Bluebeam Revu Review

  • Art Salas
  • Project Engineer
  • Rafn Company

What is my favorite technological innovation benefitting the construction industry? It is the mighty, yet humble, Portable Document Format (PDF) file. Simple, and often overlooked, this technology allows the transfer of information and communication to happen instantly and securely, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of construction coordination.

And my software of choice to read, create, markup, and manipulate pdf files? Bluebeam Revu. Created specifically to cater to the needs of architects, engineers, and contractors, Bluebeam Revu streamlines the communication and collaboration process on the job site and within the project team. Below are a few of the ways my team and I use the software.

Take Offs and Estimation - Our team creates custom columns in Bluebeam for any number of items, which can be exported directly to their estimates, saving the team enormous amounts of time while budgeting or reviewing changes.

Digital Design Review - Taking notes in design review meetings doesn’t have to be a dreaded task anymore. Instead of having to copy and duplicate markups on dozens of plan sets, they are now instantly captured in a single master digital document set.

Field Work - Rafn Foreman leverage Bluebeam using a tablet to give them instant access to linked and operable plan sets on the go. RFI’s and potential change orders are now immediately addressed right from the field. Rafn’s Quality Control program can also be implemented using a tablet.

Punchlists - Our team uses the tablet to take their punch process mobile and digital, saving them from the laborious process of deciphering handwritten notes for dozens of documents once they are back in the office. This has saved hundreds of work hours.

Operation & Maintenance Manual’s - Rafn uses a Project Dashboard creating a fully hyperlinked digital Operation & Maintenance Manual to hand over to the project owner upon completion of the project. In addition to saving truckloads of paper, Bluebeam Revu is also helping to significantly improve facilities management for our clients.

Having a system that manages information and allows real-time coordination saves time and energy, allowing my team and I to do our jobs more efficiently and effectively. This results in real money savings for our clients on their projects.

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