When it comes to construction projects, accounting and financial management are like the foundation of a building. These components are hidden behind the scenes but play a crucial role in a project's success. This is why many firms rely on enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to effectively connect tasks like job costing and project management.
Unfortunately, most ERP and accounting software aren't built for construction project managers. Aside from lacking industry-specific capabilities, they don't allow multi-stakeholder collaboration. Teams often have to rely on separate tools to manage tasks like RFIs, daily submittals, and change orders, leading to disconnected processes.
Addressing these challenges requires a well-integrated system that seamlessly connects your accounting tools (like your ERP) to your construction platform. Colorado-based GC Brinkman Construction recognized this, which is why they implemented a tightly integrated solution that connected their software and workflows.
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A 100% employee-owned company, Brinkman Construction works on a wide range of projects, including multifamily, healthcare, office, and more. The firm prides itself on delivering top-quality projects while maintaining robust safety standards.
To continue elevating its standards and maintaining client satisfaction, Brinkman Construction needed a platform to manage its projects more efficiently.
So, the company chose Autodesk Construction Cloud as its project management software. Brinkman Construction uses ACC for its operational documents and project controls while incorporating Autodesk products into its preconstruction and construction design management and coordination processes.
"The sheer quantity of tasks we're able to manage with Autodesk Construction Cloud is staggering, even on very large projects. For instance, we've got a 450,000-square-foot, 325-unit apartment complex that we're keeping track of in Autodesk Build, encompassing everything from preconstruction through warranty," explained Tim Kelleher, Operational Standards & Innovation Manager at Brinkman Construction.
"The platform has been really impactful to the way we're turning that job over because we have so much more visibility to what's going on, what's done, and what's not done. And we can do it using such a range of devices. Now, instead of a cart and a computer for Punchlist, our field engineers are walking the job with a phone and a roll of tape."
On the financial side, Brinkman's accounting department leverages CMiC financials. Designed with GCs and specialty contractors in mind, CMiC offers advanced accounts payable, accounts receivable, and billing capabilities. CMiC helps firms carry out smart financial management practices to optimize revenue.
To implement smooth and efficient workflows, Brinkman integrated Autodesk Construction Cloud and CMiC with the help of Agave.
“We’re committed to getting the right tools in the hands of our project teams; for us, the right choice was Autodesk,” said Dave Maddocks, Chief Financial Officer, Brinkman Construction. "In order to create a seamless experience, we need a connection to our ERP. There’s too much risk in manual entry or upload so an integration was a non-negotiable for us.”
Using Agave's integration tool, Brinkman now ensures its project management staff has immediate access to financial data in Autodesk Construction Cloud. This eliminates the need for field teams to use CMiC to see financial data and removes dual-data entry the teams were performing in both systems. With Agave, Brinkman's data automatically syncs between the two platforms, including budgets, project cost codes, change orders, and more.
"Agave captured Brinkman's requirements and built an integration we can rely on," said Tim. "As project complexity increases, we needed an integration to ensure Autodesk and CMiC provide accurate data to our project teams. This integration does exactly that."
Agave worked one-on-one with Brinkman to understand their needs and map data between the two systems, down to the line item and field level. This was made easy by how flexible Agave's integration tool is, supporting bi-directional data movement and customizable mappings for ten construction ERPs. Brinkman wanted this flexibility for future enhancements so they could support new data syncs without delay.
"Agave empowers customers with stability and configuration," said Samantha Zhang, co-founder and designer at Agave. "Brinkman Construction wanted specific workflows between Autodesk Construction Cloud and CMiC. We were able to deliver standardization across their operations teams and connect accounting activities."
Integrating CMiC financial controls into Autodesk Construction Cloud is an exciting step forward for Autodesk, and it reinforces our mission to connect workflows, teams, and data at every stage of construction.
If you're a CMiC customer looking for a sophisticated, enterprise-ready solution, this integration will enhance your project and financial management capabilities.
