PRIMAVERA P6 AND CONTRACT MANAGER REVIEW: HILL INTERNATIONAL


REVIEW SUMMARY

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.

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USER PROFILE
  User: Shawn Pressley, Director of Project Management Systems and Development
  Company: Hill International, Inc.
  Location: Marlton, NJ
  Website: http://www.hillintl.com
  Type of business: Construction Management
  Business size: Over $100 million annually
  Experience: 7 yrs
  Software tools used: P6, Contract Manager, SharePoint, Revit
  Tool & Version P6 and Contract Manager

REVIEW DETAILS


What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?


What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
Hill International is one of the largest construction claim and construction project management firms in the world. With more than 1,500 professionals worldwide, Hill offers construction consulting and support services throughout the whole lifecycle of a project.

How long have you been using this tool?

I have been using the Primavera family of software for about 20 years and Contract Manager for about 10 years.

Where did you obtain it?

Directly from the vendor.

How much did you pay?
Unsure.

How are you using this product?
We use these products on a number of large projects for basic construction project management, scheduling and collaboration.

Why did you pick this product?

We chose Primavera P6 and Contract Manager specifically because of their ability to work together.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?

We didn't look at anything else in depth because we were looking for interoperability.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?

We are more efficient and our work is more transparent in the organization.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?

Primavera provides excellent visibility throughout the various phases of a project. One example of where this made a difference is with the Comcast Center in Philadelphia. The Center, which will be 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.

Another valuable benefit of using P6 and Contract Manager construction management software has been its ability to use past projects as reference guides. By comparing the statistics and processes from similar-size projects, I have gotten a heads-up on what to expect on the next project.

Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this tool?
Using P6 and Contract Manager is simply smart business. With all the information tied into one platform, a seven-day turnaround on RFIs really means a seven-day turnaround. There's nowhere to hide and no excuses to be made with this level of visibility. The construction schedule accountability has saved time and money.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
Their seamless integration allows collaborative efforts among owners, contractors and subcontractors.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
Yes.

What would you change about the product if you could?

Nothing, the benefits are so huge that any shortcomings aren't significant.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
Unsure.

Who would you recommend use this tool?
I would definitely recommend Primavera P6 and Contract Manager to medium-sized to large construction management companies. In fact, using this software could actually help win business, as owners recognize Primavera as a leader in the field.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
Basic knowledge of computers is fine.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Training times have ranged from just two weeks for users with some experience to two months for people with no prior knowledge.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
Primavera's support has been helpful and responsive, even in those instances when I push this construction management software beyond its limits. As much as I have pushed, the software has always held its ground.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?

The product manuals have been adequate.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
When version P7 is available I will upgrade to stay current. Of course, any upgrade should first be tested on an independent server and we'll address implementation schedules before we roll it out.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
9