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Contractor project management software

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If you are a builder, it will take some homework to choose the right construction project management software. There are many excellent project management software products out there. Some are free and some require monthly fees that can represent a significant investment. 

Most construction project management tools use cloud-based software to track the steps in the construction process, capture project costs, monitor the project budget, generate custom reports and analyze results using standard tools for financial management. In addition to project management features, most packages also enable construction firms to streamline marketing campaigns, improve client communication, track customer satisfaction and do it all from a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone.  

Some project managers are designed for residential builders and some have all the features needed for commercial construction projects at enterprise scale, including integration with sophisticated financial applications. Data sharing means that field notes can directly update project status and all users can work with real-time details to track project progress. 

Six Popular Construction Project Management Software Packages 

In this article, we’ll examine six of the most popular construction project managers, outlining their target users, product features, options and pricing. 

You will note that each application includes sales and financial features, as well as project management. This is because construction projects, more than any other business operations, follow a series of stages that start with customer relationship management and end with resolution of key financial details. 

As you consider what each of the construction management software developers has to offer, keep in mind that the most important element in a successful implementation of construction project management software is the nature of the business you already run. Your size, customer base and work practices are the most important factors in determining which project management package you choose. 

Buildertrend project management solutions

Calling their package “the gold standard in construction project management software,” Buildertrend offers solutions for residential builders, remodelers, commercial builders and specialty contractors. 

Buildertrend sales features
The front end of Buildertrend focuses on the sales process, tracking leads directly from an existing website contact page, managing contacts in a built-in CRM database and developing proposals that can be developed into estimates and construction projects. 

Buildertrend communications
A customer portal allows clients to see project progress in real time. Online file sharing means the entire team has access to photos, blueprints, bid details, contracts and other documents. 

Email features allow users to assign tasks using their mobile device, field emails, send out blasts to lists of potential clients and work from notification templates that are provided with the package. 

Buildertrend bid features
The package speeds up bid management with subcontractors by allowing the user to create bids and store responses, notifying subs by email or text when the user wishes to accept bids and convert them into contracts. 

Buildertrend daily logs
Take notes, send a weather alert, share important details with the team and send notifications. Daily logs keep superintendents in touch with the office, subs and direct employees. Log entries become a permanent part of the job documentation. 

Buildertrend change orders
When a change is requested, Buildertrend allows you to respond from the work site or the office. You can use a smart phone to get a digital customer approval signature, and collect a payment online. 

Buildertrend project management scheduling
Scheduling is the heart of construction project management software. Buildertrend provides multiple views of the project schedule, including a Gantt chart, with links to deadlines, purchases and payments. The schedule can be synced with your Google calendar, Outlook or other timeline applications. 

Buildertrend Selections allows the user to involve the client in choosing a material or finish, with the ability to compare the impact on the budget and schedule. The client can choose online and provide a digital signature to approve the selection. 

Buildertrend to-dos
Team communication can be significantly improved by using a to-do application to assign tasks, share documents and set reminders. Attached photos and drawings make assignments crystal clear. 

Buildertrend purchase orders
Follow the money! Subcontractors can go online to accept scope of work and payment terms. Status of POs and invoices can be tracked in real time, speeding up cash flow. 

Buildertrend invoicing
On construction projects, money has to come in as work is completed, so Buildertrend enables line-item invoices, sets deadlines, sends reminders and accepts online payments. Results can be integrated with popular accounting packages, such as Quickbooks. 

Buildertrend project management budgeting
Avoid budget overruns with real time tracking of purchases, labor cost, change orders and billing. The user can compare actual spending to estimates, adjust as needed and export the results to several popular financial accounting packages. 

Buildertrend estimating
An estimating module allows the user to create a catalog of standard costs, speeding the entire process of building and presenting a customized estimate. The prospective customer can examine individual line items in the estimate and can sign off on a digital acceptance. 

To help the contractor create faster and more accurate estimates, Buildertrend enables digital takeoff measurements, automates tedious and repetitive tasks and updates all measurements and notes to one shared digital blueprint. 

Buildertrend work in progress
One of the most elusive business dashboards is a comprehensive work in progress report. Buildertrend includes a WIP report allowing the user to see current profit margin, cost to complete and billing status. WIP data provides more accurate input for financials, whether for one job or across multiple jobs. 

