How PreconSuite Was Founded: Rick Dill's Mission to Modernize Construction Bidding

The Story Behind PreconSuite: Why Rick Dill Set Out to Transform Construction Bidding

Construction has always been built on relationships, trust, and experience. Yet for decades, many of the industry's most important preconstruction processes remained fragmented, manual, and difficult to manage. For Rick Dill, CEO of PreconSuite, that challenge became an opportunity.

Seeing the Problem Firsthand

Before founding PreconSuite, Rick built his career with a background in Civil and Structural Engineering. Throughout his years in construction, he witnessed firsthand how General Contractors managed bidding and preconstruction activities.

Estimating teams relied heavily on spreadsheets, emails, disconnected databases, and manual processes to identify subcontractors, distribute bid invitations, track responses, and manage project opportunities. As projects became larger and more complex, those processes became increasingly difficult to maintain.

Valuable subcontractor relationships were often scattered across offices. Bid coverage was difficult to track. Critical data lived in multiple systems. Estimators spent countless hours performing administrative tasks instead of focusing on strategy and project pursuit.

The industry needed a better way!

A Vision for Modernizing Preconstruction

Rick recognized that while many areas of construction had embraced technology, preconstruction and bid management remained underserved.

He believed contractors deserved software specifically designed to help them:

• Build stronger subcontractor relationships
• Improve bid coverage
• Streamline the bid invitation and bid management process
• Organize vendor and trade partner data
• Increase collaboration across offices and teams
• Gain visibility into every stage of the bidding process

That vision became the foundation for PipelineSuite which, in 2024, was rebranded to be PreconSuite. For purposes of this article, we will refer to the company as its current name, PreconSuite.

Building a Solution for Contractors

PreconSuite was created with a simple objective: help contractors work smarter during the most critical phase of a project, the preconstruction stage.

Rather than forcing contractors to adapt their workflows around generic software, PreconSuite was designed with flexibility to allow construction professionals to manage their preconstruction bidding activities in a way that works best for their business.

The platform evolved to prequalify trade partners, level bids, centralize subcontractor data, automate repetitive tasks, improve communication, and provide greater insight into project opportunities.

Most importantly, it was built to make the bidding process more efficient and easy for contractors of all sizes to use.

The Entrepreneurial Journey

Building PreconSuite required more than industry knowledge.

The transition from employee to entrepreneur brought new challenges, including learning how to build a company, lead a growing team, overcome setbacks, and navigate the realities of launching a technology business in a traditionally conservative industry.

Along the way, he learned that persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace failure are often the greatest drivers of innovation. Customer feedback became a critical part of product development, helping shape the platform into a solution that addresses real-world challenges faced by customers every day.

More Than Software

At its core, PreconSuite was never intended to be just another software platform.

The mission has always been to help contractors strengthen relationships, improve efficiency, and create a more connected preconstruction process. Technology should not replace the personal relationships that drive construction success. It should enhance them.

By giving contractors better tools, better visibility, and better data, PreconSuite helps teams focus on what matters most: building relationships, winning projects, and delivering successful outcomes.

Listen to a recent Podcast about Rick Dill's journey from a technical sales rep mastering take-off and estimating skills, to corporate management, then to the creation of PreconSuite and the leadership lessons gained along the way.

Looking Ahead

The construction industry continues to evolve rapidly. Digital transformation is no longer optional - it is a competitive necessity.

What began as Rick Dill's vision to solve a persistent industry challenge has grown into a platform trusted by contractors seeking a more efficient way to manage their preconstruction process.

As PreconSuite continues to innovate, the mission remains unchanged: empower contractors with the technology they need to build stronger relationships, improve bid performance, and drive long-term growth.

Because every successful project begins long before construction starts - it begins in preconstruction.