When a General Contractor decides to “get organized,” they often look toward Buildertrend as the default solution. As an all-in-one platform, Buildertrend attempts to solve every problem a builder faces—from sales and CRM to scheduling and daily logs.
However, many growing GCs find that an “all-in-one” system creates a secondary set of problems: high monthly costs, complex onboarding, and an overwhelming interface.
Here is a clinical comparison between the ERP approach (Buildertrend) and the Workflow approach (Bid Bench).
Buildertrend is an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tool. Its value proposition is that it replaces 5-6 different apps.
Bid Bench is a Point Solution. It does not try to manage your social media leads or your project schedule. It focuses exclusively on the Pre-Construction Financials.
There is a common phenomenon in construction tech: Shelfware. This is expensive software that a GC buys with good intentions, but ends up “sitting on the shelf” because the implementation was too difficult.
Large platforms often have a “Implementation Wall.” To make the software work, you need to spend 40+ hours setting up templates, importing contacts, and watching training videos. For a GC who is already working 60 hours a week, this is impossible.
The result? They pay $400/mo but only use the software as a glorified “file storage” bucket. They never reach the advanced features they paid for.
By choosing a “Workflow-First” tool like Bid Bench, you bypass the wall. You solve the most painful problem (bidding) immediately, without needing a degree in software administration.
Simplicity is a feature.
Don’t pay for features you don’t use. Start your free trial of Bid Bench at app.bidbench.com/signup.