When it comes to airfield inspections, the team at C&S Companies recognizes the value of accurate and precise digital as-built data. With the goals of accuracy, collaboration, and future-ready data in mind, C&S Companies started testing a GIS-powered inspection solution.

In a country where political divisiveness seems to increase by the hour, infrastructure is one of the few issues to receive ongoing bipartisan support. During the Biden administration, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (also referred to as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) marked a historic, $1.2 trillion investment in our nation's infrastructure. Its passage was celebrated across the political spectrum, with President Biden declaring it "the enemy of potholes everywhere."

By appointing an official specifically tasked with coordinating infrastructure investments, Michigan may be creating a blueprint for other states that want more funds to funnel into their small cities and towns.

Tribal nations deal with the same challenges as any other infrastructure industry organization - with the added burden of needing to closely track federal fund usage on nearly every project.

In this article, we'll dive into potential use cases of AI in construction that could lead to substantial efficiency gains. And of course, as with any new technology, there are obstacles to consider.

We're excited to bring a new host of speakers and sessions for the third iteration of Infotech's e-Merge conference.

Kraemer leverages the Bid Tab Analysis component of the Competitive Analysis Suite to refine estimates and determine the value of a project, as well as compare against other bids to inform future bids.

There are many phases to construction projects, but the least discussed always seems to be the close out. Yet, this phase can often be one of the most labor-intensive and costly for a public project when it comes to inspection and recordkeeping.

If you're looking for construction bidding software to meet your agency's needs, this article is a comprehensive checklist for all the features you should look for in the software you're vetting.

See how the University of Alaska Anchorage uses an e-bidding solution to increase vendor reach and save on subscription costs.

Engineering firms and agencies have a lot more choices when vetting different software options. And with many choices comes the possibility of making the wrong choice.

In February 2024, the White House updated its list of Critical and Emerging Technologies, a regular report that comes via the National Science and Technology Council. While the list is often focused on increasing national security, the committee also prioritizes technology that expands economic prosperity and defends the American way of life.

Did you know we've been through 11 straight quarters of highway construction cost increases? With inflation on the rise, all the additional buying power granted by IIJA is taking a hit. Data management, analysis, and process standardization may be the solution.

Many organizations continue to work toward data driven decision-making and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) - but the first step is data governance and quality control via digital construction management systems.

At the end of the day, whether you are a business out to make a profit, or an agency managing tax dollar-fueled budgets, the end game is still the same; just how much bang are you getting for your buck?

Each advancement in the progression of design and construction technologies has pushed the other forward, creating a dynamic interplay that has significantly shaped the industry.

When you add the emerging capabilities of AI and the ability of AI tools to quickly process vast sums of information, the ability to leverage good documentation into a more effective project management process increases tenfold.

If your project manager only needs to see data on map once, the impact of efficiency is straightforward. But there are many other benefits to visualizing construction data, including collaboration, transparency, responsiveness, and a deeper level of insight.

Early in the 15th century, a man named Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and revolutionized the way information was spread. But 600 years later, we're still dealing with the same challenges regarding how information flows from point A to point B.

e-Bidding platforms like have begun to incorporate scoring and evaluation features to make them flexible enough to use for both design-build and unit price contracts.

Today's construction industry is in an interesting time with a landscape that seems hardly untouched by tech in any area, unlike never before. So, with so much technology out there, how do you know what to choose?

Many states are already moving to approve models as the official engineering document of record. What is the impact on bidding, construction, and inspection?

As transportation agencies pursue digital delivery as part of their core business, having good data management practices is becoming increasingly essential.

Examining the ways collaboration is essential to widespread BIM adoption - from competitors working as collaborators to the embrace of new data standards.

Integrating spatial data into asset management systems helps organizations to gain better insights into the geographic context of their assets.

By using Bid Express and Appia to bid and manage local-let projects, the team at CTL Engineering has been able to expedite project set-up, eliminate unnecessary travel and data entry.

GIS data capture needs to start during the construction and inspection phases to be truly effective during the infrastructure asset maintenance stage of a project.

In our panel discussion, we covered issues with offline systems, efficiencies gained by embracing the cloud, how to enhance transparency for project stakeholders, and methods for integrating digital systems with traditional survey tools.

