Why SMARTBUILD

We built the construction software we couldn't buy

SMARTBUILD is a construction management software company with customers across Canada and the United States of America. Zulq Malik, a general contractor with 30+ years in the field, founded it in January 2019.

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Members of ABC Tech Alliance (Associated Builders and Contractors) MBCEA (Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association)

Our story: from general contracting firm to construction software company

SMARTBUILD started inside a working general contracting firm. Zulq Malik founded BECC Construction in 2005 and grew it into a multi-million dollar GC delivering projects across Canada and the United States. The software began as internal tools he built for BECC, because nothing available to buy fit how his own crews actually worked.

The software grew out of a missed RFI.

One request for information fell through the gap between the field and the office and nearly cost BECC a major project. The system BECC used was not built to catch it.

It showed Zulq that coordination is a systems problem. A system that depends on somebody remembering will eventually fail.

Zulq built tools that were simple, fast and accurate, and designed around how his own supers and PMs worked day to day. The tools worked, and in January 2019 he spun them out as SMARTBUILD.

Today the platform covers general contractors through smrtGC, subcontractors through smrtSUB and design teams through smrtAEC, with smrtBids, smrtDrawings and smrtTime extending it, and smrt-E, a voice-first AI assistant, running underneath all of it.

Three SMARTBUILD crew members in hard hats reviewing a project on a tablet and laptop on site

Our mission: take the stress out of construction

Our mission is to take the stress out of construction with smart technology. Every tool we create enhances efficiency, minimizes distractions, and empowers teams to work smarter.

Our purpose is to reduce friction with our technology so our customers can enjoy building the world we live in.

In practice, that means less time on paperwork and more time on the work. Kaiser Martin Group measures it as 50% less paperwork and a 30% more productive office.

Our vision: construction that runs on clarity and proof

We are working toward a world where construction operates on clarity, proof and intelligent workflows, where builders have technology that honors their craft.

In practice, the jobsite record is created as the work happens. The super speaks, and the system captures the daily log, the safety check, the punch item and the photo in the field, in whatever language the crew speaks. The office can see each record before the crew leaves the site.

Nothing has to be entered twice or written up at the end of the day, and there is a record to settle any question about what happened in a given week.

Each release is judged on three measures: time saved, disputes avoided and confidence gained. A release that does not improve at least one of them does not ship.

See how smrt-E captures the field by voice

Our values: four commitments behind every SMARTBUILD product decision

We will never charge more as you grow

Two pricing models dominate this category, and both cost more as a contractor grows. Per-seat pricing rises with every hire. Revenue-based pricing takes a percentage of annual construction volume, so it rises as the contractor builds more. The industry calls the second model the growth tax. SMARTBUILD charges a flat fee. Every person on the job gets an account, the price stays the same as volume grows, and Kaiser Martin Group pays 10 to 20% less than per-seat software would cost them.

10 to 20% below per-seat software cost · Kaiser Martin Group
We will keep it to one platform, preconstruction to closeout

Point solutions spread project information across five logins and then charge to connect it. On SMARTBUILD, the drawing, the RFI, the log and the pay app all reference the same data, because smrtGC, smrtSUB and smrtAEC share one data model and smrtBids, smrtDrawings and smrtTime extend it. Kaiser Martin Group measures the result as half the paperwork.

50% less paperwork · Kaiser Martin Group
We will design on live jobs

Every workflow in the platform was tested on real projects with real crews before it shipped. When a super says a screen takes too many taps, we remove taps. GEN-PRO's teams measured a 50% improvement in task performance after switching to SMARTBUILD.

50% improvement in task performance · GEN-PRO
We will train people the way they actually learn

Construction software fails on adoption more often than on features. We built a training method rather than handing over a login and a PDF. GEN-PRO's project managers now carry five projects each, up from three.

5 projects per PM up from 3 · GEN-PRO

The S.I.T.E. method: how we train construction crews

S.I.T.E. stands for the SMARTBUILD Immersive Training Experience. It is a training framework built on problem-based learning: instead of webinars and manuals, crews learn by solving the actual problem in front of them, on their own job, with their own data. It exists because adoption, not features, is what determines whether a construction platform succeeds.

