Proper Precon Podcast

Construction tech promised to simplify the work. Instead, we ended up with 15, 20, sometimes more point solutions—and Excel quietly holding it all together. So what went wrong, and is the answer really one platform to rule them all? This week, it's just Troy and Trey working through one of the biggest tensions in construction technology: point solutions vs. platforms, and why the real problem might not be either one. In this episode: Why point solutions were never the actual problem—disconnection was Whether "one platform, one login, one database" really fixes anything, or just centralizes the complexity The case for building around the workflow : concept → cost model → estimate → VE → bidding → GMP → handoff How AI could kill software sprawl—or accelerate it into "shadow software" chaos Why domain expertise gets more valuable as building software gets easier What happens when AI becomes the interface, and your systems disagree on the number The future isn't just connected data. It's connected context. Proper Precon is powered by Ediphi. New episodes every week—subscribe wherever you listen.

Most people think a project's cost is set on bid day. But by the time drawings go out, the decisions that determine cost, schedule, risk, and success have already been made—or delayed into becoming problems. In this episode, we sit down with Charles Bradshaw and Sloan Walker of Scout Program Management to look at construction from the owner's side of the table. Both spent years on the GC side—estimating, precon, and VDC at firms like Hoare and Doster—before moving into program management, and that dual perspective shapes everything they do for their K-12 clients. We get into what owners need to get right long before the bid: how funding sources and debt service shape a budget, why soft costs can add 15%+ on top of construction, and how a smart drawdown schedule can reinvest millions back into a project. Charles and Sloan share why they favor add alternates over VE exercises, how they build both design and bid-day contingencies, and what happens when the number misses on bid day. We also dig into the human side—defining what "success" actually means to an owner, understanding the "sacred cows," building communication plans so decisions don't fall through the cracks, and why the GC who "joins the dance mid-song" needs an advocate who already has the owner's trust. Whether you build every year or once a decade, this conversation is a masterclass in the early decisions that quietly determine how a project ends. Learn more about Scout Program Management at scoutpm.com . The Proper Precon Podcast is powered by Ediphi.

Technology That Actually Moves the Needle — with David Haley, DPR Construction Twenty years ago, a CD burner could triple your bid coverage. Today, there are hundreds of tools fighting for your pre-con team's attention — so how do you know which ones actually move the needle? In this episode, Troy Simon and Trey Darnell sit down with David Haley, Preconstruction Manager at DPR Construction, who's spent 35 years in the industry — from counting light fixtures on paper drawings with his grandfather to leading pre-con on billion-dollar healthcare projects. David shares how one of the industry's most tech-forward GCs evaluates, tests, and rolls out new technology without burning trust with its teams. In this episode: How David defines "moving the needle" — and why it's harder than ever with so many tools in the marketplace Why DPR still teaches interns takeoff the old-school way before handing them AI (hint: you can't mentor someone who can't show their work) The bid leveling gap: where AI compares words but misses what's missing Why the trade partner who's double everyone else's price might be the one you need to call first How live option engineering — accepting and rejecting alternates in the room — turned 75 scope options into a $10M contract increase built on trust, not cuts Predictability as the next frontier: turning mountains of historical cost data into numbers owners can bank on two years before market input exists How DPR rolled out Ediphi to 100+ pre-con professionals — and why letting people poke holes drove near-total adoption Prefabrication, unit costing, and getting granular earlier: what David hopes technology solves in the next five years Plus, the Fast Five: the one part of pre-con David says should never be automated, and what pre-con teams must figure out to win the next five years. The tool doesn't build trust — the person using it does. But the right tool gets you in the room faster. The Proper Precon Podcast is powered by Ediphi. Learn more at ediphi.com . Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube at properprecon.com .

What separates software that digitizes old habits from software that actually moves preconstruction forward? Ediphi Director of Product Eric Walker joins Troy Simon and Trey Darnell to talk about the discipline of product — why good PMs dig beneath the feature request, how AI should support estimator judgment instead of replacing it, and why the companies that house the data will win the next era of construction tech.

Episode 9 defines what “great” looks like in Target Value Design (TVD) with Preston Hite (Hoar Construction). We break down the real (non-textbook) TVD workflow: starting with an owner’s target, building trust early, designing to cost, and using real-time estimating to guide decisions before drawings are complete. We cover owner + architect alignment, the precon team’s upstream role, historical cost data and scenario modeling, where TVD fails, and how technology enables faster, more credible cost feedback and shorter cycles to GMP.

Episode 8 goes upstream to construction education with UT lecturer Dan Sain. We unpack why the estimator shortage and “freecon” problems start in the talent pipeline, how students perceive estimating vs. the broader preconstruction umbrella, and what it takes to make precon a career people choose . Topics include curriculum vs. industry needs, ABC competition lessons, tech exposure in the classroom, and concrete ways GCs and partners can strengthen the bridge between academia and the field.

