedback from the construction site and structuring comments. A paper magazine lacks this. Technically, transferring the work production log to electronic form is possible, but entails the need for the organization to completely switch to paperless document flow using a qualified electronic digital signature. Rare organizations in Russia have such a high technical level.
In addition, work logs are legally significant documents that have a long shelf life. Therefore, foremen still have to report on the work performed in a paper journal, supervisory engineers use the same journal, and customer representatives most often receive separately generated reports.
Plus, questions arise about the legality of storing executive documentation in an electronic archive. In Russia, it is precisely these issues that are an obstacle to a large-scale transition of the construction industry to paperless technologies.
And they also say that the tablet’s screen is too small to view and work with drawings. Therefore, more often, tablets are used in work only as a means of communication: during planning meetings, when employees in different cities, at different objects, in order to transmit information, decide to take a picture of some node, film a route, copy a piece of paper and send it quickly for work. They also say that a tablet is, in principle, too weak to work effectively with graphics, so if something urgently needs to be done, they use remote access to the work computer.
What do the customer, contractors, construction and architectural supervision engineers, and construction foremen get for “double work” from the use of communicators?
1. The customer can see in real time how construction is progressing, namely: the list of completed works and the results of control sessions. Notifications about work completion are sent to the manager’s tablet and smartphone. Here he can view the report itself.
2. The inspector (construction control engineer) visits the construction site with a tablet. It is very convenient to leave a comment directly on the drawing and attach photographs of the problem area. Those. There is no need to waste time sorting photos. Reports to the customer are generated automatically, so the construction control engineer no longer needs to waste time compiling reports on inspection results.
3. Design supervision engineers - just like during construction supervision, the specialist links defects and errors during construction with photographs to specific drawings directly on the tablet. Each task can be discussed.
4. The foreman fills out the work log on the tablet. He can
ask for clarification on any task from the customer and supervisory engineers. All these requests are recorded, thereby protecting the master from cases when the task is not clear, the customer does not respond, and as a result, the master is punished for missing deadlines.
2. Overview of software applications
There are many solutions that solve the problems mentioned above in one way or another. The list is far from exhaustive, as are the characteristics of software products on the market.
BIM 360 Field is part of the BIM 360 system from Autodesk. It is a cloud service for monitoring the condition and quality of construction, provides the ability to manage tasks and receive reports on projects, add defects found with photographs and indicating actions, as well as maintaining a log of labor equipment and other reports.
Accounting and project administrators can view issues for all projects to which they have access. Report export is available in XLS and CSV format for easy manipulation in Excel.
Regular users do not have access to this report. The disadvantages include a (subjectively) overly complex and illogical interface, it is difficult to understand all the functions, there seems to be no contextual assignment of tasks to a place in the drawing and there are no built-in “alternative” means of communication - messaging between users (there is only a general chat that requires registration).
However, this is a real leader. The product is constantly and rapidly evolving, expanding its functionality and using the capabilities of other applications of the BIM 360 Autodesk system.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the company was founded in December 2011 by a group of civil and software engineers. The original product, Plan-Grid for IPAD, launched in March 2012, its iPhone app launched in September 2012, and finally its Android app launched in May 2014.
This is an application that allows contractors, owners and architects to collaborate with all their project plans, specifications and photos on the IPAD.
Upload your PDFs, drawings, and they will automatically sync with all your team's iPads in real time. A good product for builders that allows customers and contractors to interact using a mobile application on their iPad. The most popular application for quality control of construction abroad.
The main advantages are “Punches” (stamps) - such marks in the form of stamps on the drawing with a detailed description, the ability to make notes on the drawing and save versions of the drawings, as well as easy export of photographs and drawings in PDF format. Disadvantages - not Russified, does not support CAD formats, only PDF files, and lack of comments for “stamps”.
Latista is developed by the company of the same name, founded in 2001. At the end of 2013 it became part of Textura® Corporation. On the basis of the Russian office of Latista, the Textura Vostok company was created, with a main office in Moscow and a development center in Obninsk.
Textura Corporation is a leading supplier of tools for collaboration and increasing labor productivity in the construction industry.
The set of solutions serves all specialists throughout the entire life cycle of the project - from the very start, investment assessment, design, pre-qualification and application management to competitions, construction site work management, environmental LEED® management and payment management, that is, a full-fledged BIM platform is being developed, as well as Autodesk's BIM 360 system.
