Textura And ASA Sign Five-Year Agreement

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Textura Corporation and the American Subcontractors Association have signed a five-year agreement to educate subcontractors and other construction firms about electronic payment management, prequalification and other core business functions that these firms use Textura products and services to manage.

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Textura's products are used throughout the construction industry — from design and prequalification to bid management, submittals and payments — and affect specialty trade contractors, subcontractors and suppliers that either use the Textura products or work on construction projects with others that use them.

"We are committed to ensuring that subcontractors and other Textura clients fully understand how our products work and serve their needs," said Patrick Allin, Chairman and CEO, Textura Corporation. "Our agreement with ASA provides Textura with a new channel through which we can address our clients' questions and needs."

The agreement with Textura enables ASA to serve as a bridge between Textura and its subcontractor clients, for example by educating subcontractors about the pricing and fees associated with Textura products such as the CPM payment management system. Textura estimates that its CPM management system has been used on over 10,000 projects in the United States and Canada representing approximately $100 billion in construction value. 

For example, Textura provides its general contractor and subcontractor clients with a written product overview and schedule of fees, as well as training webinars for subcontractors to learn how to use Textura's payment management system and other products.

"Subcontractors need to know Textura's CPM fees prior to bidding on projects. Textura is taking steps to assure that general contractor clients notify subcontractors of their rights and responsibilities, including their financial obligations on projects using the CPM system," said 2012-13 ASA President Walter Bazan Jr., Bazan Painting Company, St. Louis, Mo.

ASA's Executive Committee met with Textura representatives on Aug. 10, 2012, in Chicago. "We found Textura to be very open to discussion with ASA, and very interested in ensuring that subcontractors have a good experience working with their applications," Bazan noted. "This agreement will help foster dialogue with Textura and help to educate subcontractors and suppliers about the Textura products."

The first planned educational offering under the new agreement is the workshop, "Presenting Your Qualifications to Win More (and Better) Work: An Underwriter's and GC's Viewpoint," which Textura will present on March 23 during the ASA Business Forum and Convention 2013 in Las Vegas, Nev.

"For subcontractors, the qualification process creates additional work but also additional opportunities to differentiate themselves and their bids," said Jonathan Halloran, P.E., executive vice president, client services, Textura. "This session will cover what general contractors and their insurance underwriters are looking for in a subcontractor's qualifications and how to make sure you not only get qualified but get your bid to the top of the list."

The workshop will address such questions as "How can you use qualifications to help win a tender where you are not the lowest price but present the best value?" and "How can you make the process as efficient as possible so that you can submit your qualifications to maximize the gain and minimize the pain?"

Future Textura-ASA collaborations under development include focus groups, product users' groups, special discount pricing on Textura products and services for ASA members, the development of an "Exclusive Qualifications Clearinghouse for ASA Based on Textura's Pre-Qualification Management Application," and more.

Textura, Deerfield, Ill., is the leading provider of collaboration and productivity tools for the construction industry. Its solutions serve all construction industry professionals across the project lifecycle — from design and prequalification to bid management, submittals and payment — on a single, integrated platform. Textura's collaboration platform and online product suite represent the first time the industry has all the tools needed to manage their business in an integrated fashion to save time and money and reduce exposure to risks. In the United States and Canada, Textura CPM manages approximately $2.5 billion worth of invoices per month, supports more than 300 major head contractors, and more than 45,000 subcontractors that worked on those projects. With award-winning technology, world-class customer support and consistent growth, Textura is leading the construction industry's technology transformation.

Founded in 1966, ASA, Alexandria, Va., amplifies the voice of, and leads, trade contractors to improve the business environment for the construction industry and to serve as a steward for the community. The ideals and beliefs of ASA are ethical and equitable business practices, quality construction, a safe and healthy work environment, and integrity and membership diversity.

SOURCE Textura Corporation; American Subcontractors Association