3G Drywall, a mid-sized construction company, was grappling with inefficiencies in project documentation and purchase orders, which they managed through unwieldy spreadsheets and email. Mathew Gurley, a co-owner at 3G Drywall, identified these challenges and sought a solution to streamline these processes.

That’s when they discovered eSUB Construction Software.

Ultimately, 3G Drywall realized that eSUB would not only solve their initial needs but could solve other project documentation issues the company was experiencing as well.

The Problem

At the beginning of their journey, 3G Drywall’s project documentation was entirely managed through spreadsheets. Purchase orders were particularly troublesome, often conducted via email with no systematic method to match invoices to the original orders. This created a constant risk of confusion and errors.

“We were doing everything in spreadsheets …”

Mathew Gurley, Co-Owner of 3G Drywall

“We didn’t really have a good purchase order system. We were using email for purchase orders, so when we would receive the invoices, we didn’t have anything to receive them against,” Gurley said.

In addition to their lack of solid purchase order process, Submittals were an issue as well.

“We were doing everything in spreadsheets with submittals,” Gurley said.

The use of spreadsheets meant duplicative entries, and managing these documents was restricted to one person at a time due to the complexities and limitations of the system. This restriction slowed down processes and was prone to human error.

Because of the formulas and moving parts, managing spreadsheets became a bottleneck for 3G.

“One person would have to be in charge of it,” Gurley said. “If two people were trying to [edit] at the same time, or if somebody is trying to manipulate one and they change the formula, then it changes it for everybody. Then you have to re-save it and it’s just a nightmare.”

Moreover, this process also lacked transparency and tracking ability, especially with submittals and change orders.

The Solution

Looking for a solution, 3G Drywall turned to eSUB Construction Software. Initially attracted by eSUB’s ability to handle purchase orders, they soon discovered its capabilities in managing other documents such as submittals and change orders.

“… With eSUB, it’s easy to create separate purchase orders in the software when needed.”

Mathew Gurley, Co-Owner of 3G Drywall

With eSUB, purchase orders became considerably easier to manage. Project managers could now order materials for their own jobs, increasing the speed of processes and reducing the dependency on one person.

“We used to have to take an Excel spreadsheet and change the PO number every single time and just hope you don’t mess up a formula,” Gurley said. “But with eSUB, it’s easy to create separate purchase orders in the software when needed.”  

And that bottleneck of one person needing to manage all the spreadsheets to cut purchase orders? Gone.

“Now, the project manager is ordering all the materials for their own jobs, Gurley said. “It’s so much easier.”

The software also offered tracking for submittals, enhancing the transparency and accountability of the process.

“eSUB has been a big help with the submittal process. I love how it tracks [them], so when you sent it and there’s a 12-week lead time and they say well, you didn’t send me the Submittal in time. You can show them you did, and when… You can track it,” Gurley said.

Gurley also appreciates how organized things to help stay on top of status.

“It changes the colors [to help track them], so when you have one that’s red, that’s past the due date and then yellow green, and so on. It’s intuitive.”

Additionally, eSUB made managing change orders efficient.

“eSUB makes it really easy to enter change orders,” Gurley says. “I can go in there and enter it really fast. And then in the change order log I can extract out and send to the GC as an FYI,” said Gurley.

It also makes it easier to keep things on track with his project managers as well. As Gurley explains it:  

“I can send a note to my project manager saying ‘you’re owed $25,000. Here’s the log, what’s the status?’”

Overall, for Gurley, it comes down to how easy it is to keep things organized:

“It’s nice that you can break it out by status of change orders where you can see everything from approved to pending to potential or whatever. It’s very organized.”

Choosing eSUB

The software’s cost-effectiveness and ease of use were critical decision-making factors for 3G Drywall when selecting a software solution to improve their project documentation challenges.

“The number one factor for a small businesses [like ours] is usually cost,” Gurley explained. “[eSUB] was really competitive with cost.” 

With the affordability box checked off, the criteria turned to how easy the software would be to use; something Gurley still has a positive experience with.

“Ease of use was a big factor,” he says.  “It’s still really easy to use the software and figure it out.” One of the primary contributing factors to this, Gurley explains, is that the software is intuitive to use, and doesn’t require a lot of training.

“After two or three weeks using it, you kind of figure out how it works.”

Tailored to Subs

Gurley also appreciates the fact that eSUB is designed for, and tailored to, subcontractors.

“A lot of GCs tried to get us to use their stuff and it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t work right.”

Part of the reason for this, he explains is that there are fundamental differences between how a specialty contractor approaches the work, and the documentation to support it, compared to how a general contractor looks at things.

“A lot of GCs tried to get us to use their stuff and it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t work right … Just the way they look at things and the way we look at things is way different.”

Mathew Gurley, Co-Owner of 3G Drywall

“The language is just different,” he explains. “A purchase order for me is a PO to a vendor for materials, whereas a purchase order for a general contractor is an order for them to send to me to do the work.”  

“Just the way they look at things and the way we look at things is way different.”  

The Impact

Implementing eSUB transformed the way 3G Drywall managed its projects. It streamlined operations and eliminated errors arising from manual data entry. The software helped increase the company’s organizational efficiency, providing a system for checks and balances.

It significantly cut down on the time spent on administrative tasks, making it easier to monitor project progress and manage documents.

“It has saved us money one way or the other, whether in bottom-line dollars through error reduction … or in time and effort gained back in efficiencies.”

Mathew Gurley, Co-Owner of 3G Drywall

“I can help my project managers stay on top of their jobs way better,” Gurley says. “It’s so much easier for me to go in and see how many change orders are awaiting on this job or how many open purchase orders do we have on this job? What’s the contract value? Has a payout been submitted?”

eSUB also allowed for better delegation, enabling project managers to focus on the important parts of their jobs more effectively – such as eliminating the spreadsheet bottleneck with purchase orders.

And, perhaps most importantly, it has helped 3G save money by spotting errors in change orders, ensuring they were paid at the correct rates.

“It has saved us money one way or the other, whether in bottom-line dollars through error reduction and catching things we otherwise wouldn’t, or in time and effort gained back in efficiencies,” Gurley said.

eSUB for Efficiency

eSUB Construction Software proved to be a valuable tool for 3G Drywall, tackling their project documentation challenges head-on.

From project set-up, to carrying everything through to project conclusion, eSUB has helped 3G Drywall manage their projects more efficiently.

“eSUB has allowed us to be more organized.”

Mathew Gurley, Co-Owner of 3G Drywall

“Everything is ready to go. We can send POs if we need to, we can start editing submittals and all the GC contacts are already in there. It’s nice. And it’s really easy to do,” Gurley explains.

The software offered solutions that were not only efficient, but also enhanced the professionalism of the company. With better organization, reduced errors, and more efficient processes, eSUB has become an integral part of 3G Drywall’s operations.

“eSUB has allowed us to be more organized. You know, like I said, like before the checks and balances [are invaluable],” Gurley explains. “We’ve caught errors on the GC side where it doesn’t add up right. So just being able to have that power right there and taking some of the human error out of it. It’s great.”

The case of 3G Drywall demonstrates the transformative power of eSUB Construction Software in optimizing project documentation and management, serving as a testament to the benefits of adopting tailored software solutions for specialty contractors in the construction industry.