Textura's collaboration platform and suite of online products now brings together all the tools you need to manage your construction business in an end-to-end manner, saving money, time and minimizing risk.
Mobile and cloud-based construction management product Latista is an easy-to-use and comprehensive software for quality management, commissioning and other tasks carried out on a construction site using iPad and iPhone mobile devices. It allows the division of comments into on-site control sessions, has full BIM support and its own contact system for project participants.
But there doesn't seem to be an Android version yet. Mobile applications for Android and Windows are already being developed and are scheduled for release this year.
Initially, the mobile component of the Latista system was intended for installation on laptops. Ordinary laptops, which do not withstand construction conditions well, or rugged industrial computers, heavy, about 3 kg, and expensive, costing 4-5 thousand dollars, were used.
The solution gained real mobility with the advent of tablets and broadband Internet access. Latista is delivered via a SaaS model. The cloud can be accessed in two ways. The first is through a browser from any platform (iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows).
Typically, such access is carried out from laptops or desktop PCs. The second option is using mobile app, existing in the iOS version.
The functionality of the application is somewhat reduced compared to the functionality of the browser version, primarily in the area of depth of customization of reports and generation of forms.
At the same time, functionality is provided for tasks that require solutions directly on the construction site: conducting inspections, creating comments about deficiencies and violations, instructions for correction, access to the entire array of documentation, including both PDF versions of drawings and documents, and three-dimensional BIM (Building) models Information Modeling - “building information modeling”).
The application is written taking into account the ability to work offline, without a constant Internet connection.
A small Russian company without any participation of non-residents and their capital (works on Russian servers and is physically located in Russia) develops a product taking into account the specifics of the Russian mentality and construction standards.
Plot Pad (the name was changed to “Stroykontrol”, more harmonious for Russia) is a product for interactive construction control. Each participant in the construction process, from the customer to the construction foreman, works in a single information space, the basis of which is design documentation (drawings).
Communication costs are kept to a minimum - this is facilitated by linking comments and tasks to a specific location on the plan, as well as instant notifications about various events. The product is aimed at the Russian market, but at the same time has an English version for working with foreign colleagues. The application is available on all Android tablets and iPads.
Main features of the Stroykontrol program:
- support for DWF vector format. Access to the internal components of the drawing - layers, lines, scale;
- intelligent measurement - measuring the area of a closed line by pointing or pressing;
- a single interface on all platforms;
- synchronization of marks and tasks on the drawing in real time;
- push notifications when assigning a task, opening access to a drawing, adding a comment to a task;
- full offline mode;
- saving different versions of plans, folders for grouping drawings;
- storage of drawings in PDM;
- setting tasks upon inspection;
- simultaneous work of the customer, designer and contractor with the drawing;
- automatic sending of instant notifications;
- automatic generation of reports for the customer;
- important notes and documents - in “Favorites”;
- downloading a schedule (Gantt chart) of work completed in MS Project.
3. NFC communications (near field communications technologies)
The technological side of communications in construction is also expected to change. Advanced foreign construction companies are “digitizing” their workers. Tablets and smartphones equipped with NFC communication systems can improve the efficiency and consistency of work on a construction site. Together with innovations in the field of building materials and equipment, this can change the construction process beyond recognition. Probably, in five years the construction industry will be able to emerge from the crisis and reach a new technological and marketing level.
Near Field Communications technologies will occupy an important place in the organization of work processes. NFC enables secure and fast data exchange between devices. One of the most famous examples of using NFC technology
These are mobile payments. The new iPhone 6, as well as a number of devices on Android and Windows, include “near-field communication” technologies, which are widely used at construction sites for personnel management and tracking the movement of building materials. When installing large multi-component structures, NFC technologies make it possible to quickly determine whether all components of the structure have been delivered and whether installation can begin.
4. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) using small chips with product information. Simple applications
The location of a container or other construction site. Tags are placed on the walls of containers. Trucks must be equipped with a SkyCom on-board computer and an RFID reader.
When a container is unloaded, its last position is sent to WinFleet. When trucks equipped with an RFID reader pass near the container, the container's position is reported again. The location is indicated in the WinFleet application.
Location of construction equipment.
