NEW YORK, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies , today announced the availability of a new project lifecycle and document management service, Project Document Manager (PDM), co-developed with its partner ReproMAX. The service will provide the AEC community with the ability to manage all project intelligence and construction documents on a secure platform. Project Document Manager is being launched at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), annual national convention, March 21-24, 2007, in San Antonio, TX.
The Project Document Manager service, powered by ReproMAX, will offer more efficient management of the entire workflow process-from design through bidding, project management, project closing, and even operations -- the entire lifecycle. Construction documents will be available online and easily shared or routed to ReproMAX local printing outlets for printing and shipping. Whether an AEC firm relies on paper documentation or is gradually moving toward a paperless process, Project Document Manager will make critical daily tasks easier to manage and control, including the ability to:
* track, view, share the McGraw-Hill Construction Network(R) (Dodge
Reports) -- news, plans, and specs -- through the entire project
lifecycle
* upload or scan documents -- including version control -- for plans,
specifications, addenda, bid packages, RFI's and submittals;
* organize and route documents electronically to any project member;
manage and organize contact by project, construction code, or any other
attribute;
* manage bids; pre-qualify subs; send out notifications for addenda,
Invitations to bid (ITB's) or invitations to pre-qualify, automatically;
* markup or comment on documents, online or offline;
* access project information from any remote location;
* integrate with leading project and risk management systems;
* closeout projects electronically; and,
* archive projects accurately and easily, with the ability to provide easy
online access to a searchable database
"Construction is a team-sport and starting now, it's going to be easier to share critical information with the members of that team," said Norbert Young, president, McGraw-Hill Construction. "Our large AEC customers tell us that they could run their projects much more efficiently if they had a document management system that made it easier to manage, view, track and share the construction documents for a project from beginning to end. That's what we created Project Document Manager and are very proud to be launching at the AGC with our partner, ReproMAX. While we are all excited about the digital world, we still must deal with today's reality -- lots of paper. This will make it significantly easier."
PDM's flexible, "open architecture" makes it compatible with project management tools that AEC firms use today, enabling easy integration with current business processes and practices. This holds true whether a company's preference is to work in a fully digital environment or in a partially digital/partially print environment. Should a company choose to operate in a fully digital environment, the addition of PDM further enables the workflow process and reduces the need for paper, thus setting the stage for significant sustainability improvements across the industry.
"Project Document Manager provides immeasurable long term value to the AEC community -- enabling interoperability throughout the project lifecycle. The level of business efficiency and flexibility associated with PDM's digital and print capabilities is unprecedented. No matter what the work environment, PDM will provide increased productivity and savings," said Rick Bosworth, president, ReproMAX.
"From design and development to close-out, PDM makes every aspect of the workflow more productive and with fewer risks," says Doug Bower, president, Adenium, the leader in document management technology for the AEC community and creator of the PDM software. "With the integration of project intelligence from McGraw-Hill Construction and its ability to connect industry players with the people, projects and products that are core to any successful design and construction practice, the future is now."
What some current PDM customers are saying:
Hill International, a leading global Construction Manager, needed integration of applications (interoperability). "We are always looking for ways to improve communication and collaboration in project management," said David L. Richter, President and COO of Hill International. "McGraw Hill Construction's project information management solution will help us maximize project lifecycle communication and minimize our client's risk," he added.
"Through the use of McGraw-Hill Construction's project database, combined with PDM and further integrated with our existing project management tools, we were able to integrate everything on a collaborative scale," says Shaun Pressley, project controls engineer, Hill International. "The ROI is clear and helps us differentiate our services with owner relationships as well as mitigate potentially costly risks throughout a project."
When Skanska USA Building Inc. a leading international and local provider of construction, preconstruction consulting, general contracting and design build services, wanted a solution easily accessible by the subcontractors and capable of managing, tracking and reviewing subcontractor's qualifications responses, they turned to PDM. According to Chris Stockley, senior vice president and chief information officer, Skanska, "The existing solution was a burden on Skanska and our subcontractors. We wanted a solution that would simplify the entire bidding process which as a result would encourage our subcontractors to bid on our projects. PDM provided us that solution. The new pre-qualification processes helped Skanska increase accuracy, reduce the number of pre-qualifications to review, created a single, central information repository and increased the number of bidders per project."
If you want more information on this new product, please call: 1-866-239-4261.
About McGraw-Hill Construction
McGraw-Hill Construction connects people, projects and products across the design and construction industry. For more than a century, the company has remained North America's leading provider of construction project information, plans and specifications, product information, industry news, and industry trends and forecasts. In print and online, the company offers a variety of tools, applications, and resources that easily integrate with its customers' workflows. Backed by the power of Dodge, Sweets (http://www.sweets.com/), Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record and 11 Regional Publications, McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers within the $4.6 trillion global construction community. To learn more, visit: http://www.construction.com/.
About ReproMAX
ReproMAX is the world's largest international network of independent printing and technology companies dedicated to promoting excellence in construction printing services and document management technology. ReproMAX partners are industry leaders with long-standing reputations for their commitment to quality and exemplary customer service. ReproMAX currently serves over 350 locations around the world. For more information, visit http://www.repromax.com/.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
