Procore is a world-class platform, but it was designed for a specific type of user: the large-scale commercial builder with a deep administrative bench.
When a smaller residential General Contractor attempts to implement Procore (or a similar enterprise ERP), they often experience “System Rejection.” Within six months, the software is abandoned, and the team reverts to Excel and email. This failure is rarely due to the quality of the software; it is due to an Operational Mismatch.
Enterprise software is not a “plug-and-play” solution. It is a framework that requires constant maintenance.
In a large firm, there is a dedicated person whose job is to manage the software—setting up projects, managing permissions, and ensuring data integrity. In a small firm, that “Power User” is usually the owner. When the owner gets busy in the field, the software maintenance stops, and the data becomes obsolete.
Procore requires a significant upfront investment of time to configure. You have to build your cost codes, set up your directory, and learn the specific “Procore Way” of doing things. For a firm running 3-5 active projects, the time required to “set it up” is time taken away from managing the actual construction.
Procore’s value is maximized when subcontractors use the portal. However, local residential trades (plumbers, painters, framers) often lack the office staff to navigate complex portals. When your subs refuse to log in, the system breaks, and you are left doing double the work to keep the software updated.
Because enterprise software is expensive, many GCs feel forced to keep using it long after it has proven to be a distraction. This “Sunk Cost” prevents the firm from moving to a tool that actually fits their workflow.
A professional firm should be honest about its administrative capacity. If you don’t have the staff to feed an enterprise-grade database, the database will eventually become a liability.
The goal is to find a system that provides the Benefit of organization without the Overhead of management.
Bid Bench was designed as an alternative to the “Enterprise Trap.”
Choose software that fits your team.
Don’t get trapped by enterprise complexity. Start your free trial of Bid Bench at app.bidbench.com/signup.