All types of construction equipment, cranes, concrete mixers, compressors, vibrating plates and so on can be equipped with tags. A mobile computer with an RFID reader is installed anywhere on the construction site. When a construction vehicle is in the player's coverage area, his position is regularly communicated to the WinFleet application. You can see the location of machines (eg whether they are in use) and be sure that your machines have not been moved. RFID can be installed over large areas.
Basically, there is an iWinFleet application for your smartphone or iPad, which even allows you to find your vehicles on the road. iWinFleet shows the current position of all your vehicles at a glance, on a map or satellite image. The overview shows which vehicle is stationary and which is moving. You can download the iWinFleet app on your smartphone and track your vehicles anytime from anywhere in the world.
“Passive” systems typically consist of three main components: a smartphone, an RFID, and a portal. Notably, both the smartphone and RFID components are located on the client side, while the portal is located on the server side. All information is recorded in a centralized database. All employees can access the required information through the portal based on their access rights.
RFID technology can be passive or active. The main difference between active and passive RFID systems is that the active tag, which generates the electromagnetic field, contains a battery and can transmit information to the reader without a reader. HF passive tags are used much more often due to the low budget of the system.
The mobile device (smartphone/phablet/tablet) can be a Google Nexus S or similar with RFID support and Google Chrome as a web browser (i.e. a smartphone with NFC technology). Google Nexus S runs Android, and all data from the smartphone is transferred to the server directly over the Internet (if available) Wi-Fi.
The web portal is the information center in the system. Users can access various information by entering a designated password. The system's web portal is based, for example, on the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system with Internet Information Server (IIS) as the web server. ASP.NET combined with HTML and JavaScript technologies turns the Internet browser into a user-friendly interface.
The RFID system itself consists of an RFID tag and an RFID reader. An RFID tag includes a small microchip and an antenna. The data is stored in the tag, usually as a unique serial number.
Active RFID tags are more expensive than passive tags and have a reading range of 10-100 meters. Passive tags have a read range of 10 mm to approximately 5 m. The vast majority of RFID tags used in the construction industry are passive.
How are RFID reading functions achieved as a receiver/transmitter? The reader emits an electromagnetic field that “wake up” the tag and provide it with the power needed to transmit data to the reader via the antenna. This data is recognized by the RFID reader and transferred to a tablet, laptop or computer.
Unlike IR barcodes, RFID tags do not require line of sight to be read; they must be within the radio range of the reader, and nothing more. Additionally, RFID tags can be read through most materials. RFID tags are shrinking in size, with some as small as 0.33 mm in diameter. Although RFID systems can use different frequencies, the most common are low (125 KHz), high (13.56) and ultra high frequency (UHF) (850-900 MHz).
Thus, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a tagging technology that is gaining widespread acceptance due to its many advantages over other tagging technologies such as barcodes.
NFC is a subset of RFID with a limited communication range of 10 centimeters. Compared to Bluetooth and infrared, the main characteristic of NFC is fast, simple, secure contact. Although NFC's data transfer speed is much slower than Bluetooth and infrared, the device's only one-way power supply (for device operation) along with fast induction of functions allows for a significant improvement in usability. In addition, the NFC device requires a very short communication distance. NFC technologies help improve data security as it can reduce the risk of data being intercepted or stolen.
It should be noted that RFID systems are one of the most anticipated technologies that have the potential to transform processes in the engineering and construction industries. In the construction industry, RFID technology can seamlessly integrate work processes on a construction site due to its ability to wirelessly capture and transfer data.
Therefore, NFC technology from RFID-enabled smartphones is a powerful portable data collection tool. In addition, RFID readings improve the accuracy and speed of information transfer, indirectly increasing efficiency and productivity.
By the way. In 2016, the global construction industry will massively switch to phablets - smartphones with large touch screens, something between a regular smartphone and a standard tablet computer.
IN last years large developers were torn between the desire to use tablets with their large, easy-to-read screens and smartphones, which provide convenient, quick communications between employees. Phablets combine best qualities tablet computers and smartphones.
Summary. Broadband access, cloud storage, cloud-based rented software products, and colossal remote computing power today are giving rise to a new paradigm for life on construction sites. And those companies that actively implement these technologies instead of the usual paper documents will gain competitive advantages and will slowly push their conservative colleagues out of the market. NE
Construction has specific, inherent only features
1. a large number of participants are involved in construction;
2. material resources and equipment are strictly tied to the territory;
3. construction is carried out strictly according to the requests of specific customers;
4. characterized by large costs and long lead times.
