The Software that Keeps School Construction Projects On Time, On Budget, and Out Of Court
Back in 2009, Steve Harper was a tech entrepreneur and relationship strategist, who wanted to help construction projects run more smoothly.
Knowing that fewer than 25% of capital projects finish on-time, and 70% significantly exceed their budgets, Steve leveraged his unique skill set to help construction project owners beat the odds.
The result is Owner Insite, a software platform that puts project owners in the driver’s seat before, during and after construction.
The intuitive project management software maximizes productive time and improves collaboration among team members. It helps school leaders finish construction projects on time and on budget, while handling problems in real-time that can lead to costly disputes if left unnoticed or unaddressed.
Working From The Same Playbook
Studies show that 35% of construction professionals’ time is spent unproductively — on reworks, looking for project information, conflict resolution, etc. This unfocused time can lead to project delays, conflicts between stakeholders, and too often, litigation.
With Owner Insite, all project players including the school leaders, architects, engineers, general contractors and subcontractors work from the same tool that they can easily access from any mobile or desktop device.
Since everyone has instant visibility into agreements and plans, Owner Insite greatly increases productivity and cuts down on friction between stakeholders.
The tool enables project owners to handle budgeting and accounting, project management, document management, and construction oversight all in the same platform. It also generates automated daily and/or weekly updates to keep everyone, including designated school board members and administrators, informed in real time.
And the project owner can set the level of access needed for each team member, so that confidential financial information and other private documents are only visible to those with permission.
Searchable Project Archives Owned By Owners
Too often, each stakeholder in a school district construction project uses a different software tool. When a project is over, the owner is left with fragments of documentation and may have trouble finding critical pieces of information.
At the end of a project, the project owner is left with a complete, easily searchable archive that utilizes Owner Insite’s document closeout process. Project owners can easily pull up any design or construction document that will help with ongoing maintenance.
And in the case of dispute, the project owner can access every purchase order, change order, contract and field report in four clicks or less.
Q&A w/Owner Insite CEO, Steve Harper
Stephanie Glenn, Construction Procurement Manager with TIPS, recently sat down with Owner Insite Founder and CEO Steve Harper to find out more about why he created the software and how the company supports its customers:
Stephanie Glenn: What prompted you to develop this platform for construction?
Steve Harper: You may have heard that McDonald’s success isn’t really about the burgers but about the real estate. Well, our success isn’t really about the software but about the human relationships.
By providing transparency and accountability at all phases of the project, Owner Insite greatly cuts down on the conflicts that too often lead to project delays and sometimes even litigation.
Instead, Owner Insite promotes good relationships among stakeholders, which leads to a more successful result. It’s a cost effective solution that helps school leaders get back to focusing on what’s most important: educating our kids.
Stephanie Glenn: What do you wish people knew about your company?
Steve Harper: While there are plenty of software management programs on the market, most are designed to make the process “convenient.”
Our tool goes well beyond that, providing exactly what project owners need to manage every aspect of a construction job, while communicating in real-time with stakeholders.
We give owners the visibility to instantly see any slips in the schedule or runs on the budget.
Also, if you’re the project owner and you don’t have all the information at the end of the job, you’re at a huge disadvantage should any litigation arise in the future, because the first thing an attorney will do is tell the contractor not to share any documents. Owner Insite solves this problem.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find another tool at this price point that’s built expressly with the needs of owners in mind.
Stephanie Glenn: How hard is it to get started with software?
Steve Harper: While construction project owners have loads of skills they’re not often computer technologists. That’s why we designed Owner Insite for use by laypeople. It’s super intuitive.
Our customer support team can help you get your whole project set up in under an hour.
And unlike other software programs that charge per user, once you get a license with us, you can bring an unlimited number of users onto the platform whenever you choose. Most people will understand how to use it in just a few minutes.
However, if you need help at any point, our world-class support team is just an email or phone call away. We’ll provide unlimited training to anyone on your team at no additional cost.
Hear Directly From One Of Our Customers:
Glenn Jarrett is Director of Construction & Facilities for Alief ISD in Houston. When Glenn began work on a $350 million dollar bond project back in 2015, he knew the odds of these sorts of projects finishing on time and under budget weren’t good.
With this in mind, he thought using the right project management software was absolutely essential. “Everyone wants to use their own internal software…but here we are the owner. We needed something centrally housed that we’d have access to and we’d own,” Glenn says. “After conducting due diligence, the district bought Owner Insite.”
Glenn credits the software with helping all stakeholders stay on track straight through COVID lockdowns. “When we went back to the offices after lockdown, we were hardly impacted by restrictions. We were able to function normally,” he says.
Despite unforeseen challenges such as COVID and supply chain problems, Alief’s bond project recently finished on time and under budget. “Using Owner Insite was a big part of our success,” Glenn says.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like more information about using Owner Insite in your district, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to answer your questions and provide a short demo. Call us at (888) 336-3393 or email us at sales@owner-insite.com. We look forward to showing you how much easier managing your district’s construction project can be!