For 25 years WIDOA had been using a system that was created specifically for them. One challenge they faced when transitioning to e‑Builder was that not everything tailor-fit their processes and needs. While they have major benefits, off the shelf solutions can’t be everything to everyone. That’s where Avicado really helped WIDOA take their transition and implementation over the finish line by creating custom solutions using Microsoft 365 to bridge those gaps.
Architecture and Engineering Performance Scoring
WIDOA is required to evaluate their architecture and engineering (AE) firms throughout the life of a project based on the quality of work they provided. This process was previously being done in Wisbuild through a list of questions that are weighted to create a final score for each AE firm. This was difficult to do within e‑Builder due to the large scope and number of stakeholders involved in the process (project managers, field staff, MEP, inspectors, technical reviewers, AE firms).
Avicado created a custom solution in Microsoft 365 that not only replicated what existed on the legacy system, but made major improvements!
- Makes e‑Builder data more usable – This solution takes e‑Builder data and puts it into a format that will allow project managers to do what they needed with as little upset to the current process as possible.
- Resource planning and management – Previously, gathering insights into overall workload amongst project managers in their field staff was cumbersome. In the new system, they’re able to assign technical reviewers within Microsoft 365 and report on it – giving them much more accessible and actionable data.
- More accurate performance scoring – We also added additional project categories to score on and updated the overall scoring criteria to provide a more accurate picture of the performance of these firms.
Bid Notification Website
As WIDOA is a public agency, they also had to create better ways for their vendors to work with their systems. Avicado created a Microsoft 365 solution that enhanced WIDOA’s bid notification website, which will allow them to streamline access while avoiding the need to retrain contractors on a new process.
Capital Planning
Another area Avicado helped WIDOA formalize and improve processes is in Capital Planning. In order to get capital spend approved for the state, they’re required to produce a Capital Budget Governor’s Recommendations (250+ page published “book”, including individual project detail and justification, funding sources, summary charts, etc.) submitted to the Legislature as part of the biennial budget process.
With Avicado’s help and the use of Microsoft 365, WIDOA has seen major improvements in how they do capital planning:
- Standardized budget requests
- Simplified scenario planning
- More accurate predictions
- Consolidated information
- Easier production of the Capital Budget Governor’s Recommendations book
But the journey doesn’t stop there! After going live, Avicado continues to work with WIDOA to support e‑Builder operations, create tailored data solutions and reporting, and improve upon the custom Microsoft 365 solutions that have been built.