Buildertrend time clock
Employees can clock in and out from the job site using their smart phone or tablet. Managers can see who is on the clock or not at any time. While on the clock, user location can be viewed on a map. At the end of the pay period, time tracking reports make payroll fast and easy. 

Buildertrend pricing plans
As noted, Buildertrend is a construction project management software leader that can scale users up from a small remodeler to a large commercial operation. At each level, there is an initial discount for signup, but the standard monthly rates are as follows: 

Buildertrend Essential keeps the focus on project management and communications for $399/month. Buildertrend Advanced adds the estimating features and financial controls for $699/month. Buildertrend Complete adds the special modules for RFIs and Selections for $1299/month. 

Contractor Foreman project management solutions

Contractor Foreman goes to market the value leader in construction project management software, packed with features for a great price and aimed at “small to medium sized residential and commercial trade and general contractors,” including sub-contractors and remodelers. 

Contractor Foreman sales features
A Leads Manager helps the user track and develop leads on their journey toward becoming a client. Statistical tools and views enable analysis of leads by month, source and stage of development. A CRM database supports contact details and history for suppliers, sub-contractors, employees and other work partners, as well as prospective clients. 

Contractor Foreman communications
A client portal allows customers to view progress, review photos or drawings and approve documents. Clients can pay online, view the schedule, upload files and communicate with client chat. 

For the work crew, Team Chat is faster than email, and more collaborative than texting – with a paper trail that stays with other job records creating while managing construction projects.

Contractor Foreman bid features
Provides a structure to gather potential job details as Opportunities, on the way to becoming a Bid, Proposal and Project. When a bid is awarded, the user can create a subcontract directly from the bid details. 

Contractor Foreman daily logs
Team access to daily logs provides management with a complete view of the day’s work. Who did what on which job? How was the weather? Were there inspectors or other visitors? Any safety issues? How much material was used? What was delivered to the job? Custom fields are available for unique work procedures. Also includes special handling for incident reports for employee write-ups, injuries or OSHA requirements. 

Contractor Foreman change orders
Generates work orders and change orders with start and end dates. Assign the workers or crew responsible for the order. Get electronic approval from the client and invoice straight from the order. Custom fields are provided for unique work processes. When a CO is issued, job costing reports and project financials track the original budget and the effect of the CO. 

Contractor Foreman project management scheduling
Drag and drop scheduling allows supervisors to assign work to specific employees or crews, who can see their schedules in the smart phone app. A team calendar helps the entire team visualize open construction projects, accept tasks and view schedules by day, week or month. Calendars can be shared for the team or private for management. 

Includes Critical Path Method (CPM) Gantt charts. Generates jobs from project schedule templates. Tracks percent complete throughout the entire project lifecycle. Manage construction projects using month and list views. One of the only construction project management software packages capable of integration with Microsoft Project. 

Contractor Foreman to-dos
To-dos are a highly visual way to keep the team clear on who is doing what and when it is due. To-dos also work for clients, to let them know when an approval is needed or a payment is required. Supports completion punch lists in a unique Punchlist module. 

Contractor Foreman purchase orders
Organizes supplier and subcontractor quotes so that the user can easily create bids, compare bid responses and generate purchase orders and subcontracts from the winning bids. Generate bills from POs. Track quantity ordered, delivered and billed to closely manage cash flow. 

Contractor Foreman invoicing
Provides AIA style G702 and G703 invoices. Incorporates local tax rates and for offshore jobs, local currency. Enables online payment. Accommodates progress billing by percent complete or units. Supports time and material invoicing and includes user-defined fields for custom coding. 

Contractor Foreman project management budgeting
Track and post bills received to the correct project and budget. Bills can be linked to a specific PO. Details can be imported to the budget from POs and subcontracts. Spending can be exported to Quickbooks and other financial software tools. 

Contractor Foreman estimating
Provides estimating templates and examples of professionally-written proposals. Applies line item or bulk markups to your costs. A cost database lets you prepare standard materials and processes to build complete estimates.  

Contractor Foreman reports
Use pre-formatted reports or customize to fit your business. Run accounts payable, financial dashboard, time card report, profit and loss statement, wages, billing, work in progress, labor and material, accounts receivable and budget versus actual. 

