COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2019-2020 Tect App, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent application relates to computer-implemented software systems, according to one embodiment, and more specifically to a system and method for connecting designers with product suppliers or manufacturers in the construction industry.

BACKGROUND

Building designers, such as architects or other design professionals, frequently need information related to building products or materials, costs, lead times, product specifications, compatible products, and the like when these designers are in the initial stages of a building project. In many cases, designers may not even be aware of the types and costs of the available building materials, particularly in different geographical locations where building projects are planned. Because the choice and availability of materials and suppliers can significantly affect the design direction, contract documents, and preliminary cost information being prepared by a designer, it is extremely important for the designer to have current, accurate, and sometimes detailed information on a wide variety of building materials and product suppliers at the time when the designer is preparing their work at the early design and cost estimating stages. Unfortunately, most designers do not have timely access to this building material and product supplier information. In many cases, a designer will simply consult with suppliers, if known, from a previous project. However, this practice can cause the designer to miss new innovations in building materials or fail to take advantage of lower cost supplier options. Additionally, designers can miss issues with product availability that may arise when building projects in unfamiliar locations are being designed and bid. Designers can use general search queries of online building product sources. However, this process produces too much information, consumes too much time, and does not yield optimal results. Additionally, this process can expose the designer to undesirable sales pitches from building product and material vendors. Thus, a better way is needed to enable architects and design professionals to obtain current and accurate building product information, costing, availability, usage, and specifications on a wide variety of building materials and product suppliers with a minimal level of time and effort.

SUMMARY

In various example embodiments described herein, a system and method for connecting designers with product suppliers or manufacturers in the construction industry are disclosed. In the various example embodiments described herein, a computer-implemented tool or software application (app) as part of a supplier engagement system is described to automate and improve the ability for architects and design professionals to efficiently connect and engage with product suppliers for a building project. As described in more detail below, a computer or computing system on which the described embodiments can be implemented can include personal computers (PCs), portable computing devices, laptops, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal communication devices (e.g., cellular telephones, smartphones, or other wireless devices), network computers, consumer electronic devices, or any other type of computing, data processing, communication, networking, or electronic system.

In various example embodiments described herein, the supplier engagement system provides a set of processes to facilitate an architect or design professional's ability to search for and connect with a building product supplier or manufacturer best suited to provide needed information for the designer. Various example embodiments of the supplier engagement system are described in detail below.

