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CDCI CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OVERVIEW

Construction Data Control Inc. (CDCI) was formed in 1979 when two construction veterans yearned for more profitable construction management software. They have collectively worked with computer specialists to develop estimating, scheduling, accounting and job costing software solutions for the construction industry.

CDCI's Builder Series consists of two principle software solutions -- The Profit Builder and cPM (short for Critical Project Management). Both construction management software tools are 32-bit applications that require Windows XP.

cPM is construction scheduling software that uses the critical path method to perform project schedule analysis. The systems uses information such as activity, duration and activity sequence to create schedules for contractors and subcontractors. Construction schedules are viewable in bar chart or Gantt chart format. In addition, cPM is integrated with the CDCI Builder Series; this allows vendor information to be imported for schedule cost loading and automates processes such as purchase order (PO) approvals. Finally, cPM is available with a handheld device that can connect the field with the back office, according to the vendor.

The Profit Builder is a fully integrated construction management software solution designed for general ledger, job costing and accounts payable tasks. The Profit Builder is available for Microsoft Access or SQL Server and comes in four different versions:

	The Chief Financial Officer Edition is designed to manage the financial details of one or more companies. Cross-company analysis is facilitated by journal entry sessions and reporting that lists multiple companies in a balance sheet, income sheet and cash position reports, according to the vendor. The security of this sensitive corporate information is ensured features such as a password override log, the vendor said.
	The Project Management Edition is a purchasing and construction scheduling software solution that contains features useful for budgeting and reporting. The system tracks TBD (to be determined) POs, projected and actual dates, retainage and job costing budgets that can be viewed at various levels (subcontractor, labor, material, etc.), according to the vendor. This application also has a field PO feature that records all purchases made in the field. According to CDCI, this version imports data from an Excel spreadsheet into a purchasing catalog and should be used with cPM function optimally.
	Big Builder is a system designed for builders in the residential industry. This home building software is further segmented into custom, self-custom and production style builder editions. In addition to the features of the CFO edition and the PM edition of Profit Builder, this application contains a purchase items database, plan costing that sets and updates pricing, and a plan takeoff that displays details of POs and work orders.
	The Commercial Edition is an application for commercial construction contractors that tracks budgets with a job costing module and retainage with an accounts payable module. Additional features include itemized invoice lines and reporting for unit costs and certified payroll, according to the vendor.