About UnitsPro
Approach
UnitsPro is an enterprise-level software solution used for managing utility construction projects through their lifecycle. UnitsPro takes an innovative approach to squash some of the long time pitfalls that have been a constant in the industry. Here are some highlights of our approach:
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Units-Based - UnitsPro breaks down complex projects into small fragments (units) that are used as building blocks for project design, billing, and reporting. These units are priced using a composite of crew labor, equipment, and rentals. Units as a basis for design, estimates, and work completion removes the guesswork involved with these processes and therefore increases predictability and visibility of your project.
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Secure - UnitsPro is hosted in the cloud and uses a remote application for users in the office and out in the field. This means that your data remains secure on the server with a layer of protection between a user's machine (including email) and the UnitsPro application.
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Dashboard-Driven - UnitsPro uses dynamic role-driven dashboards to present pertinent information to users. Users see critical information they need in real time, increasing the efficiency and stability of your project management.
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Report-Centric - UnitsPro was architected with a focus on reporting for each step of the project lifecycle. Powerful reports simplify complex data to ensure you get valuable real-time information that helps you make important decisions.
Process
UnitsPro has powerful functionality for managing each step of the utility project lifecycle. Highlights include:
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Specification Management - Manage your existing specifications directly in UnitsPro. These specifications are used as the basis for contracting, estimating, and billing.
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Pricing Buildup - Develop labor and equipment rates by “building up” base rates through the application of benefits, taxes, profit, etc. Fully developed rates are used to create unit pricing that is consistent across workgroups for easy evaluation during the contracting and bidding process.
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Contracting - Create uniform contracts across workgroups to provide consistency in both T&E and units-based pricing.
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Design - Translate engineering documents into unit-based designs quickly and efficiently using your contract specifications to establish a base estimate prior to sending the design to workgroups.
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Estimates - Provide workgroups with a base design that they can adjust and price in a consistent manner.
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Award Work - Evaluate workgroup bids side by side to see differences in design and pricing across workgroups to easily determine the effective low-cost bidder.
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Scheduling - Create a weekly or daily job schedule by phase that you can easily interface with commonly used scheduling software such as Microsoft Project.
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Construction - Monitor the progress of your project in real-time based on earned hours for each unit as work is completed, giving you a true picture of percentage complete.
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Change Order Management - Track change orders that are automatically created as work is completed and approved outside of the originally accepted estimate.
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Inspection - Optionally Inspect work as it is completed to ensure work is completed to specification prior to billing.
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Billing - Receive bills generated through UnitsPro in a consistent format that is compatible with your accounting system.
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Job closeout - Track all required documentation and evaluation of workgroup performance so that your projects get closed out quickly and efficiently following completion of work.
Pricing Model
The UnitsPro pricing model is risk-free:
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No Upfront Costs - Distribute software costs into each project and capitalize the expenditures as you use UnitsPro.
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No Long-Term Contract - Use UnitsPro on a job by job basis. If you are not completely satisfied, you can discontinue at any time.
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Volume-Based Tiered Pricing - Pay reduced rates as you expand the use of UnitsPro.
Overview
For an in-depth view of how UnitsPro accomplishes all the benefits listed above, take a look at our Functionality Overview document.
Functionality Overview
About Us
Through his years of nuclear and electrical operations and construction management, Bob Prowant discovered that he could more effectively manage his projects and teams by using a units-based approach. During his career, he incrementally implemented technology to support this approach. He quickly learned that he could maximize productivity and profitability, while reducing uncertainty in projects.
In 2002 he contracted with a small IT firm to develop a web-based units tracking system. The system was very limited, but proved effective in managing Distribution-based units work.
In 2006, Bob met Brett Houghton, a software engineer with years of experience creating enterprise-level, mission-critical applications. The two of them worked together to architect and build an enterprise database solution for units-based project management for a large electrical contractor. This system expanded projects managed from pure Overhead Distribution work to URD, Substation, Transmission, Gas Distribution, and Gas Transmission. The project was very successful, helping the contractor to increase their profitability and reliability.
While the software was working well, it was clear to Bob and Brett that this type of software should really be implemented at the utility level, and the idea of UnitsPro was born.
After multiple iterations, we released UnitsPro 4.0, a full life-cycle version that helps utilities and their contractors manage a project from inception to close out, taking utility project management to the next level. UnitsPro 4.0 is designed to manage a project completely and includes every element needed to do so, such as design, estimating, bid tracking, bid award, scheduling and cash flow, completion reporting, billing, time entry (labor & equipment), change order management, and project close out.
Let us show you what UnitsPro can do for you.