Most construction software fails in the field. S.I.T.E. training therefore happens on site, on live work, because that is where training sticks.

A platform the crew does not open has little value. Most vendors in this category treat training as an afterthought, so SMARTBUILD treats it as part of the product.

Zulq Malik walking a group of contractors through the platform on screens at the SMARTBUILD booth

The people behind SMARTBUILD

SMARTBUILD is led by a general contractor and a customer experience leader. One has run construction jobs and carried their risk. The other has spent fifteen years studying what makes customers recommend a service.

Zulq Malik

Founder and CEO

Zulq is a construction executive with 30+ years across project management, field operations and risk mitigation. He started his career young, went on to lead major builds across Canada and the United States, then founded and ran BECC Construction as a general contractor for fourteen years.

At BECC, he saw outdated workflows and bloated software slow good teams down and create avoidable disputes.

Builders deserve technology that respects their craft and fits the way they work.

Zulq serves on the board of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, advocating for mental health across the trades.

Zulq Malik, Founder and CEO of SMARTBUILD

Vinay Nair

Chief Customer Officer

Vinay brings over twenty years across marketing strategy, brand development, customer experience and go-to-market leadership, with a global perspective drawn from both high-growth companies and established enterprises.

SMARTBUILD's approach to customers took shape when Vinay and Zulq attended the Disney Institute together. Seeing how Disney delivers a consistent experience to millions of guests, with storytelling built into every part of it, convinced them both that construction customers deserve the same standard.

Construction deserves the same level of care and craft found in the world's best service organizations.

Vinay is responsible for the full customer journey, from the first demo through year three, and judges every interaction on clarity, confidence and long-term value.

Vinay Nair, Chief Customer Officer of SMARTBUILD

The SMARTBUILD team together outside the office

Contractors already running on SMARTBUILD

Kaiser Martin Group has run on SMARTBUILD since 2022 and reports 50% less paperwork. GEN-PRO switched from Procore in 2023 and now has project managers carrying five projects each, up from three.

See the full customer stories

Questions people ask about SMARTBUILD

What is SMARTBUILD?

SMARTBUILD is a construction management software company. Its platform covers general contractors, subcontractors and design teams through smrtGC, smrtSUB and smrtAEC, with smrt-E, a voice-first AI assistant, capturing field records by voice. Pricing is flat fee with unlimited users and unlimited projects.

Who founded SMARTBUILD and when?

Zulq Malik founded SMARTBUILD in January 2019. He is a general contractor with 30+ years in the field who previously founded and led BECC Construction, delivering projects across Canada and the United States. The platform grew out of internal tools he built for BECC because nothing on the market fit how his crews actually worked.

What is SMARTBUILD's mission?

SMARTBUILD's mission is to take the stress out of construction with smart technology. Every tool SMARTBUILD creates is built to improve efficiency, reduce distractions and let teams work smarter, so contractors spend less time on paperwork and more time building.

What size contractors is SMARTBUILD built for?

SMARTBUILD is built for contractors that have outgrown spreadsheets but are not ready to carry an enterprise platform. These are typically firms whose jobs have grown faster than their systems, and whose software bill rises with every new hire under per-seat pricing.

Does SMARTBUILD charge per user or based on revenue?

Neither. SMARTBUILD is flat fee with unlimited users and unlimited projects. Many construction platforms charge per seat or take a percentage of annual construction volume, which means the software costs more as a firm grows. SMARTBUILD's price does not change when a firm's headcount or volume does.

Where is SMARTBUILD based?

SMARTBUILD is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario. Our AI Innovation Lab in Regina, Saskatchewan builds smrt-E, the voice-first assistant that captures field records as work happens. We serve general contractors, subcontractors and design teams across Canada and the United States.

Ready to see your projects on SMARTBUILD?

The demo shows how contractors run their projects on SMARTBUILD. There is no slideshow and no discovery call before it.