By shifting how you approach field staff change management, you may find it easier to overcome dissenting voices and bring excited team members on board. In our advice to managers, we suggest thinking small.

With both federal funding and construction technology increasing in availability and accessibility, transportation agencies have placed a strong emphasis on change management.

If you've ever seen one of those movie-sized OSHA posters, you know the dizzying amount of rules and regulations that construction sites must adhere to in order to be safe. It makes sense, as construction sites continue to rank among the most hazardous working environments.

"Oh God, I don't even want to think about that," said Kristina Rhine, Director of Purchasing at Bowling Green State University, when I asked her the question in this article's title. I explain that this is more about reflection than prediction, a way to look back at all the technology adoption trends driven in part due to the pandemic. After a second to think, she responds in the affirmative.

We recently interviewed Michigan LPAs and consultants about the challenges they encountered with paper or spreadsheets - and how they leveraged cloud-based construction administration to overcome them.

Construction inspection software offers teams a digital solution for capturing information that was traditionally recorded in fieldbooks or spreadsheets. By replacing these outdated methods, construction inspection software reduces the potential for human error, rework, and inefficiency.

In the first part of our BIM series, we're turning back the clock to look at the origins of BIM - how it began as a conceptual framework and evolved into the essential practice it's seen as today.

Construction projects are like clocks. Complex, interconnected, with each component interacting seamlessly to keep things moving forward. So, what happens when a component breaks? And how can digital tools prevent that from occurring?

If you've ever seen one of those movie-sized OSHA posters, you know the dizzying amount of rules and regulations that construction sites must adhere to in order to be safe.

Today's construction industry is changing faster than ever before. Now is the time for technology to be embraced in a way that other industries like aerospace had decades ago when faced with similar challenges.

Most people in the construction industry today are familiar with the axiom that goes, "Good, Fast, or Cheap? Pick two." Rarely is there ever an opportunity to have all three as usually, two may only simultaneously occur at the expense of the third.

Exploring the what and why behind these efficiency-boosting platforms - and diving into the details of an available $34 million in federal funding.

In the latest episode of Let's Be Civil, "Bringing Open Data Standards & IFC into the World of e-Bidding," we were joined by BIM expert Ron Gant and technology leader Andy Martin to explore the overall goals of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and how implementing these standards in a bidding platform is the best way to connect the owner and contractors.

The word "audit" may be the most universally hated word in the English language, narrowly edging out other top contenders like "clogged" or "mandatory." In the construction industry, the word may carry even more weight.

There is a growing need for data to become more connected to enable collaboration across planning, design, construction and asset management. Everyone needs to be working with the same set of data to complete projects successfully and with full accountability.

Location data has a high value in asset management, but there continues to be a disconnect between GIS analysts, data scientists and construction and engineering teams.

As cities continue to grow and evolve, the need for smarter and more efficient infrastructure management becomes increasingly important. This is where the concept of digital twins comes in.

Understanding the benefits and deliverables of Infotech's AASHTOWare Project BAMS/DSS^™ Outsourcing and Cost Index services, with examples from current DOTs.

Rural Ohio counties often have their advertising exposure limited to vendors in their geographic area. Jackson County sought to reach more bidders throughout Ohio, while also introducing new efficiencies to the bidding process.

Digital transformation has touched every aspect of the civil construction industry, from planning and design to inspection and maintenance.

"By the time the ferry gets in, it's 3:30 pm, so by 4:00 pm, it's pretty nip-and-tuck. I was constantly running down to the ferry or calling them to see if I missed a package. It did not happen but it was very close."

A few essential elements are needed to create a digital as-built: data must be searchable, spatial, and extractable and accessible by other systems to support post-construction activities. AASHTOWare Project^™ offers all of this.

Each state has specific requirements around prompt payment for prime and subcontractors. Find your specific state's requirements in this comprehensive overview of prompt payment laws, from Alabama to Tennessee.

Each state has specific requirements around prompt payment for prime and subcontractors. Find your specific state's requirements in this comprehensive overview of prompt payment laws, ranging from Texas to Wyoming.

