Forward vs BuildOps
BuildOps is a service-platform for trade contractors. Forward is a texting layer on the GC's project-management stack. Both can run on the same electrical contractor's tech stack — they solve completely different problems.
What each one is for
BuildOps is the system of record for the service / commercial-service side of a specialty trade contractor's business. Dispatch, scheduling, technician routing, work orders, time tracking, billing, recurring-maintenance contracts. The user is the trade contractor's office team, dispatcher, and technicians in the field.
Forward is a texting layer that sits on top of the GC's project-management stack on commercial- construction projects. The user is the field foreman / super / PM working on a GC's project, getting answers out of the GC's Procore + Autodesk Construction Cloud + OneDrive without learning the GC's dashboard.
Side-by-side
| Capability | BuildOps | Forward |
|---|---|---|
| Service-call dispatch + scheduling | Yes (core feature) | No |
| Technician routing + GPS tracking | Yes | No |
| Customer invoicing + payments | Yes | No |
| Recurring-maintenance contracts | Yes | No |
| Texting layer over Procore / Autodesk RFIs | No | Yes |
| Sheet pulls + spec retrieval over SMS | No | Yes |
| NEC / IBC / IMC code calcs over SMS | No | Yes |
| Field-foreman text → PM approval queue | No | Yes |
When you'd want both
A commercial electrical or HVAC contractor running a mix of service contracts and new-construction projects benefits from both:
- BuildOps for the service side — recurring maintenance customers, emergency calls, dispatch.
- Forward for the construction side — when your crew is on a GC's commercial project and the GC has Procore + Autodesk wired. Foreman texts the GC's project number for sheets, RFIs, submittal status; never has to open Procore.
How to try Forward
Drop your email above and tell us you run a trade contracting business; we'll scope a pilot on one of your active GC projects (the GC wires Procore + Forward; takes ~30 minutes).
Or text +1 (682) 300-6750 right now to try the demo against a synthetic commercial project.
Try Forward right now
Drop your email above for early access — or skip the form and text +1 (682) 300-6750 from your phone. The live demo answers anything you can ask a project manager in plain English — no signup needed.