JOB SITE DATA
KEEPING SCORE
How Toronto-based tech firm Bespoke Metrics is standardizing data and helping to de-risk construction BY DAVID KENNEDY
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Technology for both on and off the job site is taking on an every-larger role in construction as companies work to streamline their operations.
PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK/LEIKA PRODUCTION
ike competitors in most industries, general contractors aren’t particularly good at sharing. Whether it’s facing off over a major contract, competing to attract the most promising talent, or striving to be the first to adopt a new technology, rivalries can be fierce. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that when Michael Ho, the CEO of Bespoke Metrics, set out to standardize how the Canadian construction industry manages risk and carries out counterparty assessments in 2016, it was an uphill battle. “The GCs for the most part are very fierce competitors, as is the broker, as are the insurance entities, as are the subcontractors,” Ho said. “The sharing of data, despite everyone using similar systems and collecting the same data, has not been strong in this industry. It just simply isn’t.” Working to change this insular approach, Bespoke Metrics has signed up a significant list of major general contractors over the past three years, including Buttcon Ltd., Eastern Construction, EllisDon Corp., Graham Group Ltd., Pomerleau Inc. and Stuart Olson Inc., among others. The Toronto-based tech firm has put together a suite of software solutions — known collectively as Compass — that streamline the pre-construction process by centralizing industry data. One key
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