Problems of construction industry enterprises that automation can solve
1. Difficulty in planning.
Construction is characterized by significant cash flows: purchase and delivery of materials, equipment and machinery, payments and receipts from customers and buyers. Even short-term planning is a big problem, since there are many partners and contracts are not concluded on time. Within the framework of an automated control system, it is possible to carry out not only short- and long-term planning, but also to monitor the execution of work.
2. Lack of information about cash receipts and payments.
True control is in the hands of those who own the information. “He who owns the information owns the world,” said Winston Churchill. Without control “from above,” the real master at a construction site can be a foreman who has several “left-handed” teams and pushes materials “under the counter.” Effective control is the dream of every construction manager, and automation of management in construction requires strict and timely reporting of both foremen and sites.
Conclusion
Experience shows that when implementing automated management systems, 70% of the positive effect is achieved by establishing order, and the remaining 30% by changing and improving management processes.
Implementation results:
Automation needs to be approached wisely. First of all, you need to choose the right software product.
Take your time. Contact the company or an experienced specialist. They will advise you, show you demo videos and presentations, and answer all your questions.
The experience of those who will implement these products for you is especially important, since construction software products are very specific and cannot be fully adapted and modified for you by inexperienced specialists in this industry. It is ideal if they name you companies that have been automated on the product that interests you. In this case, you will be able to contact end users directly and get their opinion.
The range of programs for construction today is quite wide:
| Product name | c.u. |
| 1C: Construction customer. Version 1.0 local |
320 |
| 1C: Construction customer. Version 1.0 network for 5 users. Configuration for use with Accounting 7.7 component |
640 |
| 1C: Construction contractor. Version 2.3 network for 5 users Configuration for use with Accounting 7.7 component |
640 |
| 1C: Construction contractor. Version 2.3 network for 10 users Configuration for use with the Accounting 7.7 component |
1240 |
| 1C:Enterprise 8.0. Construction Contractor 3.0. Construction production management | 1000 |
| VDGB: Shared construction |
150 |
| ICS: Construction. Configuration for 1C:Accounting 7.7 |
250 |
| ICS: Construction Management Addition to type. configurations 1C:Accounting 7.7 |
400 |
| Estimate Plus 3.x local Configuration for 1C: Operational accounting 7.7 |
320 |
| Estimate Plus 3.x network for 3 users. | 480 |
| Estimate Plus 3.x network for unlimited number of users | 1110 |
| Estimate Plus. Additional base 2001 (Gosstroy) | 100 |
| Elite construction 8.0 Configuration for sharing with the program "1C: Accounting 8.0" |
180 |
Prices are all regulated, but you can ask for discounts on services
Brief description of the configuration "1C: Construction Customer 1.0"
The configuration "1C: Construction Customer 1.0" is a joint development of the company "1C" and the company "IMPULS-IVTS", is a configuration for the "Accounting" component of the "1C:Enterprise 7.7" program system and can only be used in conjunction with this component (version Standard, PROF, for SQL).
The "1C: Construction Customer 1.0" configuration is designed to automate the activities of enterprises and organizations performing the functions of a construction customer. The configuration allows you to automate the main areas of management of the construction customer: planning and accounting of capital investments, accounting of sources of financing and mutual settlements, procurement of materials and equipment, accounting of the activities of the construction company.
