As we welcome 2025, we reflect on the incredible year 2024 was for our customers and for us here at Gordian. The past year was marked with significant product enhancements, impressive user accomplishments and a continued commitment to accuracy and efficiency in the construction industry. Let’s recap the top highlights from RSMeans Data Online and Gordian.

One of the most exciting milestones of 2024 was the launch of Gordian Cloud Platform. The innovative, cloud-based platform seamlessly unifies Gordian’s offerings in one place, better connecting essential workflows and speeding up data-driven decision-making for capital planning, construction procurement and construction estimating.

Within the Gordian Cloud Platform, we enhanced and unified workflows with the same trusted RSMeans™ Data, specifically designed to improve the estimating process:

• New Search Functionality: An enhanced search feature delivers faster, more precise results, allowing users to quickly locate relevant cost data with advanced filters and improved navigation. This update simplifies finding the exact information needed, saving time and effort.
• New Estimate Workflows: The updated estimate package maximizes screen space and simplifies workflows with a new three-tab layout — Summary, Worksheet and Reports — which enables better organization and precise estimate building.

Data Insights - Cost Trends is a dashboard that offers a comprehensive view into construction cost trends based on RSMeans Data, both historical and predictive trends three years into the future. This enables construction professionals to anticipate cost changes, adjust budgets and make informed decisions when forecasting and cost planning.

Gordian entered a strategic collaboration with eTakeoff, making eTakeoff’s electronic takeoff software available through Gordian’s solutions. The collaboration allows customers to license eTakeoff Dimension software alongside subscribing to Gordian’s RSMeans Data Online, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of construction cost estimation.

This year, we also rolled out a customer success engagement program, designed to ensure our users get the most out of every Gordian product. This program offers tailored support and resources to help customers achieve their goals and maximize the value of their investment in RSMeans Data Online.

Estimators, contractors, facility managers, engineers, architects and many other construction professionals achieved remarkable outcomes with RSMeans Data Online in 2024. These efforts helped pave the way for enhanced efficiency, accuracy and success in projects.

Here’s a snapshot of what these professionals were able to accomplish last year:

Users estimated more than $391 billion* worth of construction work in 2024. This figure marks an increase of more than 11% since 2023, and demonstrates the trust that architects, engineers, contractors and construction industry executives place in the accuracy and credibility of RSMeans Data Online.

*Represents the volume of work estimated, not the volume of work awarded or completed.

Throughout the year, RSMeans Data Online users generated an impressive 179,922 estimates — 13% more than in 2023.

Here is a percentage breakdown of the types of construction estimates users created:

• Unit Estimates: 72%
• Square Foot Estimates: 15%
• Mixed Estimates: 7%
• Assembly Estimates: 6%

In 2024, the most popular square foot models used to create estimates in RSMeans Data Online continued to be apartments and office spaces, reflecting ongoing trends in the real estate market. Warehouses, which saw an 11% increase in estimates from the prior year, are likely experiencing a surge due to the expansion of e-commerce and the need for improved logistics and distribution centers.

The top five cities used for estimates in RSMeans Data Online for 2024 — San Antonio, San Juan, Miami, Atlanta and Houston — reflect areas of significant economic growth, rebuilding efforts and infrastructure investment. RSMeans Data Online provides localized cost data which adjusts for regional differences in labor, materials and equipment costs.

Users conducted more than 1.7 million searches within the application in 2024. This can be broken down to an average of 4,700 searches per day.

The top-five most searched terms in 2024 were:

Interestingly, the top 25 most searched terms account for less than 10% of the total searches. This means the vast majority of searches were for a wide array of terms underscoring the comprehensive nature of RSMeans Data. With more than 92,000+ line items available, RSMeans Data Online is designed to meet the extensive and varied needs of construction professionals.

In 2024, over 1,000 construction professionals attended RSMeans Data industry training courses, sharpening their skills and gaining valuable knowledge. We hosted public, in-person training courses in eight major cities, including Dallas, Orlando, Anchorage, Las Vegas, Seattle, Toronto, Washington, DC and Greenville. Additionally, we conducted over 26 private and custom training sessions for various public and private organizations.

As we reflect on a productive and successful year, the data makes it clear that organizations across industries achieved great results from the powerful capabilities of RSMeans Data Online in 2024. Our unwavering commitment to enhancing and expanding our construction cost database and tools have yielded impressive results. Looking ahead to 2025, we expect to see continued advancements in technology that will help you navigate construction cost estimating and design with confidence. Let's continue to build success together.