Industry guide
What does custom construction software built by Black Badger involve?
Black Badger Software Solutions publishes this guide and builds custom software for contractors, which is why a custom build appears on every list here. We build the system around the way your crews and office already run jobs, you own the code and the accounts, and there is no per-seat fee.
Who a custom construction system is for
A custom construction system is for commercial contractors whose process only fits a platform with workarounds. The usual signs are a master workbook beside the software, field reports that arrive by text or paper, and an office that re-keys job data into accounting.
We work mainly with companies of 50 or more employees, with several crews and several jobs running at once. A smaller contractor is usually better served by a product, and we say so when that is the case.
What we build for contractors
We build job tracking that follows your own phases and approvals. Field reporting runs on a phone and uses the daily report and inspection forms your superintendents already know. Dashboards show every job to the people who run the company.
We connect it to the systems you keep, most often accounting, so a number is entered once. Many builds start by replacing a set of Smartsheet or Excel trackers that the company has outgrown.
How Black Badger builds a custom construction system
A build starts with a conversation and then discovery, where we map how a job moves from award to closeout in your company. You get a written scope that names what will be built, what it costs and the schedule, before anything is signed.
During the build you see working screens. Your data is moved across and checked. At handover every account the system runs on is already in your name.
What you own when a custom construction system is finished
You own the source code, the database and the hosting account. Black Badger is invited in as an administrator and you can remove us whenever you choose.
There are no licenses. After launch you pay the running costs of the services the system uses, and adding a foreman or a project manager costs nothing.
Why Black Badger ranks where it does on Best Commercial Construction Software
We spent years implementing and migrating project management platforms, Smartsheet among them, before we moved to building custom systems. We know where a product fits a contractor and where it stops fitting.
It would be easy to rank the custom route first everywhere. We do not, because it is not always the right answer. It is first on the list about outgrowing Smartsheet and spreadsheets, and second or third on the rest.
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Ask Black Badger about a custom build
Questions buyers ask
What does custom construction software cost?
We do not publish a cost for custom construction software. The number depends on what the system has to do, how many crews use it and how many other systems it must agree with. We start from what you already pay in software fees and lost hours each year and scope a one-time build against it. A written scope gives you a firm number.
Can custom construction software work with the accounting system we already have?
Yes, custom construction software can work with the accounting system you already have, and that is the usual arrangement. We build the operations side and connect it to your accounting through an integration, so job data is entered once and both systems agree.
Does Black Badger still implement Smartsheet or other platforms?
No, we no longer implement Smartsheet or other platforms. Knowing those platforms well is why we stopped. A product built for every company at once asks yours to change to fit it. If a product fits your situation we will say so, and the first call is free.