How Raken Helps Unified Building Group Manage 300+ Subcontractors

The problem: Coordinating multiple subcontractors

Unified Building Group manages jobsites in 24 different states. With 300+ subcontractors at a time, they needed a more efficient way to communicate—not just papers and spreadsheets.

The solution: Streamlining communication with tech

With Raken, Unified Building Group can easily see what’s happening with every subcontractor. Real-time field data helps them keep projects on track and stay in the loop, too.

Improving subcontractor relationships

Hiring subcontractors is common in construction. After all, they bring invaluable expertise to a jobsite—namely their unique skills and highly-trained eye. However, coordinating with subcontractors can be a massive headache of tracking hours, accounting for work, and navigating individual processes.

That’s why Unified Building Group uses Raken to cut through the mess.

“Raken has been a very useful, adaptable tool for our team, bridging that gap in the industry we’ve all seen,” said John Albert, founder of Unified Building Group.

“If you’ve got folks that can’t communicate well through technology, Raken allows them to do that.”

John A., Founder

Investing in easy-to-use software

John had wanted to invest in technology for a while, and he did his research. He knew that overly complicated software meant his subcontractors wouldn’t use it, so he looked for an app that was easy to use. 

“Raken is real information. It’s simple, but at the same time, so adaptable that all of our subcontractors can use it.”

John A., Founder

Raken’s mobile app lets subcontractors do daily reports, upload photos and notes, and more—right from their phones. It’s all uploaded to the web app for Unified Building Group to see in real time, too. With accurate field data, they can monitor project progress and better support their subcontractors.

Raken has been such a hit that it’s their new go-to in kickoffs. “Even with the high-level of work we do, we’ve gotten great reactions to Raken. It’s now a big part of every preconstruction kickoff we do,” said John.

“Raken has allowed even our unsophisticated subcontractors to add photos to their daily reports.”

John A., Founder

Leveraging field data to build better

Alongside daily reports, Unified Building Group can also collect time cards from subcontractors. Productivity is huge in the industry, so knowing what’s going well (and what can improve) gives them a competitive edge.

“Getting unpredictable job reporting for man hours from subcontractors can eat a company alive,” said John.

“Raken helps get our costs dialed in. We want to use real data, so the worklog hours that the subcontractors plug in helps us find discrepancies.”

John A., Founder

Finding those discrepancies, and correcting them, has saved Unified Building Group more time and money than ever.

“With Raken, we get actual costs and hours. We can go in and see the lessons learned, comparing the budget to our actuals.”

John A., Founder

John concludes, “I look at man hours in Raken, and then decide what I need to do at the end of the job to be more competitive.”