1. Planning of financing of capital investments in the context of construction projects, sources of financing and dates of receipt of funds;
2. Planning capital investment limits in the context of construction projects, construction cost items and contractors;
3. Planning of costs for the maintenance of the construction customer’s divisions in the context of cost items, divisions and sources of financing;
4. Accounting for the implementation of construction and installation works in the context of construction projects, construction projects, construction cost items, technological cost structure, contractors with the formation of a certificate of the cost of construction work and costs in the KS-3 form;
5. Accounting for VAT on capital investments in the context of capital investment objects;
6. Accounting for equipment requiring installation in the context of construction projects and storage locations, accounting for procurement and storage costs for equipment in the context of cost items;
7. Accounting for the receipt and disposal of construction materials in the context of construction projects and storage locations, accounting for procurement and storage costs for materials in the context of cost items;
8. Accounting for the issuance of materials to contractors as customer-provided raw materials and write-offs as they are consumed;
9. Accounting for the costs of maintaining the divisions of the construction customer (the construction customer itself and the procurement service) in the context of approved estimates, cost items and sources of financing, distribution of costs for construction projects;
10. Accounting for the receipt of funds and the use of targeted financing by sources of financing;
11. Accounting for settlements with contractors, suppliers and design organizations in the context of construction projects;
12. Control of mutually used funds from sources of financing, carrying out operations to offset mutually used funds from sources of financing;
13. Accounting for specific regulatory operations of the construction customer at the end of the period for the redistribution of costs between construction projects, the distribution of procurement and storage costs to disposal accounts for materials and equipment;
14. Accounting for operations on the transfer of completed construction projects to investors with the execution of the relevant acts KS-11 and KS-14;
15. Accounting for operations to assess buildings subject to demolition in the form KS-10, on the suspension of construction in the form KS-17, on the suspension of design and survey work in the form KS-18;
16. Availability of a set of primary documents for accounting for capital investments, work in progress for construction projects, accounting for inventory items and other documents used by the construction customer, approved by the Resolutions of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation;
17. Availability of various analytical reports on the movement of funds from sources of financing, accounting for capital investments, inventory items, settlements with counterparties;
18. Availability of reports on the commissioning of facilities in Form C-1, on the progress of construction of the most important facilities in Form C-2, on investments in Form P-2;
19. Other general areas: accounting for fixed assets, intangible assets, goods, settlements with accountable persons, other debtors and creditors, formation of financial results, etc.;
20. Preparation of mandatory quarterly and annual accounting and tax reporting.
1C:Construction Contractor 3.0 - a solution for automating construction management on the 1C:Enterprise 8.0 platform
The software product "1C: Construction Contractor" is intended for automation of medium and large construction organizations, as well as construction trusts with structural divisions. It is used in the work of financial, accounting, partially planning and budget departments. Can be used in:
1. The parent construction organization (trust);
2. Construction Department (CS);
3. Mechanization Department (UM);
4. Motor Transport Administration (ATU);
5. Directorate of Production and Technological Equipment (UPTK).
For automatic data transfer between geographically remote departments, a separate program “Distributed Information Base Management” is used (supplied separately).
Configuration functionality
1. Creation of work schedules for a large number of construction projects, with the possibility of considering several options for one project.
2. Purpose and reflection of logical relationships between works with the possibility of delay, both in time and in volume.
3. Appointment of direct executors (employees) to carry out the planned work.
4. Creation of work templates, work groups and complex projects to simplify data entry.
5. Keeping records of the actual implementation of work on the calendar plan.
6. Accounting for actually consumed materials in the context of work and the entire construction project.
7. Maintaining personnel records.
8. Display information about work plans in graphical form, including graphical display of critical work.
9. Possibility of constructing resource work schedules in the context of works and construction projects.
10. Possibility of constructing schedules for the use of materials in the context of work and the construction site.
11. Possibility of creating weekly and daily work schedules for any period of time.
12. Possibility of forming and filling out the General Work Log (KS-6).
13. The ability to generate a report on the implementation of the work schedule with progress analysis and forecasting the timing of further work.
14. Construction of a labor movement schedule.
15. Possibility of assigning personal responsibility for the implementation of work on the calendar and many other functionalities.
"VDGB: Shared construction" edition 1.0
The program "VDGB: Shared Construction" is designed to automate additional areas of operational and accounting in organizations participating in investment activities during the construction of a housing or other facility.
Tracking and control of attracting investments under investment agreements in the context of the entire construction (investment) project, with the possibility of accounting in any currency; Storing information for each investment agreement (investment object, investor, agreement amount, etc.); Control of repayment of payments under investment agreements - receipt of funds, with the possibility of both direct generation (creation) of accounting documents and the use of already created ones; Automatic calculation of profits/losses and VAT amounts for each investment agreement and generation of accounting entries to reflect these transactions in accounting; Formation and display on the screen or printer of printed forms of such documents as - Payment Plan-Schedule, Certificate of reconciliation of investment contribution amounts, Transfer Act and Calculation of the actual cost of the objects being sold Reports "Plan-Schedule" and "Payment Dynamics"
The program may be useful to the following categories of users:
Investors - legal entities or individuals investing their own and/or borrowed funds in the construction of a housing facility or other facility.
Customers/developers - organizations authorized by investors to implement an investment project for the construction of a facility, both for specialized organizations whose main activity is organizing the construction of facilities for third parties, and for enterprises carrying out their own capital construction.
