Engineering Software: major 3D CAD / BIM tools such as SmartPlant 3D, Smart Instrumentation, SPEL, SPI, Revit, Aveva E3D. etc. Translating into different software for each engineering discipline. Detailing Software: Specialty tools used by fabricators such as Tekla, SDS2 and others. Document Control: Managing drawings, specs of vendor docs, as well as transmittal to contractors (Aconex, Coreworx, SharePoint, etc.) Procurement & Material Management: software that has the capabilities to manage the different stage from purchasing to site delivery and warehousing (MatMan, Smart Materials, SAP) Construction Completion: monitor installed quantities, systems completion, or quality documentation sign-off. (MileMarker, MCPlus, etc.) Scheduling: To develop project master schedules (Primavera P6, MS Project) Cost & Project Control: driven by spreadsheets and supported by estimation software such as Cobra, MileMarker, Tracker for engineering progress. A large EPC contractor may stack up dozens of software to manage the various aspects of its project. Each of these has comprehensive structure reporting on their own but are effectively siloed. Data consolidation and reconciliation is effectively done in a manual manner inducing the following problems: Data silos: Each function (engineering, procurement, construction, etc.) uses its own system, and these systems typically do not talk to each other in real time. For example, engineering might complete 3D model updates that are not automatically reflected in procurement material system MTO’s, leading to mismatches in material requirements vs orders. Manual reconciliation: Project engineers often spend extensive time pulling data from these disparate sources and combining them in spreadsheets or slide decks for weekly and monthly reports. This manual effort is time-consuming and error prone. In large EPC projects, entire teams (dozens of people if not hundreds of people) might be dedicated to gathering and cleansing data for reporting, instead of focusing on analysis or proactive management. • Lack of real-time visibility: Because data is only consolidated infrequently (e.g., weekly progress meetings, monthly cost reviews), decision-makers often operate with lagging indicators. Key decision makers can act on information which is weeks or months old. • Missed early warnings: Without integrated data and analytics, projects miss early warnings that could prevent significant issues. For instance, misalignment between engineering and procurement might only become evident once a critical component is late to site, causing a chain reaction of delays and cost increases. By the time it is visible in a monthly report, options to mitigate are limited. Trust and culture issues: Siloed data can lead to mistrust among stakeholders (owners vs contractors, different departments) because everyone maintains their own numbers. Without a shared source of truth, debates about “whose data is correct” can overshadow problem-solving. The lack of integrated data also undermines collaborative behaviors because parties might be reluctant to share transparent updates. In summary, while current state-of-the-art in EPC includes advanced tools like BIM, scheduling software, and procurement systems, the potential of these tools is curtailed by poor
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