Appia Reviews

“Fantastic construction software

Pros

This program is very awesome because it's fully cloud-based. I can access it from anywhere, whether I'm in the field, at the office or using my desktop, laptop, tablet or phone.

Cons

Managing attachments and photos can be very annoying sometimes.

“Basic software, nothing fancy

Pros

I really like how easy and simple it is to use. Everything is clearly laid out, so I never feel confused or make mistakes.

Cons

This app is pretty limited. You can't easily check where each item is with just one click and you have to search for it, or pay for the item or run an estimate to know if you're over or under the planned amount. There's also no place to store material records and I really wish there was a page where I could see everything in one place without having to go through multiple pages.

“Really streamlined our construction projects

Pros

It's great for tracking every pay item on my construction contract in real time. I can always know exactly how much of any item has been placed, where it's located, who inspected it and what materials were used. It also tells me how much I owe the contractor at any given time. It integrates my bid results, manages contract quantities, creates change orders and handles invoices. Running monthly reports on what work has been done has made it way easier to keep control over the invoices I get from the contractor.

Cons

Since it's packed with features, it takes some time to get used to how the items, materials and approvals all work together.

“Using APPIA for public works projects

Pros

Using APPIA for bidding is veryconvenient. I can change my bids up until the very last minute, all from my office. The bids are transmitted electronically and the math is done automatically by APPIA. It even analyzes the bids and shows how much each bid item is over or under the estimate in seconds. Plus, it highlights any required bid documents and the bid won't be accepted until all the documents are uploaded. The daily logs needed by the inspectors have to list all the bid items that were constructed that day and they need to be approved by a specific manager. At the end of the month, It scans all the approved dailies, creating an invoice basis which has cut down on the time spent haggling with contractors. It's also really helpful for tracking who was working, what machines were used and time delays.

Cons

Once we've used certain bid tab numbers on a project, we have to stick with those same numbers for all future projects to keep things consistent. This was something we didn't expect and we're still working on finalizing our bid tab. Also, if an inspector hasn't sent their daily log for approval, we can't approve it without them which causes problems for billing. To make it easier, we gave our inspectors laptops to fill out the dailies in the field instead of doing it from notes later which added some small costs. But overall, these are minor issues compared to how much this app has helped us.

“Amazing web based project management & bidding tool

Pros

The line item takeoff for cost estimation is quick and easy. Once the project enters construction, It has tons of features, like daily inspection logs, change orders, attachments, payments and calendar-based item postings. It handles alternative bids really well, letting me compare multiple options and pick the one that fits my budget based on actual bids. The customer support is amazing. Plus, there's a wide range of reports to present all the data and it lets me set up different security roles.

Cons

Some fields are locked (which is probably a good thing so you don't accidentally change things like a pay app that's already been processed). Usually, I just call support for help, and they sort it out. Also it's not meant to be shared with people outside the company.