The "VDGB: Shared Construction" configuration is not an independent program; for its operation, it requires installation of the "Accounting" component (version "Standard" or "Prof")" of the "1C:Enterprise" system, as well as the standard configuration "1C:Accounting" edition 3.6 and higher.
The "VDGB: Shared Construction" configuration is simply connected to the standard "1C: Accounting" configuration, and its updating is also easy.
X: CONSTRUCTION
"1C:Enterprise 7.7. ICS:Construction configuration" (configuration for the "Accounting" component), developed by ICS Technologies, is a standard solution for automating accounting for construction organizations. The configuration is intended for accounting in accordance with the new chart of accounts in organizations providing construction services.
Features and main configuration options
Accounting:
accounting of materials (receipt, accounting by warehouses and materially responsible persons, movement from warehouse to warehouse, write-off to the construction site in accordance with the estimate of the construction site); accounting for construction costs; accounting for auxiliary work at the construction site for the construction of title and non-title structures; accounting of own and subcontracted work; accounting of mutual settlements with suppliers and contractors; accounting of vehicles of a construction organization (accrual of depreciation based on mileage); obtaining specialized regulatory reports from the construction industry.
The configuration contains a number of additional features related to accounting in a construction organization:
records of materials are kept in the context of warehouses and materially responsible persons, based on the weighted average cost for the period; automatic write-off of materials to the facility in accordance with the facility estimate using a specialized unloading/loading procedure from the estimate program (“Estimate Plus v.2.1” from the Erikos company, Yekaterinburg); automatic generation of accounting entries for the closure of work at a construction site; automatic generation of postings for auxiliary work at a construction site (construction of title and non-title structures); automatic generation of depreciation charges for vehicles in accordance with monthly mileage; additional reports that take into account the specifics of a construction organization: “Write-off of materials”, “Material card”, “Expanded list of materials”, “Current material sheet”, “Inventory list”, “Inventory book”, “Costs for construction of the facility”, “Certificate” according to form KS-3", "Tax on road users"; processing is provided for the transition from the information base "1C: Accounting 7.7" Standard configuration edition 3.6.
The configuration within the framework of the Internet User Support solution package provided by 1C to registered users of 1C:Enterprise programs provides the following service capabilities: sending letters to the consultation line, obtaining information on exchange rates, participating in a survey conducted by the company "1C", within which the user can ask questions and receive answers from specialists, as well as (only for ITS subscribers) receiving new reporting forms and other opportunities.
Using the configuration
"1C:Enterprise 7.7. ICS Configuration: Construction rev.3.03" (configuration for the "Accounting" component) is designed to work with any software products that include the "Accounting" component of the "1C:Enterprise 7.7" program system (not the basic version) .
ICS:Construction Management
The "ICS: Construction Management" configuration was created based on the standard 1C: Accounting configuration and contains all its elements. The configuration is intended for use in enterprises of the following profile:
construction and installation; repair and maintenance; laying communication lines, power supply, gasification, heating, water supply. highways and others where design and estimate documentation is used.
The development is based on the concept of the primacy of the Resource Estimate in the activities of a contracting construction organization.
The estimate can be generated using estimate programs such as "Bars", "Estimate-2000", "Resource Estimate", etc. or be generated manually, which is the basis for the automatic generation of all further actions: planning, accounting and analysis.
This program architecture greatly simplifies and facilitates the work of engineering and technical workers, accounting departments and enterprise management. By comparing the actual costs of work and materials with estimated prices, you can analyze the activities of the enterprise at any stage of construction and prevent unauthorized actions: for example, the purchase of materials, the execution of work, the operation of tools and mechanisms.
This product will help solve one of the main tasks of the contracting organization - reducing construction costs.
The configuration allows the following functions:
1. Automatic generation of all planning documents.
Work schedule.
Plan-task for the foreman (foreman, foreman).
Application to the supply department for materials and mechanisms.
Material delivery schedule.
2. Automatic generation of all accounting documents for work, materials, tools and mechanisms:
Acts of completing stages of work (percentage) and completion of work (general).
Construction invoices.
Material report for each construction project.
3. Thanks to the work of all specialists in a single information field, the configuration allows timely coordination of work between specialists from the accounting department, economic planning department, supply department, technical maintenance department of a construction enterprise.
Estimate Plus 7.5.
