Project managers in the construction industry have to juggle between various processes such as job costing, payroll management, and labor management. They need technologies to manage all these processes quickly and efficiently. And most of them prefer Macs and iPads, the reason being the slick intuitive designs and ease of use.

If you also prefer Apple products for business, there are two options. You could get construction management software that offers an iOS app and install it locally. Or, you could choose a cloud-based solution and access it via a browser.

At Software Advice, we recommend cloud-based construction software, especially for small businesses that use Macs. These tools have lower up-front costs, shorter implementation time, and automatic updates. You also get better support for remote usage, can scale more easily, and minimize the need for IT staff.

This guide will help you navigate through hundreds of tools in the market to choose one solution that suits your needs. As software requirements vary based on business size and budget, it becomes important to thoroughly understand the features, benefits, and considerations for Apple products before purchasing a tool.

What is construction software for Mac?

Common features of construction software for Mac

What type of buyer are you?

Benefits of construction software for Mac

Key considerations

What is construction software for Mac?

Construction software for Mac is a tool that runs on Apple's operating system (OS). The reason why businesses use Apple products is quite evident–the smooth interface and easy-to-use functionality. The tool helps project managers automate critical processes in a project such as scheduling, budgeting, estimating, and tracking.

Project finances in Sage300

While using the standalone software should suffice for most businesses, sometimes construction managers end up multitasking. They have to handle the estimation of project costs, accounts management, and labor management. In that case, use/integrate the following related tools with your construction software to manage the above tasks:

• Takeoff: Measures the construction plans (blueprints and drawings) to determine the volume of materials and labor required for a job.

• Estimating: Calculates the material costs and labor takeoff to produce bid proposals.

• Accounting: Manages core accounting, fixed asset accounting, and payroll.

• Bid management: Helps businesses solicit bids from subcontractors and suppliers before submitting a job quote.

Common features of construction software for Mac

This section analyzes the key features of construction software for Mac devices that you should look for when evaluating a solution for your business.

What type of buyer are you?

Before you begin shortlisting your options for construction software, it's important to understand the buyer category that your business is most like. This will help you understand your requirements so that you can prioritize software features as "must-have" or "optional."

Here is our breakdown of the three most common buyer types based on market research:

General contractors. These buyers have to juggle numerous tasks everyday, including bids submissions, managing the updated versions of blueprints, and tracking project progress. Contractors need construction software to better organize the entire project cycle from billing to managing labor and resources. The primary features that general contractors need are project scheduling, bid management, and document management.

Government contractors. Public and government contractors have specific performance metrics, such as labor utilization, proposal win rate, and profit, which influence their business decisions. The construction software should analyze these metrics to provide insights on running their business more efficiently. The main features for these buyers are project tracking, bid management, and timesheet tracking.

Civil contractors. These buyers need construction software that performs unit billing, fixed asset accounting, contract management, and spare parts inventory management. They also have substantial requirements for dispatching and tracking work crews. Some other features they require are equipment and resource management, core accounting, and change orders.

Benefits of construction software for Mac

Selecting the best construction software for Mac shouldn't be tricky; you just need to realize how the tool will benefit your business in terms of productivity, efficiency, and scalability. In this section, we've listed the key benefits of construction software for Mac devices. Read on to assess the need for this software in your business.

Fewer calculation errors: Calculating job costs and payroll manually is not only time consuming but also prone to errors. These errors can lead to loss of money (as wages) and tax penalties. Construction software for Mac provides accounting modules and templates that help construction managers complete accounting, cost estimation, and the paperwork online in a shorter time and with greater accuracy.

Simplified document management: Businesses need to organize documents such as contracts, blueprints, purchase orders, and invoices. Construction software helps users better manage these documents as it creates a virtual paper trail for plans, RFIs, change orders, submittals, etc. All these documents are stored in a centralized repository, with tracking and version control, which is easily searchable.

Scalability for future growth: The tool helps project managers plan, control, and coordinate projects in an organized manner. With organized and efficient business processes, they can complete the projects faster, which will allow you to manage a greater number of jobs at the same time.

Key considerations

Now that you know about the features and benefits of construction software for Mac, here are five important factors that should influence your purchase decision. For instance, you might find a solution with all the relevant features but no data security. Considering these factors will help you shortlist your options even further.

Total cost of ownership (TCO): Usually, cloud-based solutions have a monthly or annual subscription fee, which includes a one-time license fee, data backup costs, and maintenance charges. Check whether the vendor charges for support (email or phone), customizations, or software training. The vendor's initial offering may not be the final TCO if you keep adding users and features during negotiations or post purchase.

Ensure software scalability for your business: The tool you choose should be able to scale-up in terms of the number of licenses or users. This will help you prepare for future growth, as you can add new users when needed. Businesses could opt for cloud-based solutions as it provides greater flexibility—you pay for what you use and can easily scale-up as well. On the other hand, on-premise solutions require deploying additional hardware, which is expensive.

Data transfer and synchronization services: Migrating from an old system requires transferring all your data to the new system. Most vendors include data transfer fee in the software license cost, but others charge extra for it. In some cases, you may have to hire a third-party vendor to transfer data, which will increase the software's total cost.