If you are a General Contractor doing between $1M and $15M in revenue, you are likely in a difficult “in-between” stage.
You have grown too big for Excel. The spreadsheets are breaking, version control is a nightmare, and you are tired of copy-pasting data from PDF proposals into cells until your eyes cross.
So, you look at the market leader: BuilderTrend.
BuilderTrend is a giant. It is robust, feature-rich, and undeniably powerful. But for many custom home builders and mid-sized GCs, it feels like buying a semi-truck when all you really needed was a reliable pickup.
You don’t need a CRM, a marketing suite, or complex HR tools. You just want to bid projects, track subcontractors, and organize your files without needing a PhD to operate your software.
If you are looking for a simple alternative to BuilderTrend, you aren’t looking for less capability—you are looking for less friction.
The biggest selling point of enterprise software is that it does “everything.” But in construction, “everything” often translates to “bloat.”
When you sign up for a platform like BuilderTrend, you are paying for the entire ecosystem. This creates three specific problems for the mid-sized contractor:
Enterprise software requires “implementation.” This usually means thousands of dollars in onboarding fees and weeks (or months) of training. You have to change how you run your business to fit the software, rather than the software fitting your business.
You might only use the Budgeting, Bidding, and Daily Logs features. Yet, your monthly subscription covers the CRM, the Selections module, the Warranty portal, and the complex Gantt charting tools. You are effectively subsidizing features you will never touch.
This is the silent killer of construction software. If the platform is hard for you to use, it is ten times harder for your subcontractors. If your software requires your plumber to create a login, set up a profile, and navigate a complex portal just to submit a bid, they won’t do it. They will just email you the PDF, and you’re back to manual data entry.
You need something better than Excel, but simpler than BuilderTrend. A modern construction management tool for this revenue range needs to hit four specific notes:
This is exactly why we built Bid Bench.
We designed Bid Bench for the GC who wants to log in, get the work done, and get back to the job site. Here is how it compares as a simple alternative to BuilderTrend.
The biggest pain point in bidding is Data Entry. Even in BuilderTrend, you often have to manually type in the numbers from a subcontractor’s proposal into the system.
Bid Bench uses AI to read those PDFs for you.
We believe that software should help you “herd cats,” not annoy them.
Bid Bench focuses on the workflow of the Invitation to Bid (ITB). You can track exactly who you have invited, who is reviewing the plans, and who has submitted a number. It gives you a “Control Center” view of your preconstruction phase so you never have to ask, “Did the roofer get back to us yet?“
You don’t need a complex document hierarchy. You need a digital plan room. Bid Bench offers integrated cloud storage that links files directly to your budget items.
Need to attach the specific window schedule to the framing line item? Done. Need to store the signed proposal right next to the budget number? It happens automatically. It’s like Dropbox, but built specifically for the way a General Contractor thinks.
This is our “Apple” philosophy. If you have to watch a 2-hour webinar to understand how to create a project, the software has failed.
Bid Bench is designed to be intuitive. If you know how to use a spreadsheet, you already know how to use Bid Bench—except it’s cleaner, faster, and mobile-friendly.
Price shouldn’t be a secret. Enterprise tools often hide behind “Call for Quote” buttons because the price varies based on your annual volume. If you have a great year and hit $10M in revenue, your software price often goes up.
A simple alternative should have simple pricing. No implementation fees, no hidden tiers based on your success. Just a flat tool price that works for your business.
If you run a $100M commercial construction firm, you probably do need Procore or BuilderTrend. They are built for massive teams with complex compliance needs.
But if you are a custom home builder or a GC running a lean, efficient operation in the $1M–$15M range, you don’t need a semi-truck. You need a tool that respects your time and your wallet.
Stop fighting with spreadsheets, but don’t overpay for bloat.
Ready to see how simple bidding can be? Start your free trial of Bid Bench today and build your first budget in minutes.