All construction companies have certain things in common, like the need to price construction services, calculate the precise costs of execution and carry out accurate billing afterwards. These processes are essential for commercial success and effective cooperation between stakeholders. The STRABAG Group is one of the largest companies in the market, with a global network and construction sites all over the world. It relies on Bluebeam Revu in several areas. It’s used as a central tool for graphical quantity surveying and takeoff to the required quality standard in a wide range of projects.
STRABAG SE is one of Europe’s largest global construction service technology groups. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the company employs more than 75,000 people worldwide and generates an annual turnover of €16 billion. The Product Management and Design team plays a particularly important role as the interface between software manufacturers and STRABAG’s own staff. This provides ZÜBLIN and STRABAG employees with efficient support in handling projects.
2D-based quantity surveying and quantity takeoff with Revu
The STRABAG Group repeatedly tests and evaluates software solutions for suitability. They also provide these solutions to their design teams to support their workflows. STRABAG employees now use Bluebeam Revu as a key tool, primarily for quantity takeoff and quantity surveying.
The STRABAG Group had long been looking for software that would be as uncomplicated and time-efficient as possible for determining component masses and quantities; they also needed something to help filter relevant design information from PDF files. Daniela Matschke, a member of the Product Support team explains: “We deal with an array of different plans and data sets every single day. The information in drawings can be displayed in PDF format quickly and easily for everyone. Bluebeam Revu provides us with a straightforward way to determine the quantities and dimensions we need. That was a crucial factor in our decision to opt for this software.”
High user satisfaction, positive impact – and licenses already doubled
“In 2018, we purchased Bluebeam network licenses for the first time. Based on positive feedback from our users, we’ve kept on extending them. We’ve doubled our number of licenses over three years and are now one of Bluebeam’s biggest customers.”
Dipl.-Ing. Daniela Astrid Matschke M.Sc.
Project Engineer
STRABAG Group
Using Bluebeam Revu for quantity takeoff is not mandatory within the Group. “Basically, every employee can choose from a pool of different approved solutions, depending on the software already used in the project. But the response to Revu has been highly positive,” Matschke says. “In 2018, we started with a number of network licenses derived from the previous product. We’ve continuously increased the number of these, so much so that they’ve doubled over a period of about three years. This makes us one of Bluebeam’s biggest customers.”
There are several reasons behind this steady growth. Besides the speed and ease of capturing quantities, one of the essential factors is the user-friendliness of Bluebeam software. After basic in-house training, users pick up the program quickly. As project work progresses, the special features come more to the fore. “Our users are often delighted to find that the program can do what they want it to do. Revu can also be used not only for quantity takeoff, but also for application areas such as design review,” adds Matschke.
PDF format offers major benefits for STRABAG
PDF documents are a great complement to the BIM models also used in the STRABAG Group. Revu is proving to be highly open and flexible integrating with these applications. Building construction, traffic route construction and other design areas within the Group are actively benefiting from the solution. Since the entire range of services is mapped throughout the entire design and construction phase, Bluebeam Revu PDFs are now used as a work and exchange format across the board.
Comprehensive market evaluation in advance
The Group rollout of Bluebeam Revu took just under a year, starting with a comprehensive evaluation based on a catalog of criteria that compared the solution with previously used software. The features, user interface, operating languages available and other aspects were tested and the results compiled in a points matrix. It soon became apparent that Bluebeam Revu was superior to its competitors.
In-depth expertise fosters security and satisfaction
Thanks to the STRABAG Group’s existing digitalization expertise, its specialist design teams in the various areas can provide the necessary support themselves and assist employees in-house. In-depth knowledge of Bluebeam’s strengths and special features is needed, as the interface has been specially adapted to the Group’s way of working. This means the teams working with the software have become internal consultants for accelerating takeoffs with Bluebeam Revu, along with the usability and possible areas of application for the solution across a wide range of projects. Bluebeam’s own support service is also put to good use: “We’re well versed in Revu now, but there are times when even we need some assistance,” says Matschke, explaining how the partnership between STRABAG and Bluebeam works. “We can reach out to Bluebeam directly for this.”
The priority: Leveraging potential and expanding areas of application
Although the use of Bluebeam Revu is not dictated within the STRABAG Group, the number of users only continues to grow. The main reasons for this are its ease of use and 2D-based quantity surveying and quantity takeoff straight from the drawing file in PDF format. As a software expert, Matschke believes that Revu could be used to add value in even more areas of application: “We can further optimize our processes as a Group when it comes to drawing and document review. Bluebeam Revu also offers huge potential for mobile use on construction sites with the app for iOS.”