Company releases 'Project MEP' to connect electrical, HVAC teams with data
Trimble, the Austin-based solutions provider for electrical, mechanical, and HVAC operations, recently unveiled Project MEP, a construction management solution that aims to provide "visibility into MEP workflows from estimating, change management, project management, detailing, fabrication and beyond," per an October 17 press release from the company. Designed specifically for operations teams within electrical, mechanical, HVAC and plumbing contractors, Project MEP hopes to power greater efficiency, collaboration and visibility across projects.
The announcement was made at the NECA Show 2022, hosted by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
As a comprehensive construction management solution, Project MEP manages drawings, documents, budgets and field productivity while also extending construction management workflows with a suite of capabilities including estimating, submittal management and fabrication collaboration. Designed to connect MEP teams, Project MEP will reportedly "equip project managers with the tools to identify issues faster, reduce rework and deliver more profitable projects." Project MEP addresses workflows including:
Bid Turnover: Create a single source of truth for project information with the Trimble® Connect® collaboration platform included in Project MEP. After a bid is won, a project manager can reference the original estimate and see the most pressing tasks to start work immediately;
Model Collaboration: Utilize a direct integration between Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) software and Trimble Connect to provide project management and field teams access to the detailed model. Now the model can be viewed from the field on a mobile device down to the smallest detail;
Submittal Management: Create submittal packages by leveraging Trimble-managed content, which saves time over conventional methods. Project managers can upload the bill of materials and add up-to-date documentation, including catalog pages, specifications and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), to their submittal package;
Design to Fabrication: View, edit and track the status of spools without modeling experience or CAD software. With visibility to spools before they are fabricated and arrive at the jobsite, MEP contractors can maximize the efficiency of prefabrication and reduce waste;
Model-Based Estimating: Get more value from BIM by leveraging model-based estimating, now extended to project managers with Project MEP. A model-based estimate can be used for more accurate project execution, securing the final Bill of Materials (BOM), tracking earned value and improving future bid accuracy. To see the workflow in action, watch this video;
Field to Office: Manage data, drawings, reports, punchlists and more from one platform with ProjectSight® software, Trimble’s next-generation project management solution included in Project MEP. Whether they are in the office or the field, project managers will spend less time on administrative tasks like RFIs, submittals and change orders—allowing them to add more value to the business.
“MEP project managers are closely involved with every detail of a project from bid to closeout, but in today’s construction environment the data they need isn’t always readily available,” said Lawrence Smith, vice president of Trimble Construction Management Solutions. “With Project MEP, Trimble is breaking down information silos from estimating to VDC to fabrication while also providing the tools project managers need to run a job more efficiently. Now MEP contractors have a construction management solution that gives them the big picture of project health and the ability to track details such as the status of a spool.”