Contractor Foreman time cards
Four different types of time cards can accommodate office and remote employees. GPS linked time clock shows precisely where the employee clocked in or out. Supports supervisor approval and verification, automatic break times, reminders and coding for specific projects or costs. 

Contractor Foreman inspections and permits
Tracks inspection status, revisions needed. Links inspections to permits to clarify go-ahead status. When a re-inspection is needed, the system can copy the complete record from the previous inspection. Allows inspection documents to be linked to the record. 

Contractor Foreman service tickets
Service tickets can be difficult to track, invoice and assign to the proper cost categories. This module makes it simple, with service dispatch, appointment scheduling, electronic client signatures, service history and online payment. 

Contractor Foreman integrations
Schedules, calendars and financial data can be exported to Quickbooks, Google Calendar, WePay, Gusto, Zapier, Angi Leads, Outlook 365 and MS Project. 

Contractor Foreman Pricing Plans
Contractor Foreman offers a 30-day free trial, and each of the pricing plans includes some training. The Standard plan for three users is $49/month and includes most, but not all of the construction project management software package features. The full-featured Plus plan for eight users is $87/month. Contractor Foreman says this is their most popular. The Pro plan for 15 users is $123/month, and the Unlimited plan for unlimited users is $148/month. 

Houzz Pro Project management solutions

Houzz Pro incorporates prospecting, proposal, project management and back-office construction project management software, with features for residential builders, home remodelers, architects and designers, painters, handymen and landscape contractors. 

Houzz Pro sales features
Social media tools provide unique features to manage the user’s reputation and help differentiate their business from competition. Templates enable the user to build a web profile, upload videos and customer reviews. 

A full-featured CRM database allows the user to track the status of each lead, to follow up with the right response at the right time. 

Houzz Pro also assists users with targeted advertising to focus selling messages on desired prospects, and its marketing features can connect the user with local homeowners looking for a contractor. 

Houzz Pro communications
Prospective clients can use the Houzz Pro portal to set up a video consultation with the builder. The application supports links to a custom web site, including hosting, domain name and blogging, with built-in email marketing, CRM database and lead management tools. 

Customers can be provided with a client portal to view communications, check the project schedule, scan daily logs and more. Features for electronic signatures and payments make it easy for the customer to accept a change, give approval for a proposal or send a payment.   

Houzz Pro estimating
Features built-in takeoff tools which the developer says will enable quick development of precise field or office estimates to win more jobs. Prints can be uploaded, then measurements are added, and the software builds the bridge from takeoff to estimate. Using a large database of local labor and material costs, takeoffs can be converted to precise estimates with just a few clicks. 

The user can work from customized costs, add markups, calculate taxes and generate quick proposals. Bid and proposal figures can be saved as templates to help you accelerate future bid management based on standard costs. 

Houzz Pro proposals
The Houzz Pro estimating program uses a four-step approach to building proposals: start with templates, load local labor and material data, apply unique markups plus local taxes, and format professional proposals with drawings, photos and company branding. Proposals can be approved by the client with an electronic signature. 

Houzz Pro payments
Instead of requesting a deposit check, your bid can ask the client for a deposit by wire transfer or payment with a credit card. You can also include a project payment schedule, so the customer knows when subsequent amounts will be due. 

Houzz Pro 3D floor plans
Design tools allow the user to use a smart phone to scan rooms and generate floor plans in 2D, converting them to realistic 3D renderings for client tours, showing furniture, paint colors, floor finishes and more. Surfaces can be painted in any color in the extensive Benjamin Moore palette. Whether the client approves or wants something different, changing colors is as easy as pick and click.  

Houzz Pro project management scheduling
Houzz Pro provides a visual project timeline tool, with project stages and due dates, and with the ability to drag and adjust tasks or stages with a few clicks. A project dashboard, accessible to authorized team members, shows estimate versus billing, pending messages and open tasks. 

Houzz Pro to-dos
To-do lists can be created for each project and team member. Managers can use a tasks overview tool to monitor progress and keep tasks on schedule. Builders can invite employees or subcontractors to collaborate on Houzz Pro, sharing blueprints, work status and other details. 

