Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s different about the ePlanIt Construction Management approach?
A: Unlike other construction management products we deliver more than just scheduling and administrative tools. We've taken an approach to construction management that utilizes real-time jobsite information delivered through the Internet to your ePlanIt Project Manager™ company site. Information about your projects comes directly from the field giving you the most accurate source for managing your construction projects and increasing your margins. By integrating Mobile Video Cameras and GPS Labor Tracking directly into your ePlanIt Project Manager™ website you have real-time access to all the information necessary to maximize supervision, productivity and communication.

Q: How does the system work?
A: When you subscribe to ePlanIt Project Manager™ we create an interactive website for your company that delivers a wide variety of construction management tools and features. Your website becomes a secure password protected portal to each of your projects. You control access to your website by adding additional users such as supervisors, sub contractors, developers, and GCs. You also control what features within the website each user can access so they can share information, submit bids, update plans, check project status, and much more.  All our products work together, when you add Mobile Video Towers or Labor Tracking Services they are seamlessly integrated into your ePlanIt Project Manager™ website.

Q: Can I see demos of the different services you offer?
A: Absolutely.  We have a sample project website you can visit or you can sign-up for a free 30 day trial of ePlanIt Project Manager™.  You can also view and playback live video from one of our Mobile Video Towers.  Please contact us if you have any questions about our products and services.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: We charge a monthly service fee for all of our products and services plus a one time set-up fee.  The fee is calculated based on the number of users, projects, cameras, workers, etc.  You only pay for the products and services you use and when your project is complete you simply cancel the service.  Contact us or take a minute to complete our quote request form and an ePlanIt representative will respond within one business day.

Q: Do I get technical support?
A: All our new customers get 60 days of unlimited complimentary technical support from the date of purchase.  We also offer a number of continuing technical support plans to meet each customers needs. All hardware maintenance and repair is included free of charge for as long as you continue your service.

Q: What kind of ROI can I expect?
A: Our products and services pay for themselves in a number of ways.  You'll start seeing the savings almost immediately.  ePlanIt Project Manager™ improves efficiency, communication, schedules, and productivity while minimizing support staff.   Mobile Video Towers save travel time, increase worker productivity, improve safety and reduce jobsite theft.  While our Labor Tracking System eliminates overbilling, optimizes resource management, and prevents fraud.  By combining all of our products and services, many customers have seen their margins improve 15 to 25 percent.

Q: Who are your customers and do you have references?
A: Our customers are a variety of construction professionals, from General Contractor and Developers to large and small Sub Contractors.  Because our products are scalable they provide state-of-the-art construction management solutions for any size company.  Contact us and we would be happy to provide you with a list of references.

Q: Will I need to buy any additional computer hardware to use your products?
A: No, all you need is your existing computer and an Internet connection.  Our ePlanIt Project Manager™ web service is provided through the Internet and customer websites are hosted in a secure server complex. These is no software to install or additional hardware to purchase.

Q: What is an On-demand Web Service?
A: An On-demand Web Service delivers software applications over the Internet as interactive, configurable web pages. This allows users to subscribe to a wide variety of construction management tools on an as-needed basis without needing to install any software on their computer. ePlanIt Project Manager™ is accessible through any computer with an internet connection. The advantage to On-demand software is that users have instant access to their projects and data from any computer and new application features become immediately available. When you subscribe to the service, a secure, password protected   website is create specifically for your company through which you access ePlanIt Project Manager™. You only pay for the services you use and when a project is complete you simply cancel the service.

Q: What does ePlanIt Project Manager™ do?
A: ePlanIt Project Manager™ is a construction management toolset that integrates a wide variety of communication, collaboration, supervision, scheduling, and administrative features into a single, configurable, web based application. ePlanIt Project Manager™ also provides the interface for our Mobile Video Towers, Network Video Recorders, and our Labor Tracking Service.  These are all seamlessly integrated into the ePlanIt Project Manager™ environment, providing real-time data and images directly from your jobsites. With ePlanIt Project Manager™ you will be able to mange bids, provide document control for plans and specs, create construction schedules, collaborate with all the project stake holders (i.e. GCs, Developers, Subs, Vendors, etc.), and much more.  A number of Project Templates are provided to support different customer requirements. Since ePlanIt Project Manager™ is configurable you can customize template features, page layouts, work flow etc. to meet your specific needs.  Click here for a complete list of ePlanIt Project Manager features.

Q: How does ePlanIt Project Manager™ save me money?
A: ePlanIt Project Manager™ dramatically improve communication and execution in the construction process by providing a single portal to share, collect, and analyze project information. By streamlining project collaboration and workflow, schedules are shortened and cost over runs are detected before they occur.  Approval processes are cut from weeks to days or even hours, current plans and specs are instantly accessible, and real-time scheduling tells you exactly where you are during the course of your project.  Communication, daily reports, and job status are available for everyone from developers and GCs to subs. You'll beat the competition with lower bids, faster projects, and accurate job costing all while increasing your bottom line. By combining all of our products and services, many customers have seen their margins improve 15 to 25 percent.

Q: Does this work for my company?
A: If you're in the construction business your company can benefit from ePlanIt Project Manager™.  Because our products are scalable they provide state-of-the-art construction management solutions for any size company.  General Contractors and Developers can shorten project schedules, reduce overall costs, and have access to current job status.  Sub Contractors are able to reduce bids by managing their assets and work force more efficiently and still increase their margins.

