BuildingConnected

Founded in 2012 by Dustin DeVan and Jesse Pedersen, BuildingConnected provides a pre-construction platform designed to streamline the bid management process within the construction industry. The company was established in San Francisco to address the inefficiencies and communication gaps DeVan identified during his six years as a general contractor. His direct industry experience, including work on large-scale projects for companies like Bechtel, and a degree in Mechanical & Aeronautical Science, shaped the company's direction.

BuildingConnected operates as a network-based platform that connects real estate owners and general contractors with qualified subcontractors. Its primary clients are general contractors, such as Turner Construction, Skanska, and AECOM, as well as property owners who use the platform to find and hire contractors for their projects. The business model initially centered on a freemium approach, focusing on building a large user base by offering a free tool to general contractors. After establishing a significant network effect, the company introduced premium, subscription-based features for both general contractors (BuildingConnected Pro) and subcontractors (Bid Board Pro). Revenue is generated from these subscription tiers, which provide advanced analytics, risk analysis, and bid management tools.

The platform offers a suite of tools to manage the entire pre-construction phase. For general contractors, it simplifies finding qualified builders from a network of over 1.5 million professionals, sending bid invitations, and comparing bids in an "apples-to-apples" format. Subcontractors use the platform to manage bid invitations, track project due dates, and discover new job opportunities. A key product, TradeTapp, automates subcontractor qualification and risk analysis. The platform's main benefit is centralizing and simplifying the traditionally fragmented bidding process, replacing disconnected spreadsheets, emails, and rolodexes. A significant milestone was its acquisition by Autodesk in January 2019 for $275 million, integrating it into the Autodesk Construction Cloud to offer a more comprehensive workflow from design through project completion.

Keywords: pre-construction, bid management, construction network, subcontractor qualification, contractor database, risk analysis, construction bidding, procurement platform, TradeTapp, Autodesk Construction Cloud