Houzz Pro daily logs
Keep everyone current on job results with daily logs from superintendents, employees or subs. Photos of completed work, delivery details, visitors to the job site, inspections, scheduling problems or weather issues. Team members, managers and customers alike can see the daily details and track project progress. 

Houzz Pro change orders
Sometimes customers change their minds. Being ready and willing to accommodate change is part of giving good service. Houzz Pro change order features allow the builder to gather electronic approvals from the client, track change orders, manage change costs, invoice accurately and receive payment online, safeguarding job profitability. 

Houzz Pro purchase orders
Issue POs to suppliers and subs. Export purchase orders to Quickbooks. Track spending by project, payee, category and more. Run summary reports to compare actual spending to estimate and budget. 

Houzz Pro invoicing
Houzz Pro provides features to build a payment schedule, take deposits, send payment requests, send reminders and issue invoices. Payments can be accepted with credit cards or by bank wire transfer. Invoice details can be exported to Quickbooks.   

Houzz Pro time & expense tracking
All team members can easily apply job time and spending to the correct project, keeping you on track whether time and cost are posted from the office or the field. Labor and expense can be easily rolled into billing categories and exported to accounting software. 

Houzz Pro financial reports
Standard and custom formats allow the user to generate a range of financial reports, by project, date range or in summary totals. Track time billing by project or team member, invoices for jobs in progress, payments received and transaction history by customer or time period. 

Houzz Pro pricing plans
A trial version is available for free. Houzz Pro Starter is $65/month for one user (additional users are $40/month), including proposals, estimates, invoicing, online payments, time tracking, client dashboard, project tracker, 3D floor planner, purchase orders, built-in cost catalog, task management, Quickbooks integration and financial reporting. 

The company’s most popular product is the Essential package, at $99/month for two users (additional users are $40/month). Essential includes everything in the Starter package, plus change orders, expense tracking, takeoffs, daily logs, project timeline, email marketing, a premium online profile and a custom web site. 

The Ultimate package, at $399/month, allows unlimited users and includes everything in the Starter and Essential packages, plus directory placement, a lead generation program, targeted advertising and in-person support. 

Job Progress project management solutions

Powerful, easy-to-use construction project management software that is suitable for homebuilders, general contractors and specialty contractors including masonry, roofing, plumbing, fencing, window and door, pool builders and solar installers. 

Job Progress workflow manager
Workflow Manager allows the user to quickly build integrated staff and production calendars. Work process stages and steps are fully customizable. Teams can collaborate without wasting time, accessing shared knowledge on a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone. 

Job Progress mobile app
The mobile app highlights the most important timeline and budget information, so that every foreman, worker and subcontractor is working with real-time information, whether in the office, on the job site or on the move. 

Job Progress customer relationship manager
CRM provides an interactive homeowner web page to keep the customer informed and happy. Customer relationship tools and statistics are built-in. Automate follow-ups to keep leads moving toward a buying decision. Maintain high customer confidence with fast, accurate communications and a clear view of the path to job completion. 

Job Progress sales & marketing
Emailing, social media, in-person selling, quoting and writing proposals can all distract from the core business of building – unless sales and marketing tasks can be automated and streamlined. Job Progress business development modules include help to keep sales and marketing functions effective and streamlined. A built-in CRM module allows the user to develop leads into prospects and customers over time. Nothing is lot. 

Job Progress estimating, quoting & scheduling
Job Progress automates estimates and proposals with templates, photos, drawing tools and notes. Includes insurance estimating, templates for common functions, macros and worksheets for developing selling prices which ensure competitive pricing and profitable outcomes. Complete estimate data ensures that eventual scheduling is based on accurate takeoff measurements and actual photos of the work site. 

Job Progress remote business control
Whether the user is with a customer or on a work site, remote access to business details adds power and focus whether the objective is delivering a proposal to a new customer, make a presentation to a banker or leading a team in the field. View operational and financial reports with the latest data for decision support. 

Job Progress dashboard workcenters
See all of your opportunities, including customers, estimates, proposals, follow ups, work stages, invoices and payments. Dashboards can be customized to match any builder’s workflow. Track multiple jobs for each client. All job notes, daily logs, messages, specifications and documents are linked to specific jobs. 