The last few years have been a challenging and confusing time for everyone in the construction industry. Surveys have shown ongoing concerns about costs and profitability. With Q1 behind us, there are still persistent cost pressures and operational challenges that threaten to delay projects and erode profits. Here are a few of the most important trends we're watching as the industry puts 2023 budgets and plans into action.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) recently released a list of the top five trending technologies in public works aimed at increasing the points of connection between field and office and improving data accuracy.

Women in Construction Week (WIC Week) helps change the narrative by addressing that gap in perception and encouraging women to learn about the tremendous opportunities in the construction industry. We sat down with Infotech leaders to discuss the roles of women in construction and the many paths they take to get there.

If you work in construction or procurement, you may have come across the National Institute of Governmental Purchasings' Code (NIGP). So, what are NIGP codes?

Let's explore how the open data standard might allow us to leverage Building Information Modeling (BIM) within e-bidding platforms.

IFC, short for the industry foundation classes, have been a recent buzz word thrown around with building information modeling (BIM). Before we can understand the hype about IFC and why it's important, we must first understand the context of digital information exchange within the built environment.

The growing demand for digital content to be created and incorporated across all phases of a project is a large undertaking - one that result in technical, organizational, and human challenges.

To manage projects and keep stakeholders informed, the team at the City of Muscatine leveraged a mix of SaaS construction administration and data visualization tools

What exactly are Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), why do they matter, and what do they mean for Infotech? Let's dig in.

Agencies often only evaluate bids based on low price before awarding a contract. A best practice is to conduct a pre-award analysis examining multiple factors to understand the bidding landscape.

When state agencies make the transition from paper bidding to electronic, it can feel like a switch is getting flipped. Everything from filing cabinets to postage stamps instantly feel like an artifact of the past.

Several years ago, Infotech participated in a high-level market analysis for the state of West Virginia. The initial findings from that analysis launched an investigation that led to a $101.35 million settlement for the state.

Learn how your agency can tackle data analysis with the right partner and mindset.

Fueled by a desire to embrace the future of digital project delivery, Wolverine sought out cloud-based solutions that would allow for visual daily reports, remote online bidding, and paperless change order management.

Cyber threats to all transportation agencies are increasing at an exponential rate because of the reliance on new technology to support operational needs. How can your organization overcome common cybersecurity challenges?

A Geographic Information System is a database of geographic data, combined with software tools for managing, analyzing, and visualizing that data.

As our industry becomes more technologically advanced, it's only natural for industry cybersecurity practices to grow alongside innovations like e-Construction software and the construction cloud.

When it comes to adopting an e-Procurement or e-Bidding solution, agencies are often faced with one key question - how do they want to pay for it? Many platforms offer two options: agency-pay and vendor-pay.

What does it mean to be owner-centric? That's a question we often have to answer to new employees, whether they're in sales or software development.

The rapid adoption of photo-inspection technology on construction job sites is destined to have a tremendous impact on the way project reporting and inspection is accomplished.

Paper bidding often led to late submissions, time-intensive bid processing, and wasted plan packets for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. How did they tackle these challenges? By ditching paper altogether.

What will $550 billion in federal funding mean for the heavy civil construction industry? New reporting requirements, staffing needs, and technology expectations could mark a tectonic shift for the heavy civil infrastructure industry when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passes.

Accurate and standardized data collection is the building block to the construction technologies that will soon become the centerpiece of projects large and small.

On August 24, Infotech was joined by representatives from Trimble and Esri to discuss the major impacts of incoming federal funding. Here are the biggest takeaways from that discussion.

Infotech is the #21 Florida Trend Best Place to Work for the second year running. Come work with us and find out why.

With more clients seeking sophisticated digital deliverables, MSA made finding a way to capture data digitally a top priority. A need for more consistent reporting and to eliminate redundant tasks also factored into the search for a solution.

By legislating electronic bidding from the top down, states can generate buy-in amongst contractors and bidding communities.

Recently, Infotech tried something new for the hundredth time in the last year. We hosted an afternoon of brainstorming. On the clock. For fun.

It was a humid, rainy night when Dr. Tom Rothrock, a young professor from Wisconsin, stepped out of a plane onto the tarmac at the Gainesville airport. The year is 1978, and he's about to meet someone who will change the course of his life.

As the Construction Manager for the City of Terre Haute, Bradley Utz often has to answer questions from project stakeholders, to ranging from project contractors all the way up to the Mayor.