Purpose of the system:
Users of the Estimate Plus 7.5 system can be enterprises and organizations of any specialization and form of ownership. In addition, the system can be successfully used in construction departments of enterprises in any industry. The functions for generating estimate documentation embedded in the system are used in design and engineering departments, design and estimate bureaus, design institutes, and estimate departments. The functions of working with ready-made estimates, generating reporting documents (Work Completion Certificate, Form M29) are used in production, production and technical departments, logistics and technical supply departments, etc. The "Estimate Plus 7.5" system can also be successfully used by Capital Construction Departments to monitor the correctness of the preparation of estimate documentation.
The entire functional part of the system is implemented by configuration tools of the V7 platform (components "1C: Operational Accounting" of the program system "1C:Enterprise" version 7.5). The database of estimated norms and prices is implemented using the Delphi package as a separate autonomous part of the system, interacting with 1C: Operational Accounting through the OLE Automation mechanism.
The Estimate Plus 7.5 system is available for any changes. This is ensured by the openness of the platform itself, with the help of which the system is developed and operates. The delivery version contains everything necessary for the development of design and estimate documentation. In addition, the user can order original settings for his enterprise or develop them with his own specialists, using the tools of the 1C: Enterprise system.
The delivery set includes a standard configuration of the estimate calculation system and a complete regulatory framework of estimated prices and standards, designed as an external component. The external regulatory framework contains prices for all regions of the CIS countries. It includes all types of construction, installation, repair and other work, which allows the use of a new system of cost estimates in construction organizations of any specialization.
The external database of estimated prices and standards is protected from unauthorized copying by a separate key.
"Elite - construction 8.0"
The configuration is designed to automate accounting and tax accounting in contract construction organizations.
Main features of the program:
Accounting for own and subcontract work; Accounting for subcontracting work on construction projects and subcontractors; Accounting for mutual settlements with suppliers, customers, subcontractors and buyers; Accounting for the implementation of work stages for each object and customer; Accounting for payment for stages of work for each object and customer; Accounting for deviations from the standard for write-off of materials; Payroll calculation for objects using KTU or daily tariff; Carrying out bilateral and multilateral offsets; Formation of KS-2, KS-3 and ESM-7;
Generating reports:
Reconciliation report: generates a reconciliation report for the period for the selected counterparty with the ability to open in Excel; Order journal No. 5: order journal for customers with details of documents; Order journal No. 6: order journal for suppliers with details of documents; Unfinished objects: report on unfinished and unpaid objects as of date; OS inventory book: detailed report on OS, with the ability to group by OS and storage location; Material report on materials: a detailed report on the availability and movement of materials by quantity and amount for each warehouse.
Configuration usage:
The configuration is not an independent software product and is intended for joint use with the 1C: Accounting 8.0 program.
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This view is usually contrasted with another: where there is enough money, strict accounting is all the more necessary to avoid corruption and prevent theft. But still main reason Such a low level of automation of construction companies is the specificity of the industry: any construction company needs to automate too many areas of activity, and their close integration with each other is absolutely necessary.
So, what processes need to be automated in a construction company first of all?
