S.M. Wilson & Co. saw immediate improvements to its entire business after it installed CMiC 2006, an enterprise-wide AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) project management software package from CMiC.

Mark Patterson, chief information officer at St. Louis-based S.M. Wilson, pointed to several tangible time savings as a result of using CMiC software. The ability to have multiple users concurrently completing tasks such as job costing and budget creation has improved turnaround time on budgets, he noted. In addition, the company was able to halve the time spent sending job billing reporting to owners, saving up to 60 man-hours per month. Finally, the ability to use imaging capabilities and create an invoice printing system has saved each S.M. Wilson accountant three working days a month, Patterson said.

CMiC also helps the contractor streamline processes. The construction project management software can provide real-time project financial information, both for internal use and for client reports. The software also allows users to assign phase codes and market sector classifiers to projects; this provides a better cost history and makes it easier to use that information for accurate construction estimates, Patterson said. Finally, thanks to CMiC software subcontractors for several recent Target retail store construction projects were paid faster and more accurately than on previous projects, he said.

S.M. Wilson also uses CMiC to improve its compliance activities. For example, before a subcontractor can be paid, he must provide proof of insurance coverage, including the coverage expiration date. Rather than waiting until a subcontractor issues an invoice, S.M. Wilson now has a report indicating what coverage will be expiring in the next 30 days. The company can work with subcontractors to make sure they get updated insurance information before S.M. Wilson is forced to hold the payment. "By being proactive, we will make sure our Subcontractors get paid for the work they perform in a timely manner," Patterson said.

Going forward, Patterson said the firm hopes to use CMiC software to further enhance its project planning process and, as a result, get reimbursed for planning activities much easier. As he explained, "We will start a project in CMiC and track the activities prior to winning the job. On some projects this cost is reimbursable. Since this is a job in CMiC, we will be able to create a bill using the billing module much faster than we can do today. If we win the job, many times some of the costs are reimbursable. Since the preconstruction activity was being tracked in the bid job, we can roll the reimbursable costs into a bill to the owner."

He said S.M. Wilson also intends to incorporate the dada generated in its construction estimating system directly into a CMiC budget.

Overall, Patterson rated CMiC 2006 an 8 out of 10. The main area of improvement for this construction project management software, he said, is with its documentation, which is not always clear. "I would not think of asking our employees to use the provided documentation," he said, adding, "We have created our own."