Uncertainty in regulatory and economic environments makes construction capital programs all the more complex. Construction owners need comprehensive software that can handle complicated, long-term projects.

Today’s projects need solutions with capabilities for cost management, funding management, portfolio-level reporting, risk management, and real-time collaboration tools. These capabilities keep everyone connected to the project metrics that matter to them.

AI in construction is also widening the gap between modern and legacy project management software. Modern construction project management information software (PMIS), like Kahua’s platform, addresses these needs with configurable workflows, custom reporting, and the ability to scale across a diverse portfolio. 

This guide explores the top e-Builder alternatives and offers advice on choosing the right software for construction owners who manage portfolios and capital projects.

In This Guide:

• Why Construction Teams Look for e-Builder Alternatives

• The 5 Best e-Builder Alternatives for Construction

• Kahua

• Procore

• Oracle Construction Intelligence Cloud

• Autodesk Forma

• Aurigo

• How to Choose the Right e-Builder Alternative for Construction

• Moving Beyond Legacy Construction PMIS with Kahua

• FAQ: e-Builder Alternatives

Why Construction Teams Look for e-Builder Alternatives

Organizations with large capital projects often manage multiple construction projects in different regions. This requires advanced financial and project management features, including:

• Financials: Cost tracking, change order management, and funding source documentation 

• Resource Coordination: Materials, contractors, sub-contractors, and stakeholders

• Regulatory Compliance: Tracking and auditing capabilities

These features must work well for technical and nontechnical project stakeholders, as well as scale across multiple capital programs. e-Builder (now Trimble Unity Construct) has the PMIS features to handle small or mid-sized projects; but longer and more complex programs require more robust platforms.

Many organizations also evaluate e-Builder alternatives looking for cloud-native architecture, AI-powered automation, flexible reporting, and the ability to develop and innovate faster.

The best e-Builder alternatives should track funding sources, provide portfolio visibility, and provide documentation and data for compliance audits. Compare the top five construction PMIS alternatives in the table below.

The 5 Best e-Builder Alternatives for Construction

The following is a list of the top five e-Builder alternatives for construction companies. The selections reflect the best PMIS for a variety of organizations and project types within enterprise capital construction based on platform functionality, available features, and user reviews. 

1. Kahua 

Kahua is an asset-centric construction project management software that aligns all project stakeholders around project tasks, assets, financials, and long-term construction goals. Kahua’s configurable platform lets project owners define workflows that work best for the organization, which is why it’s a top construction management software.

Kahua is built for stakeholder insight while addressing contractor needs. It brings owners, contractors, subcontractors, and outside stakeholders together around centralized data, reducing scope creep and budget bloat through collaborative planning.

Featuring clear data ownership, analytics, and real-time collaboration, Kahua clarifies the administration and oversight of even the largest projects. It helps owners cut costs, improve time management in construction projects, and build long-term portfolio plans that support capital projects.

Learn more about how Kahua helps support visibility and overall workflows with Kahua user reviews.

Best For: Owners managing construction capital programs and contractors managing multiple projects and clients.

Strengths:

• AI Capabilities: AI configuration built from your actual project data within your private Kahua instance learns from your projects for more accurate projections and forecasts.

• Configurable Workflows: Build the approvals and communications workflows that fit your projects and processes in nine built-in apps.

• Portfolio Visibility Across Construction Programs: Access complex capital portfolio data in a single view that makes sense of the chaos.

• Cost and Funding Tracking: Use the budget-first cost tracking to manage funds from multiple sources and payouts for many vendors.

• Single System of Record: Centralized communications, plans, forecasting, and data that breeds collaboration across the portfolio.

• Strong Reporting and Analytics: Get real-time reporting and up-to-the-minute analytics that enable decision-making in a fast-paced field.

Limitation:

• While out-of-the-box workflows are available, deeper customization may require additional support.

Procore

Procore construction management software combines project execution, cost management, resource management, and project lifecycle management in a single, accessible platform.

Procore has features that centralize documentation, compliance, and financials for owners, contractors, and subcontractors. The single-platform format enables communication between the field and the office, while data visualizations keep the team aligned and moving forward.

Best For: Teams focused on project-level execution and field coordination.

Strengths:

• Strong Field and Office Collaboration: Data-informed dashboards and workflows keep everyone up to date and ready to pivot if needed.

• High Familiarity Across Contractors: As a leader among e-Builder competitors, the tool is already used by many contractors and subcontractors.

• User-Friendly Interface: The platform is easy to navigate, and newcomers can quickly master it.

Limitations:

• Limited portfolio-level visibility across multiple projects caps scalability.

• Less robust funding and cost governance for owners reduces visibility into financials.

• More standardized workflows with less configurability.

3. Oracle Construction Intelligence Cloud

Oracle Construction Intelligence Cloud combines data visualization, analytics, risk assessment, and forecasting in a single interface. Because it uses the financial, vendor, and project data in your existing Oracle ERP, Oracle CIC can combine data from across the enterprise to identify opportunities and risks.

Oracle projects are designed for enterprise and multi-national organizations, with financial and data analytics to match. Oracle CIC integrates much of the AI innovation through reporting, forecasting, and risk management tools.

Best For: Organizations already using Oracle ERP systems.

Strengths:

• Enterprise-Grade Financial Integration: Combines financial data from suppliers, vendors, contractors, subcontractors, and the organization to surface insights.

• Scalability for Large Programs: Helps enterprise organizations manage capital projects of all sizes, including multi-national.

• Advanced Reporting Capabilities: Deep data accessibility and analytics power reporting on metrics that matter most.

