In good company: Construction technology - start-ups we’re excited about.

Construction projects are complex. But the supporting tech doesn’t have to be. At BuildPass, we’re building a connected ecosystem for construction companies to streamline their operations and manage more of their business in one place.

We’re not the only ones. Getter and Hnry are two tech-centric start-ups that are changing the construction game. All of us are driven by a common frustration - one we talk about a lot at BuildPass; the lag in the roll out of modern technology for the construction industry.

Tackling tax time with Hnry

A wise man once said, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except admin and taxes” – or something like that. At BuildPass, we know you can’t avoid the admin that comes with running safe sites but we’re striving to help you digitise and streamline those processes. And while we’re solving onsite admin, our mates over at Hnry are tackling the tax.

There are plenty of niggly financial hurdles that come with being self-employed or a sole trader – as many construction workers are. Acknowledging the apprehension many self-employed people may face when searching for a specialist accountant – particularly the bill shock that may eventuate from even an exploratory call - the Hnry platform provides easily accessible (think: instant chat), specialist accounting services.

Combining these services with their user friendly platform, Hnry’s mission is to free you from the burden of tax time. Once you’ve joined the Hnry platfrom, your tax is automatically calculated and deducted from earnings deposited into the system – literally, paying your tax bill without you even realising it.

At tax time (when you, happily, do realise that Hnry have been paying your tax throughout the year) their team of dedicated accountants lodge returns as they’re due. And, there’s more: the platform allows you to log your expenses -  which are reviewed immediately for instant tax relief - and even send invoices. The best bit? Hnry will track due dates and follow up unpaid invoices for you.

Getter: delivering your products, driving your productivity.

In a former life, not so long ago, some of us in the BuildPass team were working in the construction industry; it’s where we saw the opportunity to help steer the industry towards modern technology. Similarly, Getter is founded by construction workers who through onsite experience are, according to founder Tom Burton, “well aware of the constraints that sourcing and procurement can put on a project, both economically and time-wise”.

So, the team at Getter set out to solve one of the greatest productivity killers workers face in their day-to-day; supply procurement. Their ambitious plan is to, according to Tom, “bridge the gap between the site and the shop”. The platform offers two ways of doing this; you can either shop and deliver or deliver only. Let’s explore both.

Their shop and deliver service takes care of the supply procurement process, end-to-end. You shop via the Getter website or app and once you’ve added to cart, Getter then sources and delivers the product. Alternatively, Getter’s delivery only service, allows you to call suppliers ahead of time, place an order and Getter will deliver it straight to site.

As devotees to great design combined with clever tech, we’re here for Getter’s convenience-focused, seamless app and website set-up; they’ve absolutely no time for clunky, unnecessarily complicated software. And neither do we. Their website is streamlined with over 100,000 products categorised into trade-specific genres and their intuitive app organises product availability information according to location.

It’s no secret that we love to get out on site to meet our clients, often over a brekky barbecue. So we were stoked to learn about the Getter feature that delivers smoko bonuses like cold drinks and beers to keep morale high - the metaphorical sauce on the breaky bbq snag!

And Us!

BuildPass’ project management tool bundles many of the paper-based, admin tasks associated with project management into one platform – that is; inductions, site diaries, safe work method statements (SWMS), insurances, communication, ticket management, document management, sign-ons, medical information, permits, quality inspections, plant inductions and safety walks plus more…all in the one spot. We also pride ourselves on being tech-centric and appreciate others who are operating in this space.

Hnry and Getter are some of the smartest apps the construction industry has ever seen. These platforms are digitising many processes of the construction business with centralised software, making project management simpler and more intuitive at each stage of the process. The development of construction specific tech is changing the construction game for the better – making life easier, sites safer and more efficient – and, we’re excited to be in such good company.