Building the Future: How BuildPass is Revolutionising the Construction Industry in Australia

The construction industry has long been regarded as one of the pillars of economic growth, providing the infrastructure and housing that underpin modern societies. Yet, it is also a sector plagued by inefficiencies, high costs, and outdated practices.

Enter BuildPass, a Melbourne-based construction technology company founded in 2021, that is enhancing operations for builders of all sizes in Australia by offering an accessible, flexible, and cost-effective ‘all-in-one’ digital site management tool.

We delve into the story of BuildPass, its mission, accomplishments, and its vision for the future of the construction industry in Australia.

Watch the full BuildPass interview

Vision for Change

BuildPass was born from a pressing need within the construction industry. Co-founders Aaron Vanston and Matt Perrott, both with backgrounds in technology and sharing a passion for innovation, recognised the glaring issues surrounding construction software.

They saw that many existing construction tech solutions were overpriced, outdated, and unable to evolve with the dynamic needs of construction businesses. This fueled their desire to create a platform that could harness the power of artificial intelligence and automation to make construction safety and site management technology more accessible to everyone.

Aaron Vanston, Chief Technology Officer, brought his extensive experience from working at technology giants like Seek, REA Group and Whispir, where he honed his skills in software development and management.

Matt Perrott, Chief Executive Officer, leveraged his background in civil engineering and software engineering to contribute a unique perspective to the team.

Their collaboration was the foundation upon which BuildPass was built.

Empowering Builders with Innovative Solutions

BuildPass’s commitment to transforming the construction tech industry is evident in the services it offers. The company has developed an intuitive, end-to-end digital platform that streamlines essential compliance, communication and project tracking information.

This platform has proven to be a game-changer for builders across the country, providing them with more time to focus on what matters most—construction.

BuildPass does everything from health and safety, quality assurance, communication on site, document management and asset management.

An example of recent innovation in the platform’s health and safety capabilities is highlighted in the SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) process, where BuildPass has digitised this beyond PDF and word documents, as well as optimised the important compliance task for mobile devices – making it perfect for busy builders moving between sites. This SWMS Builder feature was created in collaboration with industry and can be customised to suit the needs of every construction professional.

Furthermore, BuildPass is also working closely with large commercial builders and civil contractors to build out their enterprise capabilities in complex project environments.

Solving Problems With Adoption & Greater Analytics

One of the biggest problems most construction companies face with technology is adoption by employees. BuildPass have brought learnings from realestate.com.au and Seek to make the platform more user friendly for people across all levels of familiarity with technology, enabling greater adoption.

BuildPass continues to raise the level of configurability for its software, as no two businesses are the same. From planned pre-starts to complex inductions on-site, ticket management and the implementation of a full IMS, all can be managed through BuildPass.

Many firms have large legacy systems that can be deemed too difficult to digitise but BuildPass is changing that with a high level of configurability. Through a modular design, BuildPass is scalable for companies across all levels, including enterprise level modules that are highly customisable.

With customisable dashboards and reporting, firms have greater visibility and real-time information on progress.

A Growing Presence in the Construction Industry

Since its inception in 2021, BuildPass has rapidly expanded its footprint in the Australian construction market. The company now boasts 200 customers across the country, a testament to the value it brings to builders of all sizes.

BuildPass’s platform helped Jardon Group streamline operations and run all of their construction management activities. Everything from documents to defect management to improved safety compliance, and enhancing overall project management. It serves as a compelling example of how BuildPass is making a difference in the construction sector.

Alongside helping Jardon Group digitise their health and safety processes, BuildPass has been working with Vaughan Constructions to similarly digitise their health and safety systems and construction management programs.

BuildPass is heavily focused on existing customers to ensure optimisation of their solution to meet real industry needs. They constantly seek feedback for continuous improvement and product customisation. They are all about solving real world construction problems with their tech solution.

BuildPass is also committed to flexibility and affordability. Their cost-effective solution provides access to cutting-edge tools to all builders, with better functions and customisation than alternatives in the market.

Pricing is based on the number of employees and features used, rather than on company revenue, differentiating them from similar products.

Watch the full BuildPass interview

Partnerships that Drive Innovation

BuildPass has strategically partnered with prominent players in the construction industry. Collaboration with leading Australian building safety consultants has led to the redesign of Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), a critical component of construction safety. These efforts are reshaping how builders engage with safety protocols, emphasising a commitment to making construction sites safer for all workers, while concurrently lifting compliance standards across the board.

Looking Ahead: The Future of BuildPass

BuildPass has ambitious plans for the future. Over the next 12-24 months, the company aims to leverage artificial intelligence and Large Language Models to revolutionise how project information is gathered and utilised.

One exciting development on the horizon is defect capturing through voice dictation, a feature that will streamline the inspection process.

Other features in the pipeline include subcontractor scheduling, rostering capabilities, elevated document control, better communication and correspondence coming in and out of the platform, and a client portal with control over the information each party has access to within their BuildPass environment.

Beyond health and safety, they are advancing their QA modules to enable companies to run ITPs and defects management and focusing on other workflows. Document management has been advanced to allow easy use for employees on site.

Customers will be able to set up new workflows within the platform, this triggers an alert for someone to be notified for approval before the next person is notified, ensuring nothing is missed across the supply chain of information and approval.

Additionally, BuildPass is exploring automated project summary development using AI, which can analyse photos and written data to create detailed site overviews and handover notes.

These exciting advancements reflect the company’s dedication to staying at the forefront of technological innovation in construction. It will benefit construction companies across all levels of construction, specifically providing a level of technology sophistication that satisfies the high levels of customisation large commercial companies desire.

Conclusion

In a construction industry hungry for innovation, BuildPass is making waves by offering accessible, flexible, and cost-effective solutions. With a strong commitment to the Australian market and a vision for the future that leverages advanced technologies, BuildPass is poised to transform the construction enterprise space.

The company’s leadership team, led by Aaron Vanston and Matt Perrott, brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for technology and construction, making BuildPass a force to be reckoned with in the industry. As we look ahead, it is clear that BuildPass is building the future of construction technology in Australia.

Meet the Visionaries Behind BuildPass

The leadership team at BuildPass is instrumental in driving the company’s mission and success.

Aaron Vanston – Chief Technology Officer

Aaron Vanston’s journey in the technology sector began with a degree in Digital Media and Marketing from Swinburne University of Technology. His career took off when he joined ASX-listed digital communications and automation business Whispir, where he learned the principles of cutting-edge technology.

Aaron’s managerial abilities came to the fore when he led a team of 27 software developers at Seek throughout Australasia. His extensive experience in the technology industry prepared him for his role at BuildPass, where he is dedicated to bringing innovation to the construction sector.

Matt Perrott – Chief Executive Officer

Matt Perrott’s path to becoming the CEO of BuildPass is marked by a strong interest in both construction and technology. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Civil Engineering and Finance from The University of Melbourne, followed by a Masters in Software Engineering with First Class Honors.

Before co-founding BuildPass, Matt gained experience in technology through roles at EverProof and REA Group, where he observed how technology could improve business processes. His combination of technical knowledge and a passion for innovation has been pivotal in the success of BuildPass.

Watch our full BuildPass interview

Learn more about how BuildPass are streamlining Construction Businesses.