How BcStep Is Building a Connected Digital Ecosystem for Construction

Construction projects involve multiple stakeholders, systems and communication channels, but fragmented information can often make coordination difficult and costly. BcStep, developed by UniSteps Consulting, aims to address this challenge by bringing communication, tasks, project information and business processes together on a single connected platform.

In this interview, Kailash Anwala, Managing Director, UniSteps Consulting Pvt. Ltd., discusses the thinking behind BcStep, the challenges that led to its development, and how its Business Operating Network (BON) model is designed to connect developers, architects, consultants, contractors and suppliers. He also explains how BcStep’s AI assistant, Mr. Bon, could help organizations make better use of connected project and workflow data.

Could you start by introducing UniSteps Consulting and BcStep — what the company does and what problem BcStep was built to solve?

UniSteps Consulting is a multidisciplinary consulting organization with experience across Structural Engineering, MEP, and Project Management. In our over two decades of experience in the construction industry, we have seen the challenges within the ecosystem with regard to project execution and the various coordination challenges that lead to time and money being wasted at various stages.

Construction projects do not suffer from a lack of software tools – the various stakeholders like developers, architects, consultants, contractors, and suppliers already use ERPs, email, chat, and task management tools. The real problem is that these applications operate independently, leaving the overall project management with fragmented information.

BcStep was created as a solution to these problems. BcStep is the World’s First Digital Business Operating Network (BON), designed specifically for the construction industry. It connects BcStep HRM, ProChat, ProCom, BcStep Task Manager, and BcStep ERP into one integrated business environment, which allows for all the various stakeholders to track and share data on a single, interconnected platform. This improves coordination and eliminates multi-platform fragmentation, improving efficiency, time management, and reducing costs.

Having seen the immense impact a tool like this can have on construction projects, our goal is to make BcSteps an transformative partner for project execution in the industry.

What specific breakdown or inefficiency in construction projects made you decide to build BcStep, rather than adopt existing ERP/collaboration tools?

The biggest breakdown we saw across projects was the disconnect between project information and the coordination required to execute a project. For example, when an architect issues a revised drawing for a project through email, that design is downloaded by a coordinator and passed on in a separate project folder to the site team, who may then share it internally through WhatsApp.

In this process, a lot of key context and instructions & the initial discussion leading to the revised design remain buried in the email thread. If any of these participants in the chain misses an update, instruction, or piece of information, the site team may execute the on-ground project incorrectly, and this becomes a mistake with real financial and time cost.

We explored the idea of connecting these various activities & data points within existing systems, but we wanted something more fundamental: a platform where organizations could maintain their independent identities, collaborate across organizational boundaries, and retain control over their data. That realization led us beyond a conventional ERP to the concept of a Business Operating Network, which became BcStep.

How does BcStep handle the transition from informal channels (WhatsApp, email) to structured records without disrupting how site teams actually work day-to-day?

Our approach is focused on formalising the existing coordination processes of construction projects and make them more structured, connected, and accountable – which actually makes site work more clear on a day-to-day basis. ProChat features provide a dedicated business communication environment, while ProCom manages formal email communication. Both are connected with Task Manager and ERP, allowing discussions related to tasks and project documents to remain connected to the original work.

Users only need to formally bring files into the ecosystem once from these informal channels, following which it can be connected and seamlessly shared across the ecosystem while being connected to all its various stages and added comments. BcStep also supports cross-organizational connectivity through Business Categories, Customer IDs, and temporary PINs, without requiring users to share their personal mobile numbers or email IDs with external parties. This reduces the need to jump between disconnected applications, while making coordination traceable and connected to project execution.

Can you walk through a concrete example of how a single communication becomes a task, then a project record, inside the platform?

For example, if a site engineer identifies a discrepancy between an issued drawing and the actual site condition, the engineer can raise the issue through ProChat, entering the relevant details and drawing. This can then be converted into a Task Manager task, assigned to the responsible person, and tracked through its lifecycle. The team can discuss the issue, share files, record decisions, and follow up within the task’s dedicated communication thread. If a formal clarification is needed from the Architect or Consultant, it can be managed through ProCom. The revised drawing can then be maintained through the ERP drawing workflow. This connects the original observation, discussion, task, clarification, and project information, creating continuity from communication to execution.

The important difference is that communication does not have to end as a disconnected message. It can lead to an accountable action, with its history connected to the project record.

How do you get buy-in from stakeholders like contractors and suppliers who may be less tech-native than developers or consultants?

Construction is a multi-organizational industry, and that is why BcStep is designed around cross-organizational connectivity rather than only individual company adoption. We believe adoption becomes easier when users see practical value in their everyday work. A contractor should be able to coordinate with the developer, architect, or PMC without needing to understand every feature of an ERP. Similarly, a supplier should be able to participate in relevant communication and tasks without having to manage the entire project environment.

BcStep’s connected applications allow organizations to participate in the workflows relevant to them, while retaining their independent identities and control over their data. Our approach is to introduce the platform through actual project workflows, help teams experience its benefits, and gradually expand its usage across connected organizations.

What does “Mr. Bon” (your AI layer) actually do today versus what’s on the roadmap?

Mr. Bon is the intelligent AI assistant within the BcStep Business Operating Network.

Organizations use HRM, Chat, Email, Task Manager, and ERP to manage their day-to-day operations. But when these applications work independently, the fragmented data limits AI’s ability to understand the business as a whole. 

In construction, where 30–40 agencies may work together on a single project, keeping track of activities, responsibilities, decisions, documents, and workflows is an enormous coordination challenge. AI has tremendous potential to help manage, monitor, and track these activities. But it needs access to relevant, connected information to provide meaningful context.

BcStep connects HRM, ProChat, ProCom, Task Manager, and ERP, creating the foundation for Mr. Bon to understand relationships across people, communication, tasks, and project information within the user’s authorized access. Our vision is to move beyond conventional AI assistants that respond to isolated queries. We want Mr. Bon to help users understand their organization and projects, identify pending activities, retrieve relevant context, and support workflow coordination. As the connected ecosystem evolves, we see opportunities for more intelligent project monitoring, workflow assistance, and coordination insights.

How do you measure success for a customer — is it time saved, reduced disputes, fewer delays, something else?

For BcStep, success is measured by how effectively an organization can coordinate and execute its work. We look at several areas such as:

– Coordination efficiency: Are teams spending less time chasing updates, searching for information, and following up manually? 

– Task accountability: Are responsibilities, deadlines, discussions, and pending actions more visible? 

– Information continuity: Can users access relevant project communication, decisions, and documents without depending entirely on individual employees? 

– Workflow visibility: Can management understand what is pending, who is responsible, and where an activity stands? 

– Cross-organizational collaboration: Are Developers, Consultants, Contractors, and Suppliers able to coordinate more effectively through connected workflows? 

Over time, these improvements can contribute to fewer coordination-related errors, better continuity, and more informed decision-making.

What’s your pricing/adoption model, and how do you see the recurring-revenue base scaling over the next three years?

BcStep is designed for adoption across the construction ecosystem, from individual organizations to multiple organizations collaborating on projects. Our adoption strategy is to help organizations begin with the applications and workflows relevant to their needs, and then expand as they connect more teams and business associates through the BON.

The connected nature of the platform creates an opportunity for sustained adoption: as more organizations participate, the value of having communication, tasks, people, and project information connected can increase for the participating businesses. Over the next three years, we intend to scale through a combination of new organizational adoption, wider deployment within existing customers, and the network effect of connecting more project stakeholders. We see BcStep as a long-term business platform for organizations that need to coordinate people, workflows, and projects.