Q: Do I need to install any software?
A: No, all you need is your existing computer and an Internet connection.  Our ePlanIt Project Manager™ web service is provided through the Internet and customer websites are hosted in a secure server complex. These is no software to install or additional hardware to purchase.

Q: How hard is it to learn how to use?
A: The interface is designed to be intuitive and most features are accessible with just a few mouse clicks.  ePlanIt Project Manager™ was built to conform to industry standards for interface design and methodology, so if you're familiar with other common software applications you'll be able to navigate through ePlanIt Project Manager™ almost immediately.  Most questions are answered in both our Online Help and Knowledge Database.  We also offer 60 days of complimentary customer support and a number of training options to get you up and running quickly.

Q: How secure is my data?
A: Customer data is encrypted and stored on mirrored disk drives in a secure co-location server complex with a 99.99% uptime guarantee. All secure information is sent using 128 bit SSL encryption and servers are backed up daily. Your website is password protected and only individuals you've selected to have accounts are able to login and view your site.  In addition ePlanIt Project Manager™ provides multi-level security access so you also control what data within your site is accessible to each user account.

Q: What are the system requirements for using the service?
A: Because ePlanIt Project Manager™ is a web service the only requirements are a computer or PDA and an Internet connection.  While its not a requirement, we recommend that your system have at least 256MB RAM and a 128K internet connection. 

Q: What is OnTask?
A: OnTask is a mobile timesheet and task management application that runs on an iPhone or iTouch.  The mobile application collects data from the field, such as worker time, daily logs, percent complete, etc and synchronizes this data with a central website.  Company administrators can then go online to view workers on projects and tasks in real time and determine progress.  A powerful reporting system  lets you analyze project/tasks costs to budget projections and weekly labor reports.

Q: Is it easy to use?
A: The mobile application leverages of the iPhones award winning interface making it a breeze to use.  Workers can be clocked in and out with the tap of a finger and project, tasks, and reports are just a tap away.  Your company website is easily navigated through a simple and intuitive set of drop down menus.

Q: How accurate is the time data?
A: Electronic time entry creates a much more accurate reporting system than weekly paper reports.  Our experiences shows that labor costs can drop by as much as 15%.  When used in conjunction with our GPS Labor Tracking System, times on and off projects are accurate to within five minutes.

Q: Do I need to buy GPS phones for all my workers?
A: No.  Only the crew leader or supervisor is required to have the mobile application.  Workers can be assigned tasks, clocked in or out individually by the assigned person.

Q: What information can I collect?
A: OnTask tracks projects, tasks, units and hours for multiple projects simultaneously.

Q: Can I automatically generate weekly Labor Reports?
A: Yes, a multitude of customizable reports are available.

Q: Will it work on multiple jobsites?
A: Absolutely.  ePlanIt understands that there is always more than one project with many facets and OnTask is capable of tracking all of them.

Q: Can I use the system to track job status?
A: Yes.  OnTask will track not only workers hours, but also individual tasks and units within each project for example - "percent complete"

Q: What does it take to install a construction camera on my jobsite?
A: Just a phone call.  Once you place your order we create a secure website for you to access the camera and deliver the Mobile Construction Camera to your jobsite.  Select a location, and the camera can be set up and working within 30 minutes.  You don't need to worry about running any special wiring since the system is completely self contained.

Q: Can I watch live video from the camera on my computer?
A: Yes. You can watch live video from your Mobile Construction Camera on any computer or PDA with Internet access.  Your secure ePlanIt website is your interface to the camera feed.  Login to your website and you'll be able to watch live video as well as replay and search through all the recorded video.  If you add our Network Video Recorder multiple users and access the camera simultaneously.

Q: How do I control the camera remotely?
A: Your ePlanIt website contains an interface that lets you control the camera remotely from any computer or PDA with Internet access.  You can pan and tilt the camera to look anywhere you want and the 22X optical zoom lets you view you jobsite in detail.

Q: Can I program the camera to move automatically?
A: A scheduling interface is built into your website that lets you program up to 32 preset locations for the camera to look at and the duration of each preset.  Put the camera in Touring Mode and it will automatically move from one preset view to the next.  You can also program the camera to switch to different modes or presets based on time and day.  During the day the camera can be programmed to scan work locations around the jobsite while at night it can change to a security mode and monitor gates, trailers, and equipment.  Set up motion detection zones and the camera will zoom in to the motion and send an alert to your phone or email.

Q: How many days of continuous video can I record?
A: With the addition of our Network Video Recorder (NVR) you can record up to 2 years of video depending on the resolution and the number of frames per minute.  Without the NVR the system will record 3 days of continuous video at the default settings of 640x480 and 30 frames per minute . 

Q: Who is responsible for maintaining the equipment?
A: We take care of all hardware repairs and maintenance.  If you ever have a problem with the camera just call our support staff and a technician will repair the camera on site or replace it.

Q: Do I have to buy it, or can I lease it?
A: Leasing is the most cost effective way to add our Mobile Construction Cameras to your jobsites.  You pay a monthly fee until your project is complete or you no longer need the camera.  If you want, the camera can also be moved to other jobsites. You can buy the Mobile Video Tower and then pay a small monthly fee for the web service.  Contact us or take a minute to complete our quote request form and an ePlanIt representative will be happy to review which option is best for you.

Q: Can the video tower be moved once it is set up?
A: Moving the video tower is quick and easy.  The system breaks down and sets up  in less than an hour.  As your construction progresses you can move the camera to improve visibility and lines of sight.