How do you handle more than $60 billion of projects in the U.S., Middle East and Far East? With fully integrated P6 and Contract Manager software from Primavera. Hill International Inc. has been using P6 and its previous versions for 20 years and Contract Manager for about 10 years. This construction management software was chosen specifically for its ability to work together.

Shawn Pressley thinks the most important feature of the two products is seamless integration, which allows collaborative efforts among owners, contractors and subcontractors and excellent visibility throughout all phases of a project. For example, the Comcast Center in Philadelphia (the largest skyscraper between New York and Washington, D.C.) is an "open book" project where costs and schedules can be accessed and updated via the Web, allowing for instant information and accountability. With one point of entry for data, errors are reduced and the entire process is faster.

"Using P6 and Contract Manager is simply smart business," Pressley stated. "With all the information tied into one platform, a seven-day turnaround on RFIs means a seven-day turnaround. There's nowhere to hide and no excuses to be made with this level of visibility."

An added benefit of using Primavera P6 and Contract Manager has been its ability to use past projects as reference guides. Comparing the statistics and processes from similar sized projects gives Pressley an indication of what to expect on the next project.

Given the time, Pressley could come up with a list of some things he might want to change about this construction management software, but, overall, "the benefits are so huge that any shortcomings aren't significant."

Training times have ranged from two weeks for users with some experience to two months for people with no prior knowledge. Product manuals have been adequate, and Primavera support has been helpful and responsive. Even through Pressley admitted to sometimes pushing the software beyond its limits -- yet, as much as he has pushed, the software has always "held its ground."

He would definitely recommend P6 and Contract Manager to medium- to large-sized construction management companies. He pointed out that using this construction management software could actually help win business, as owners recognize Primavera as a leader in the field.

When version P7 is available, Pressley will upgrade to stay current, but he advised that any upgrade should first be tested on an independent server and implementation schedules must be addressed beforehand.

Overall, Pressley rated Primavera P6 a 9 out of 10 and Contract Manager an 8 out of 10. However, he stressed that their real strength lies in using them as an integrated solution, and therefore rated the two together as a solid 9.