Job Progress cloud storage & access
The package includes unlimited cloud-based storage for proposals, contracts, drawings, specifications, photos and documents. 

Job Progress employee & subcontractor manager
No more wondering which employee or sub has the current drawing or the change order detail. Job Progress puts the office, the field superintendent, subcontractors and employees on the same page with the same details. Notifications can flow from managers to field staff and subs as soon as actionable information is available and entered in the system. 

Job Progress proposals & contracts
Estimators can arrive at a job, pull up a template and start creating an estimate for a remodel, a fence or a roof. Estimates can be easily converted to proposals, and when is approved, to work contracts which require only the customer’s digital signature to proceed.   

Job Progress office, field & operations manager
Full-featured office to field communications. Construction project management software works with mapping and navigation software, VoiceNote and PhotoDraw. Integrates with Quickbooks, Eagleview, Google Calendar and Docs, WordPress, ZenDesk and social media posting. 

Job Progress pricing plans
$65 per month per user. One time setup fee of $500. 

Monday project management solutions

Construction project management software that is accessible for small builders or non-profits and powerful enough for enterprise scale operations. Built around project and task management applications, Monday includes marketing tools, lead management, CRM, development, project management, document sharing, Gantt chart scheduling and automation of repetitive tasks.  

Monday project management dashboards
Allows custom dashboards to track budget and timeline in a quick overview. Custom reports allow the user to drill down into dashboard numbers to see results in detail. Allows managers to assign and prioritize tasks, evaluate workloads and analyze project progress by time, labor and resources allocated. 

Monday automations
Standard operations can be streamlined by setting up automated tasks and responses. Set up automatic notices to be sent or actions to be taken when a project is approved, a task is completed, a due date is reached or a task owner is assigned. Recurring tasks, such as team updates or client reports can be automated in the project calendar. 

Monday Kanban
Work with ready-to-use Kanban templates or create custom boards to manage workflow and communication. Automate notices and next steps. Tracks task completion and project stages so that managers can see where workflow stands. 

Provides the ability to organize and share files to make communication faster and more accurate. Version management allows users to identify the latest drawing or worksheet, while keeping other versions for continuity. Upload files of any format from Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. Permissions control employee, customer or subcontractor access to view or edit files. 

Monday project management integrations
Front end integration allows Monday to work with data or files from MS Outlook, MS Teams, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, Google Calendar, Google Drive, MS Excel, Gmail, OneDrive, Zapier, LinkedIn and Adobe Creative Cloud. 

Monday project management Gantt charts
In project management, the schedule is the nexus of all inputs. Monday Gantt charts help the user create timelines, set dependencies and visualize tasks, deadlines and milestones. Import from Excel allows the user to turn spreadsheets into smart boards viewed as Gantt charts. 

Monday document management
Allows team collaboration in real-time, with the ability to display comments or drag-and-drop text. Documents can include live dashboards, data and video. All components are synced and updated to all users as the team works on a shared document. 

Monday pricing plans
Monday Individual is free for up to two seats. This package allows up to three boards, unlimited docs and includes over 200 templates. Bundled with iOS and Android apps. 

Monday Basic is $8 per seat per month, adding unlimited viewers, one dashboard based on one data board, 5GB of file storage and priority customer support. 

Monday Standard is $10 per seat per month, adding timeline and Gantt views, calendar view, guest access, automations, integrations, and the ability to create a dashboard combining up to five data boards. 

Monday Pro is $16 per seat per month, adding private boards and docs, chart view, time tracking, additional automations and integrations, and the ability to create a dashboard combining up to 10 data boards. 

Monday Enterprise is quoted per customer. The most full-featured set of construction management tools includes enterprise-scale automations, integrations and security governance. Modules are added for advanced reporting and analytics, with multi-level permissions, tailored onboarding and premium customer support. Ability to create a dashboard combining up to 50 data boards. 

Procore project management solutions

Procore is a full-featured construction management package designed to connect the field and the office, manage projects and financials and maximize ROI. Solutions are targeted to general contractors, specialty contractors, owner/developers and government agencies. 

Procore prequalification
Stores unlimited contacts, which can be used to create a permission structure, customizing which team members are allowed to view specific data, based on their roles. Connects all stakeholders, based on set permissions, with real time information on the project. 

