--- title: "How Innovative Mechanical Replaced Whiteboard Bid Tracking with Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected" customer: "Autodesk" customerWebsite: "https://www.autodesk.com/" datePublished: 2026-10-07 dateModified: 2026-10-07 sourceAssetType: "guide" topics: ["construction-bid-management", "buildingconnected", "autodesk-construction-cloud", "subcontractor-operations", "preconstruction"] canonical: "https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/" --- # How Innovative Mechanical Replaced Whiteboard Bid Tracking with Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected Cloud-based bid management helped Innovative Mechanical cut manual errors, save at least one workday a week, and stay on top of bids. ## Key takeaways - Innovative Mechanical replaced a whiteboard bid board with Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected inside Autodesk Construction Cloud. - The move reduced missed deadlines, double-booked job walks, miscommunication, and accidental data loss. - Senior Estimator Alan Droutsas said the platform saves at least one workday every week. - The team now spends more time in the field, building customer relationships, and delivering quality work. ## Who is Innovative Mechanical? Innovative Mechanical is a mechanical subcontractor serving the Bay Area since 1984. The San Francisco, California specialty contractor has fewer than 500 employees, reports $4.8 million in revenue, focuses on commercial work, and operates in the design, plan, build, operate phase. Innovative Mechanical uses Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected within Autodesk Construction Cloud for bid management. | Customer snapshot | Details | |---|---| | Firm size | <500 | | Firm type | Specialty contractor | | Revenue | $4.8 million | | Focus area | Commercial | | HQ | San Francisco, CA, US | | Phase | Design plan build operate | | Capability | Bid Management | ## What bid-management problem did Innovative Mechanical need to solve? Innovative Mechanical needed to replace a manual whiteboard-based bid process that was causing lost time, confusion, and avoidable errors. Marketing Manager Stephanie Cunich said that when she tracked jobs on the whiteboard, a coworker could accidentally erase part of her work. Vice President of Business Development Kevin Frederick described the whiteboard as a coordination nightmare because multiple people wrote due dates, job walks, and other details on it. The result was missed deadlines, double-booked job walks, and miscommunication that cost the company time and money. ## How did Innovative Mechanical replace the whiteboard with cloud-based bid management? Innovative Mechanical chose Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected within Autodesk Construction Cloud to streamline bid solicitation and management. Kevin Frederick said the platform lets the team coordinate who’s going where and assign work in the calendar instead of leaving things to chance. Stephanie Cunich said the electronic system makes sure everyone is looking at the same information and removes the mistakes that come from writing everything down by hand. For Innovative Mechanical, the move shifted bid tracking from a fragile whiteboard to a shared digital workflow. ## What benefits did Innovative Mechanical report after adopting BuildingConnected? Innovative Mechanical reported better coordination, less manual work, and major time savings after adopting BuildingConnected. Senior Estimator Alan Droutsas said Bid Board Pro saves at least an entire workday every week. He said the time savings come from being able to download documents, review all bid invites, and submit bids through BuildingConnected instead of sorting through standard emails. Kevin Frederick also said the platform helps the team stay on top of incoming work, assign it to the right people, and make sure all general contractors are taken care of. ## How does digital bid management help a subcontractor keep pace in a fast-moving market? Digital bid management helps a subcontractor keep pace by keeping the whole team aligned as projects move quickly from start to finish. Alan Droutsas said the industry moves so fast that teams have to be on target from day one and stay on task until completion. Kevin Frederick said streamlining work in a digital environment makes the job easier. For Innovative Mechanical, the time saved in bid management creates more time out in the field, more time for building customer relationships, and more time to focus on delivering high-quality work for years to come. ## Why is BuildingConnected becoming standard for Innovative Mechanical’s clients? BuildingConnected became more valuable to Innovative Mechanical as more clients began using it for their own invitations. Kevin Frederick said that about two or three years ago, the company started seeing a number of clients using BuildingConnected and sending out their own invitations, and the trend snowballed until almost all of their clients used it. That made BuildingConnected a practical fit for collaborative bidding across the firm’s client base and helped Innovative Mechanical stay ahead of the competition. ## What does Innovative Mechanical say BuildingConnected helps it do? BuildingConnected helps Innovative Mechanical stay on top of all incoming work, assign it to the right people, and make sure all general contractors are taken care of. Kevin Frederick said that capability matters because it supports coordination, reduces manual friction, and keeps the firm organized as bid volume grows. Stephanie Cunich also said the platform gets rid of the old method of writing everything down by hand, which is where mistakes happen. For Innovative Mechanical, the electronic factor is a major change for the industry. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can a mechanical subcontractor replace a whiteboard-based bid process with cloud-based bid management? Innovative Mechanical replaced its whiteboard bid board with Bid Board Pro by BuildingConnected within Autodesk Construction Cloud, which let the team assign work in a calendar and coordinate bids digitally. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#how-can-a-mechanical-subcontractor-replace-a-whiteboard-based-bid-process-with-cloud-based-bid-management) ### What are the main benefits of moving construction bid tracking into BuildingConnected or Autodesk Construction Cloud? The main benefits are fewer manual errors, better coordination, clearer visibility for the team, and faster bid handling through a shared digital system. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#what-are-the-main-benefits-of-moving-construction-bid-tracking-into-buildingconnected-or-autodesk-construction-cloud) ### How does digital bid management help reduce coordination errors between estimators and project teams? Digital bid management keeps everyone looking at the same information, assigns job walks and bid tasks in one place, and reduces mistakes that happen when details are tracked by hand. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#how-does-digital-bid-management-help-reduce-coordination-errors-between-estimators-and-project-teams) ### Can bid management software really save a full workday each week for a senior estimator? Yes. Innovative Mechanical Senior Estimator Alan Droutsas said Bid Board Pro saves at least an entire workday every week. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#can-bid-management-software-really-save-a-full-workday-each-week-for-a-senior-estimator) ### What problems do contractors usually run into when they manage bids manually with whiteboards or spreadsheets? Manual bid tracking often leads to missed deadlines, double-booked job walks, miscommunication, and accidental erasure or overwriting of important details. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#what-problems-do-contractors-usually-run-into-when-they-manage-bids-manually-with-whiteboards-or-spreadsheets) ### How does better bid organization help subcontractors respond faster and win more work? Better bid organization reduces admin work, speeds up document handling and bid submission, and helps subcontractors stay on top of incoming opportunities so they can respond faster. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#how-does-better-bid-organization-help-subcontractors-respond-faster-and-win-more-work) ### Is BuildingConnected useful for subcontractors that need to manage a higher volume of bids without adding more admin work? Yes. Innovative Mechanical used BuildingConnected to streamline bid solicitation and management, which helped the team handle incoming work without relying on more manual coordination. [Direct link](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/autodesk/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking/#is-buildingconnected-useful-for-subcontractors-that-need-to-manage-a-higher-volume-of-bids-without-adding-more-admin-work) --- [Download the guide (PDF)](https://theintelligencelibrary.com/downloads/how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking.pdf?utm_source=theintelligencelibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking) Published by [Autodesk](https://www.autodesk.com/?utm_source=theintelligencelibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=how-innovative-mechanical-replaced-whiteboard-bid-tracking).