Limitations:

• Complex implementation and longer time to value, often requiring partner agency setup.

• Less flexible workflows compared to configurable platforms, as workflows are confined to Oracle presets.

• Higher cost and resource requirements for specialized implementation and maintenance needs.

4. Autodesk Forma

Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) is a construction project management tool for construction teams, specialty builders, and owners.

The software combines design, project management, and financial data for a portfolio of projects. It also connects to powerful Forma tools, such as Build, Data Management, and Estimate, along with key document, cash flow, and quality management features.

Owners can set their project standards within the tool to promote compliance and use Forma’s analytics tools, or connect to over 200 third-party tools via the no-code Construction Connect tool. Autodesk Forma’s true strengths lie in project pre-planning stages and its connections to Autodesk tools.

Best For: Organizations focused on planning, design, and early-stage construction workflows.

Strengths:

• Design and Planning Tools: Access AI-driven site planning and design tools that help designers move from idea to plans quickly.

• Data-Driven Insights: Surface data from across projects and a deep internal data history with forecasting and visualizations.

• Autodesk Ecosystem Integration: Easily connect to a variety of design, construction, and planning tools provided by Autodesk.

Limitations:

• Less robust for full lifecycle construction program management with a focus on planning and design.

• Limited cost and funding tracking capabilities.

• Requires integration with other tools for complete workflows, which may compound costs.

5. Aurigo

Aurigo is a construction capital project management software with integrated AI tooling. Aurigo has three products designed for different public works capital projects:

• Aurigo Masterworks for state, federal, and large government projects.

• Aurigo Essentials for local government projects.

• Aurigo Primus for data center, utilities, and life sciences projects.

Features vary across these three product types, but the core functionality that brings design, project management, and cost management together in a single interface is the same across all three. 

Aurigo’s AI and automation features shorten the time to insights, including the surfacing of key issues and opportunities across cost management, investments, public feedback, and risk management.

Best For: Public sector and infrastructure organizations managing small capital programs.

Strengths:

• Capital Planning and Program Management: Features designed for capital projects mean the right tooling for the job.

• Governance and Compliance Tools: Built for government and public works projects; compliance features come standard.

• Asset Lifecycle Management: Designed to manage assets across portfolios and keep careful accounting for long-term cost savings.

Limitations:

• Less flexible workflows compared to configurable platforms.

• More complex implementation and setup due to compliance and specialized tools.

• User experience can be less intuitive than more commercially available products.

How to Choose the Right e-Builder Alternative for Construction

Choosing the right e-Builder competitor construction software should start with understanding and documenting your organization's needs. These needs should reflect the types of projects you work on most frequently.

When looking for capital construction project management software alternatives, consider these key criteria:

• Project versus Program-Level Visibility: Do your projects span an entire portfolio that needs clear oversight, or do projects live in silos? Also consider whether your organization hopes to grow into portfolio work, and if the construction project management software you choose can scale to that.

• Cost and Funding Management: In an ideal world, how would you be able to monitor and analyze funds as they move within your portfolio? Consider not only materials and funding sources but also human resources, contract agreements, relevant permitting, and vendors.

• Construction Workflow Flexibility: Your workflows should work for you, not against your current processes. Ask for demos of the construction PMIS you consider and ensure that the workflows will meet your needs.

• Reporting and Analytics: Consider how much information you need to see for each project to feel satisfied with a dashboard, and ensure your key internal metrics and any drill-down insights you need are available without integrating with a separate reporting tool.

• Scalability Across Projects: Investigate whether the software you pick provides visibility into both your overall portfolio and individual projects. The best platforms also scale to support projects of all shapes, sizes, and requirements rather than forcing every project into a one-size-fits-all workflow. Ask about true scalability features, such as the ability to copy standards and processes from one project to another without rebuilding them from scratch each time.

Capital project owners who choose Kahua prioritize multi-project visibility, standardized workflows across all their teams, strong reporting for all stakeholders, and a scalable system of record. Kahua’s features enable capital projects and portfolios instead of forcing them into a rigid system.

Moving Beyond Legacy Construction PMIS With Kahua

As construction complexity increases, legacy tools fall short of the features and scalability that today’s construction projects need. Modern e-Builder alternatives provide better outcomes for these portfolios because they’re built to scale.

Look for construction PMIS solutions that combine AI-informed decision-making with complete cost management and powerful collaboration tools that reduce confusion and invite clarity.

Kahua’s construction management solution goes beyond today’s construction needs because it’s designed with tomorrow’s construction projects and today’s collaboration and cost management in mind.

See how Kahua helps construction owners bring clarity to capital projects and complex portfolios. Book a demo today.

FAQ: e-Builder Alternatives

What are the best e-Builder alternatives for construction?

The best e-Builder alternatives for construction include modern solutions that combine cost and fund management, stakeholder collaboration, and deep analytical insights, such as Kahua, Oracle Construction Cloud, and Procore.

Why do construction teams switch from e-Builder?

e-Builder is a strong legacy construction project management software, but its scalability, flexibility, and individual features are often insufficient for modern construction teams' needs. Teams often switch from e-Builder because their projects and portfolios become unmanageable within its limited capabilities, prompting owners to look for e-Builder alternatives that can scale from project to portfolio views and build workflows that maximize AI capabilities. 

What is the best e-Builder alternative for owners?

The best e-Builder alternative for owners is Kahua, an asset-centric construction project management platform. Kahua is designed for owners to view project and portfolio-level insights, track funding across several capital projects, and move from design to handoff smoothly.