Control of expenses and income
First of all, control of expenses and income is subject to automation. Construction companies need something that will allow them to have at hand information about how much money is available and how much is expected, what the costs were and for what, who made them, what costs are planned, whether there is enough money and what the expected financial result is. In the vast majority of construction companies, the logic is exactly this: first of all, net cash flow is subject to accounting, apart from commodity flow, cost accounting, or, moreover, profitability. By cost, builders often simply understand the actual amount of expenses incurred on a particular construction project, and by profitability - the difference between the income and expenditure of funds. Thus, the main thing in automating construction companies is operational budgeting (a month or two in advance) and control over costs according to applications.Contract management
The second most important area of the construction business that requires automation is control of expenses, work and debts under construction contracts and planning of revenues under sales and purchase agreements, leases, equity participation, etc. The key task here is the ability to plan the execution of work under each contract and the payment schedule for both expenditure contracts and sales contracts. Accounting for relationships with customers and contractors is interesting, first of all, from the point of view of debts and execution of plans, and for sales contracts - from the point of view of the plan for the receipt of funds and, again, emerging customer debts.Project management
Project management is a topic of constant interest to all builders. After all, it’s very beautiful - a construction schedule on the wall, on which everything is clear and understandable. Almost any construction company has gone through this path: making decisions on total planning and project management; awareness that the main thing is not to plan, but to track implementation; then the understanding that collecting “field reports” is a task that requires so many resources that it is easier to simply give up on it. So it turns out that in most construction companies, project management is just a pretty diagram on the wall, signed by those responsible for the project. Indeed, tracking the execution of tasks in a construction project is an extremely labor-intensive task, because specific performers in this industry are people far from the computer, so in each case duplication of functions is required, which is always very expensive. Invented paper reporting forms do not help either: the foreman is also extremely reluctant to work with paper. Therefore, the best solution for managing construction projects is to control the execution of the project using reference points. “Reference points” are the most important points of the project. Since there are not very many of them, it is quite possible to collect actual data on the execution of tasks from them. Thus, in an applied sense, the only possible project management in construction is scheduling, calculation of the necessary resources to determine the expenditure part of the budget and tracking the implementation of the project by reference points.Drawing up construction estimates
Before building anything, you need to know how it will happen, what materials are needed and how much the entire project will cost: this is how the need arises for an estimate for the construction project. Estimation activities are strictly regulated at the state level, and there are a sufficient number of programs for preparing estimate documentation - this area in construction companies is the most favorable from the point of view of automation.Other automation
In addition to the main business processes described above, in a construction company, depending on its size and specialization, there may be a need to automate the supply management of construction projects, programs for business planning (when calculating the effectiveness of investments), programs for managing loans with sufficient volume borrowed money. And finally, a construction company, like any other enterprise, automates personnel records and accounting.It is the abundance of various business processes that require automation that determines the lack of an acceptable software product for the construction industry on the market and, accordingly, the generally low level of comprehensive automation among construction companies. It should be noted that for each individual business task there are various options solutions and automation. Any construction company is gradually acquiring computer programs that automate the work of various departments. The “double input problem”, known in other industries, here turns into a tenfold input problem - the same data is entered into completely different programs that are in no way connected with each other. It is even difficult to estimate the labor costs and financial losses of the industry as a result of this state of affairs. Of course, as a way out of the situation, one could propose the integration of heterogeneous applications among themselves. But there are two “buts” here. Firstly, due to the large number of specific tasks and, accordingly, possible programs for their automation, the emergence of a ready-made integration solution is unlikely (it is impossible to provide for the integration of anything with anything). Secondly, the cost of setting up the integration of so many products with each other can be very, very high. This is all the more significant since the “legs” of most integration projects “grow” out of a desire to save money. In fact, the savings are very dubious - integration projects often result in amounts even greater than replacing separate programs with one, but covering all the necessary tasks. Therefore, most suppliers of enterprise management systems are concerned with creating a ready-made integrated solution for automation of construction companies.
Although the need for comprehensive automation of construction companies was recognized by system developers relatively recently, integrated solutions from several manufacturers are already on the market. Let's look at these solutions in more detail.
| Automation system | Budgeting | Cost management | Contract management | Project management | Budgeting | Supply management | Business planning | Loan management | Accounting | Implementation timeframe | Price per workplace, USD |
|
Galaxy ERP, module "Construction Management" |
In the module itself - no, in the system - yes | Yes | Yes | Integration with Primavera and MS Project | Integration with estimate programs (ARPS format) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | from 3-6 months to 2-3 years | 1500 - 2500 |
|
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne "Project Management" |
Project budgets and general business budgets - yes. | Yes | Yes | Yes. + Integration with Oracle Primavera and/or MS Project | Integration with estimating programs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6-10 months | 1000 - 2300 |
|
MAG Builder for Microsoft Dynamics AX |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Integration with MS Project | yes (without cost estimates) | Yes | Integration with Plan Designer, Comshare, Geac Performance Management | Yes | Yes | 3-6 months | 5000 |
|
Lanit-construction |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Integration with WinSmeta, Smeta. ru | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | from 3 months up to 1.5 years | 2500 |
|
SAP for Engineering, Construction and Operations |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 6-9 months | 5000 |
|
Construction solutions based on the Aleph system platform |
Yes | Yes | Yes | yes + integration with Primavera | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 6-9 months | 2000 |
|
Software package "Hector the Builder" |
No | No | No | yes + integration with Primavera and Spider | yes + possibility of integration with other estimating programs | No | No | No | Integration with accounting programs | Delivery + training up to 2 weeks | 250 - 600 |