Episode 7 breaks down hard bid vs. negotiated work beyond the usual hot takes. With Ben (Fite Building), we define what “hard bid” and “negotiated” really look like in practice, where each model works, and the hidden assumptions that cause breakdowns (document quality, risk transfer, bid fatigue, owner sophistication). We discuss how incentives shape behavior, how trade partners experience each process, and why the real differentiator is a strong precon process + cost narrative that clarifies scope, assumptions, and deltas—regardless of procurement method.

Every budget, every early estimate, every "can you just take a quick look at this?" — it all costs someone something. But in most cases, that cost is invisible. Welcome to FreeCon. In this episode, Troy and Trey sit down with Mike Navarro, CTO and Co-Founder of Ediphi , a 20-year construction veteran who went from lead estimator on complex high-rise projects to building the software he always wished he had. Together, they dig into one of the most quietly frustrating dynamics in the industry — pre-construction work that is deeply valuable, rarely compensated, and almost never talked about openly. In this episode: What "FreeCon" actually is — and why it's not always a bad thing Why the pre-construction timeline stretches to 30 months when it shouldn't The PETA Factor: how endless pricing rounds inflate sub costs and erode trade partner relationships How scope clarity drives cost down — and scope mystery drives it up Why the estimator's voice needs to be in the room before the design is finished The shift from "flat line estimates" to true pricing models where everything is interdependent Strategic FreeCon vs. subsidizing an owner's decision-making — where's the line? Why Mike went from "pry Excel from my cold dead hands" to building cloud-first pre-con technology Fast Five closes out the episode with rapid-fire takes on tools vs. behavior, owner mindset shifts, and finishing the sentence: "The estimate stops being just a number when..." If you've ever priced the same project five times under a verbal commitment and a prayer — this one is for you. 🔗 Learn more about Ediphi at ediphi.com

In this episode we recap the Super Bowl of events for preconstruction, Advancing Precon 2026.

What happens when the developer is also the GC? Mill Creek Residential's Director of Pre-Con, Justin Valentim joins Troy and Trey to break down what pre-con looks like when you own the estimate, the trade partner relationships, and the investor conversation — all at once. Episode 4 of Proper Precon. Powered by Ediphi

Every project has a number. Not every project has a story behind it. In Episode 3, Troy Simon and Trey Darnell dig into the cost narrative — what it actually is, why most GCs aren't delivering it, and what changes when you get it right. They cover the three layers of a real cost narrative: the number, the context behind it, and the decision points that let an owner actually do something with it. Trey breaks down why owners always remember the first number you give them — and what happens when that number isn't backed by anything. Troy draws the parallel to technology sales: you're not presenting a conclusion, you're building a case. And if the owner can't walk out of the room and explain your number to someone else, you've already lost. They also get into what it looks like in Ediphi — how tracking estimates across milestones, building cost per unit and cost per use group, and running variance reports between estimates gives pre-con teams the foundation to tell a cost story that holds up across the entire pre-con lifecycle. If you've ever handed an owner a budget and watched them push back on a number you know is right — this one's for you. Powered by Ediphi — ediphi.com

The construction industry has been talking about a labor shortage for 30 years, but the office side of the problem doesn't get nearly enough attention. In Episode 2 of Proper Precon, Troy Simon and Trey Darnell dig into the estimator shortage hitting pre-construction teams right now: why we're just trading talent instead of growing it, what happens when your senior estimators retire and take their knowledge with them, and what GCs can actually do about it. They also break down the latest construction tech acquisitions (Nemechek/HCSS, Trimble/Document Crunch, Autodesk/Rumbix), what volatile material costs mean for pricing risk, and a deep dive into a major Cal Poly student housing project to show what a real pre-con team looks like at scale. Plus: how construction management programs are falling short, what a better university curriculum could look like, and a live look inside Ediphi to show how the right tool can carry context — not just math — so knowledge doesn't walk out the door when your best estimator retires. Proper Precon is powered by Ediphi — the only true cloud-native pre-construction platform built by estimators, for estimators. Learn more at ediphi.com .

Preconstruction is one of the most critical phases in construction…and one of the most broken. In Episode 1 of Proper Precon, we break down the real challenges facing estimators and preconstruction teams today: Rebuilding estimates over and over again Losing context between project milestones Relying on spreadsheets that don’t scale Long, drawn-out precon cycles that cost real money. The reality is, most teams are stuck in workflows that haven’t evolved, while clients are demanding more sophisticated insights and faster decisions. So what does “proper preconstruction” actually look like? We cover: How precon workflows break down at scale Why tools don’t get adopted across teams The role of people, process, and technology What a modern, connected precon workflow should be Why faster estimates lead to better conversations If you’re an estimator, precon manager, or construction leader, this episode will challenge how you think about preconstruction and where it’s headed. Because it’s not just about getting the number right. It’s about carrying the context behind it. Subscribe for weekly conversations on what “great” preconstruction really looks like.