GRADEX BOOSTS ESTIMATING AND OPERATING EFFICIENCY WITH INEIGHT DOCUMENT CONTROL
Faster, more accurate estimates lead to confident growth
Gradex was founded by Nathan Roach in Reno, Nevada in 1995 with nothing more than a card table and a phone/answering machine. Since then, the company has grown to become the site contractor of choice for many area owners and general contractors. Gradex’s mission is to provide complete and competitive bids and proposals to private and public entities. As a Class A General Engineering contractor, Gradex can tackle a wide variety of complete site work projects, including excavation, grading, underground utilities, asphalt paving, and more. Gradex was quickly outgrowing its project controls solution, so when prices for its incumbent solution increased, Gradex knew it was time for a change. Having previously worked with InEight software, Dave Maynard was confident that the comprehensive project controls platform could deliver the capabilities and scalability they needed. And he was right. InEight has empowered the Gradex team to significantly improve operations efficiency, particularly in estimating and project management.
GRADEX AT A GLANCE
LOCATION:
North America: Reno, Nevada
INDUSTRY:
Heavy and civil engineering construction
INEIGHT PRODUCTS
InEight Estimate
InEight Control
InEight Plan
InEight Progress
SOLUTION BENEFITS:
50%+ faster estimating, with improved accuracy
Improved execution: better data accessibility, stronger reporting and forecasting empower Gradex to deliver on its mission
Future-proof controls: modular, scalable, easy integration support future growth
SOFTWARE OUTPACED BY GROWTH
Construction firms thrive when they make decisions quickly and confidently, based on accurate data. That’s why the right project controls approach is vital. It’s the backbone that supports a contractor’s continued success and growth. Gradex was outgrowing its former solution, HCSS HeavyJob and HeavyBid. They found the reporting capabilities lacking, the interface “old and stale,” and HeavyBid's estimating tools “antiquated,” so when they faced a contract renewal at a higher price, Gradex knew it was time to make a change. "When HCSS got bought out, they really started changing their pricing models, and the amount of money that it cost to maintain HCSS and continue with it just didn't make a lot of sense," says Maynard. The process for selecting a new project controls solution can be long and complex. Luckily, Maynard knew just which solution to shortlist.
“As the business grows, we need something that we know could scale appropriately.”
- Dave Maynard, President, Gradex
ROBUST FEATURES, MODULARITY, & SCALABILITY
Maynard had been trained on InEight earlier in his career when he worked for Kiewit, and he had seen a lot of different project management and estimating tools while consulting for Turner Construction. Based on those experiences, he was confident that InEight could deliver the right combination of features and scalability Gradex needed to support its continued growth. As he explains: "The connectivity between InEight Estimate and the project management capabilities was a big draw. Another was the ability to select the modules we needed and then build out the solution. As the business grows, we need something that we know will scale appropriately.”
“HCSS Heavybid doesn’t have the same number of levers and things I can do to the estimate. I still haven’t found the bottom of what InEight can do yet. That’s a good thing—I haven’t maxed out the system.”
- Dave Maynard, President, Gradex
Working closely with the InEight team, Gradex was able to fully implement its new, modular project controls solution in just two months. Today, InEight is helping the Gradex team confidently deliver better project estimates and outcomes through improved reporting and forecasting, and faster and more accurate estimates. Maynard notes that while HCSS also deploys quickly, InEight is a much more comprehensive, robust solution. “HCSS doesn’t have the same number of levers and things I can do to the estimate. It maxes out quickly. I still haven’t found the bottom of what InEight can do yet. That’s a good thing—I haven’t maxed out the system,” he says.
FASTER, MORE ACCURATE ESTIMATES
By taking advantage of InEight's robust features, extensible all-in-one design, and native integrations, Gradex has significantly improved its operational efficiency—particularly when it comes to estimating and project management. As Maynard notes: "The speed with which we can estimate increased quite a bit. It allows us to move faster and spend less time doing estimates, while still having confidence that they're right. We can put together estimates at least 50% faster with InEight.” And with vital project data now more easily accessible and mineable from estimate, to forecast, to daily progress reports, through to accounting, Gradex is able to manage projects not just more efficiently, but more effectively. “InEight provides a valuable feedback loop of the data from Progress back to the estimate, which is something I’ve never had before, even when working at a giant construction company—it’s always been a manual process,” says Maynard. “That full picture loop: estimating jobs, doing them, and then seeing how we did make an adjustment, it helps us be better, be sharper.”
“We can put together estimates at least 50% faster with InEight. It allows us to move faster and spend less time doing estimates—while still having confidence that they're right.”
- Dave Maynard, President, Gradex
INEIGHT ESTIMATE
Gradex moves faster with InEight Estimate
DAYS
InEight helped Gradex fully deploy in just two months, delivering fast time-to-value.
FASTER
Gradex can now deliver estimates at least 50% faster, and know they’re accurate.
BIG BENEFITS IN THE FIELD
Outside of the estimating function, other Gradex team members are also experiencing the uniquely powerful benefits of InEight. For example, Maynard notes that his field team loves the ability to pre-plan and set up time cards ahead of time. “If you utilize Plan and setting up someone’s plan ahead of time, it’s a super powerful thing. It blew their minds—it just doesn’t exist in other software! You can't typically build a plan, have a time card already almost pre-filled out for them with who's going be on your crew, here's your equipment, and here's the production you need to get today,” Maynard explained. “And then to be able to actually hand off the information in that package and attach a couple of drawings or a markup or something? That's huge. That's a really, really big benefit,” Maynard continued.
COMFORT & CONFIDENCE FOR FUTURE GROWTH
Anyone who has been though a major software changeover knows that it can be disruptive, and even a bit painful, but the investment is worth it when the new solution truly aligns with your needs and allows room for future growth. InEight has empowered Gradex to transform its approach to program management, so the growing company can follow the same project controls best practices of a much larger firm—and reap the same benefits. Maynard has seen first-hand what happens when you only prioritize easy, then hit a wall six months later and have to do it all again. With InEight, he’s confident that Gradex now has project controls that will help them grow, and grow with them. “Having been at the Turners and the Kiewits of the world, I can see a vision of where this is headed, and it’s comforting to know that InEight has everything to support us as we get bigger and move forward, and ideally, I don't have to think about software again. I've got a solution that'll cover all those bases as I go, which is super valuable,” Maynard says.
“Ideally, I don't have to think about software again. I've got a solution that'll cover all those bases as I go, which is super valuable.”
- Dave Maynard, President, Gradex
ABOUT INEIGHT
InEight is a leader in construction project controls software, empowering over 850 companies taking on challenging projects in industries including construction and engineering; transportation infrastructure; mining; water; power and renewables; and oil, gas and chemical. Uniquely suited to capital construction and other complex work, our integrated, modular software manages projects worth over $1 trillion globally, taking control of project information management, costs, schedules, contracts, and construction operations, and delivering insights with advanced analytics and AI. InEight's solutions adapt and scale to meet the dynamic needs of modern construction, driving operational excellence and successful project outcomes. For more information, follow InEight on LinkedIn or visit InEight.com. © 2026 InEight, Inc. All Rights Reserved