Electrical Contracting Firm CEI achieves for Faster, Clearer Project Communication

Background

Cupertino Electric, Inc. (CEI) is a nationally-recognized provider of electrical engineering and construction services. They are trusted by Owners and General Contractors to design and build complex electrical systems on projects ranging from data centers to hospitals. With the amount of complexity and danger involved in electrical installations, their work becomes a high-stakes endeavor. Given the precarious nature of their work delivering mission-critical systems, it is imperative that CEI is methodical and meticulous to ensure that all of their installations are executed with precision.

Finding the Right Solution

Historically, correspondence between the Owner, General Contractor, and CEI was facilitated using paper-based processes. This presented challenges. "You know that game you played in kindergarten in which you whisper something down the line and by the end of it, there's a completely different message? That's what happens when you use paper to communicate everything in our field," says Brett Boncher, CEI's Director of Project Management. A few years ago, some junior team members brought forward Bluebeam Revu as a better project solution. Brett witnessed Revu in action, and he's been a Bluebeam devotee ever since. "Finally, there was a way to have better document control."

How Revu Improves Efficiency

Brett and his team were thrilled to enhance communication and efficiency and accuracy with Revu. A few ways CEI improved its processes include the following:

• Old Way: Print out one heavy, cumbersome master set of drawings to lug around.
  New way: Keep the digital master set in the office, on the jobsite, and at home by converting all drawings and project documents to PDFs using Bluebeam's plugins into AutoCAD.
• Old Way: Use colored pencils to manually indicate revisions on the drawing.
  New way: Automatically compare drawings using Overlay Pages, which converts each drawing to a different colored layer and then overlays the drawings to easily view the differences.
• Old Way: Use rulers and a calculator to conduct cost estimation and pricing.
  New way: Electronically measure footage of materials using Revu's measurement tools. Revu allows CEI's users to calibrate a drawing and then measure length, areas, perimeter, diameter, radius, angles and volume. All of these measurements are annotations that are tracked in the Markups list, which functions like a spreadsheet within the program and can be customized with formulas for calculating materials costs.

Results

Since switching from paper-based processes to electronic workflows with Revu, CEI's project workflows have improved tremendously in terms of speed and clarity. First, Revu's tablet PC compatibility has enabled the team members on the jobsite to go mobile and track changes and update drawings immediately, eliminating the need for rework in the office. Second, Revu's PDF markup and editing features have enabled CEI to produce clear project documentation that minimizes errors. When compiling submittals, for example, the firm will import their project data sheets into Revu, and use the markup tools to highlight the size of conduit, wire or other materials. They'll add a signature block and a name on the top right-hand corner to keep the document organized. They will also remove any pages from the PDF that are not pertinent to the GC or Owner. This helps their documents stay clear, concise, and professional.

"We're very impressed with the results we've achieved using Bluebeam," said Boncher.