Cliff Baber and the team at Maryland Heights were looking for a solution that was easy-to-use and would simplify compliance requirements with the Missouri Department of Transportation.

With the vast majority of Milwaukee's Public Works bidding community using Bid Express, issues with non-compliant and non-responsive bids have been eliminated, while the city also gets a clearer picture of their bidding community.

As the County Engineer in Hancock County, Ohio, Douglas Cade and his team of inspectors are responsible for county roads, bridges, drainage and daily inspections of new subdivision developments.

Prime A/E Group, Inc. used Appia to meet the infrastructure construction needs of a Facebook Data Center running on 100% renewable energy.

Tom Nead, the Regional Manager for FHU's Mountain West region, had a mountain of his own to cross. Namely, the mountain of paperwork generated by an outdated paper-based process.

To streamline paper processes, Director of Public Works Howard Weissberg, P.E., and his team vetted a number of software solutions and landed on Appia^® for construction administration and inspection.

In Clinton County, Ohio, Adam Fricke, Deputy Engineer, was on the hunt for software to streamline and improve a variety of processes ranging from bidding to construction project management.

By storing daily reports and other project data in Appia's easily accessible and searchable cloud database, the RS&H team is more productive in the field and back at the office.

Perseverance is in our DNA. We didn't choose an easy route (was there even an easy route to 2020?!), we chose the route that prioritized people.

In March of this year, when Infotech shifted to remote work due to the pandemic, we realized this year's Hackathon would have to be very different - our Hackathon would have to be 100% virtual.

Month seven of full-time remote work does not look or feel like month two. Our Game Plan is a firm promise that this time has an end date and that Infotech has no intention of transitioning to a permanent fully-remote workforce.

How do we use our extensive experience in the transportation industry to help organizations break down silos? Infotech's Jim Ferguson weighs in.

Our rebranding goal was to build a brand that better reflected who we are, what we do, and where we're going. We pulled from our history, interviews with employees, and our strategic vision to unite Infotech under one banner: Bridging innovation & integrity.

On the Operations team, we plan for things like hurricanes and for malware attacks and for future leadership. We did not plan for a pandemic.

A deeper dive into BIM for infrastructure with e-Construction expert Ron Gant.

We believe in treating people right and helping those whose industries have been affected by the coronavirus.

There have been tens of thousands of blogs over the years about Building Information Modeling (BIM). So, what can we offer different than anyone else? I'm glad you asked.

Based on discussions with our users, we have developed a list of resources to help agencies get started with remote bidding and facilitate remote bid openings.

In the most typical of circumstances, interviewing for and starting a new job can be a stressful and overwhelming experience - so what's it like in the midst of an outbreak?

GNV Loves Local is a website built by two Infotech employees, Andy Martin and Kyle Redon, to give Gainesville small businesses a home for all their new service options.

Though we've improved and evolved Bid Express over the past two decades, the core notion of online bidding is the same as it was when we introduced it to the highway construction community 20 years ago.

Combine common-sense best practices with a robust bidding platform to reduce risk and ensure compliance.

Recapping a successful Workshop on Linked Semantics at Infotech.

There's a clear alignment between self-improvement and software development principles. While the goals and strategies differ, the core human psychology at work is nearly the same.

In looking at the statistics, many are surprised to find that it's not just bad for women in tech - it's getting worse.

Let's look at a lowlight reel of all the times paper betrayed efficiency and sabotaged progress.

The construction contract administration phase for unit price contracts is often full of inefficiencies thanks to outdated, manual processes.

IT teams tend to hone in on the technology aspect of security and neglect two equally important aspects of the cybersecurity package: people and process.

A common misconception in the IT industry is that traditional on-premise systems are inherently more secure than those hosted in the cloud.

To streamline the management of all projects and maximize efficiencies, the goal was to have one system for all work.

Cloud hosting solves many problems beyond just ditching antiquated storage methods.

Field personnel and inspectors who are still handwriting reports open themselves up to inaccurate calculations and mistranslations.

As more organizations adopt e-Construction solutions, supervisors often find it challenging to implement new software with their field staff.

Do you find your infrastructure construction management process hampered by your agency's use of spreadsheets?