Enables cloud storage for document management, providing a central repository for drawings, photos, contracts and more. Complete and submit qualification forms online and gather approvals in electronic form. 

Procore bid management
Bidder search functions allow builders to quickly cast a wide net to solicit and receive bids. Document storage is unlimited and the user can track and review bid history. Bid documents can be uploaded to Procore and sent to bidders as links, so that documents can be downloaded. Bid documents can include blueprints, job specifications and input from other software, such as CAD or spreadsheets. 

Elements of Procore contribute data to quality and safety tracking, with inputs from the Daily Log, Project Schedule, Task Lists, Inspections and Reports. Time savings and improved documentation improve quality execution and help avoid workplace accidents. 

Procore daily log
Records weather conditions, work completed, observations, visitors, inspections, subcontractor activity and tasks completed. Logs can be pre-loaded with tasks for the day and on-site supervisors can check them off as completed, integrating details with the project schedule. Logs can be archived and exported to other applications 

With the ability to link all parties in the contact directory, share documents, analyze data, publish reports and manage tasks, Procore provides a strong suite of tools to keep everyone on the same page. 

Procore BIM
Supports Building Information Management tools to generate and manage digital representations of structural and functional elements of a building project. Helps visualize projects pre-construction for better estimates and scheduling. Participants can use models without installing modeling software. Subs know what to follow and customers know what to expect. 

Procore training & certification
Training tools help team members reinforce skills and help managers document standard operating procedures. Certification tools allow users to customize onboarding and learning tools to keep learning programs moving forward. Managers can motivate and reward completed learning programs with certificates of completion. 

Procore Field productivity and workforce planning
Productivity features ensure that everyone knows which tasks are on the schedule, who is responsible, how much time has been allocated, and how much money has been estimated for labor and materials. If extra work is required, costs can be recaptured with time and material tickets, generating a change order to submit to the client for payment. Productivity tools also capture hours to streamline payroll, linking the team directory, tasks, timesheets, crews, T&M tickets and individual time sheets. 

Procore project management financials
Budgeting features track all spending from the office or in the field, updating the company accounting system. Reports provide insights to update senior management. Financial dashboards allow the user to check the status of all commitments and purchases in real time. Spending reports help users manage costs closely with team-wide visibility. 

All invoices are visible in the billing application, streamlining invoice routing and approval. Real time invoice status prevents over- and under-billing, verifies completed work and integrates with basic or full featured accounting software. Links with sub invoices allow the general contractor to prefill invoices with approved subcontractor invoices. 

Procore analytics
Enables in-depth analysis of current and historical data by account, project, location, department and user. Machine learning capability identifies trends. Data insights improve estimating, scheduling, sales forecasting, cost improvement and productivity. 

Integrates Procore construction project management software with popular applications such as Project Financials, Sage 300 CRE Connector, Quickbooks Connector, Lienwaivers.io, DocuSign and LevelSet. ProCore library offers links to applications for accounting, analytics, asset management, BIM, bidding, CRM, commissioning, document management, estimating and takeoff, field productivity, scheduling, timekeeping, equipment tracking and weather forecasting. 

Procore Pricing Plans
As a leading construction management platform, Procore prefers to quote a suite of applications for each customer. Industry sources report that prices start at $375/month for project management, rising to $549/month if all financial analytics are added. Note that Procore pricing includes unlimited users, data and user support. 

More Construction Project Management Software

If none of the project managers above sound like the right option for you, here are a dozen more places to pursue your research into contractor project management. Visit the website for each application. If the features and functions seem like a good fit, visit the App Store or Google Play, as many apps will let you try a free version. 

  • Briq
  • Jobber  
  • Build Tools
  • Knowify 
  • BuildXact
  • Paskr 
  • eSub
  • Stack 
  • FieldWire
  • UDA Construction Online 
  • Foundation
  • Viewpoint Spectrum 

Finding just the right construction project management software for the size, nature and growth stage of any business can be a challenge. We hope that this article will make that search a bit easier; the rewards are well worth the time spent studying your options.  

The right construction project management software will help any team work smarter, saving time, materials and labor…and keeping more of what the company earns as profit. 

Not sure where to start? Talk to someone who wants to listen.

A great plan starts with a conversation. Let’s talk about what you need.

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