Owner-Controlled vs. Contractor-Controlled Technology

# Owner-Controlled vs. Contractor-Controlled Technology

Contractors need systems to manage their work. Owners need an independent, durable record that supports oversight, decisions, turnover and long-term operations. These purposes can coexist—but they are not the same.

Use this comparison to evaluate governance, access and lifecycle value. Actual capabilities vary by contract and platform, so verify every requirement during procurement.

Decision area	Contractor-controlled technology	Owner-controlled project knowledge
Primary purpose	Supports contractor execution and internal workflows	Supports owner governance, oversight and lifecycle knowledge
Account control	Typically administered by the contractor or its selected provider	Administered under owner-defined roles and permissions
Record authority	May reflect the contractor’s working record	Establishes the owner’s governed record and acceptance standards
Independence	The party performing the work may also organize and report its own data	Independent administration can verify completeness and report exceptions
Access duration	May depend on project participation, license terms or exports	Planned for continued owner access after project completion
Cross-system knowledge	Often optimized for the contractor’s chosen workflow	Connects required information across project participants and systems
Change traceability	Varies by configuration and contractor process	Owner defines the evidence required to understand and decide changes
Reporting	Prepared within the delivery team’s process	Owner receives transparent, governed reporting from the project record
Turnover	Often assembled near closeout or delivered as exports	Collected, reviewed and organized throughout delivery
Facilities use	Construction execution is the principal focus	Operations, maintenance, warranty and future renovation are planned from Day One
Portability	Depends on platform terms and export quality	Owner requirements define usable delivery, retention and future access
Accountability	May require the owner to reconcile multiple reports	Date- and time-stamped records support visible responsibility and follow-up

Questions to ask every technology provider

• Who controls user access, permissions, exports and retention?
• Can the owner retrieve complete records without contractor approval?
• How are missing, late, conflicting and superseded records identified?
• Can each decision be traced to its supporting contract and project evidence?
• What remains usable after subscriptions end and project participants leave?
• How does the system protect sensitive information while preserving an audit history?
• Who verifies that the required knowledge is complete?
• How will construction records become searchable facility knowledge?

The owner’s next decision

Do not ask whether one platform should replace every contractor tool. Ask whether the owner has an independent, governed source of knowledge that remains trustworthy regardless of which tools the delivery team uses.

MySmartPlans supports the owner’s record while architects, engineers, contractors and trades continue using the systems required to perform their work.

Evaluate who controls the knowledge before selecting the technology. Talk to Shelley.