CIPO vs Procore

Unlock the potential of your construction programs and projects by comparing CIPO and Procore. Discover which solution is best suited for your unique needs and take the first step toward enhanced efficiency and success.
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CIPO is designed specifically for owners.

Specifically designed with owners and CM agencies in mind: According to a construction manager who’s used both platforms, CIPO “feels like it was designed with owners and construction management agencies in mind (because it was)”.

Procore was designed for Contractors

Primarily built for contractors: The same manager noted: "Procore is fundamentally built for contractors, not owners or construction managers"—requiring extensive customization and workarounds to meet CM/owner needs.

Core Purpose

CIPO Advantages

Purpose-built for construction owners managing large capital programs, emphasizing standardization, compliance, and centralized data.

Procore Limitations

Primarily designed for general contractors and project teams, with strong field collaboration and construction management features.

Process Standardization & Governance

CIPO Advantages

  • Enforces owner-driven workflows (RFIs, submittals, change orders, inspections) with approval paths and audit trails.
  • Configured for governance, compliance, and regulatory oversight at the owner/program level.
  • Focus on multi-project, multi-department standardization.

    • Procore Limitations

  • Strong workflow tools, but contractor-centric; customization needed to enforce owner-specific governance.
  • Governance often depends on the contractor’s setup, not the owner’s.

    • Data Centralization & Lifecycle Management

    CIPO Advantages

  • Acts as a single source of truth across projects, owners, contractors, and subdepartments.
  • Designed for long-term data retention for capital programs and asset handover.
  • Metadata and structured data enable advanced analytics and historical benchmarking.

    • Procore Limitations

  • Excellent daily project management, but less optimized for program-wide data ownership by the owner.
  • Data often structured around contractor/project workflows rather than enterprise-wide owner standards.

    • Reporting & Analytics

    CIPO Advantages

  • Dashboards tailored for capital program oversight: portfolio health, risk tracking, contractor performance, compliance.
  • Historical data supports predictive analytics for future projects.

    • Procore Advantages

  • Strong project-level dashboards (budget, field productivity, safety).
  • Analytics powerful for project teams, but less tailored for multi-program owner-level rollups.

    • Long-Term Value for Owners

    CIPO Advantages

  • Provides an enterprise system of record for capital investments over decades.
  • Best suited for owners managing multiple programs across years.
  • Owner retains full control of data, governance, and process continuity.

    • Procore Advantages

  • Strong adoption and usability in the field.
  • More valuable for contractors than for owners managing enterprise portfolios.

    • Quick Summary Table

    Feature CIPO Procore
    Design Philosophy
    Tailored for owners and CMs
    Designed primarily for contractors
    Built-in workflows
    Owner-driven, standardized, compliance-ready
    Contractor workflows; configurable
    Data management
    Centralized, structured, long-term
    Strong project-level, less program-wide
    Document & Drawing Management
    Intuitive and tailored
    Robust, but can be cumbersome for some users
    Pay App / Financial Workflow
    Streamlined for owner review
    Fully featured but complex
    Modules Available
    Out-of-the-box and unlimited, no-code modules
    Broad, but requires professional services and additional cost
    Support & Setup Experience
    Dedicated team, owner-focused customization
    Generic support, steeper implementation curve
    Cost & Pricing
    Simple per-user pricing, unlimited projects and programs
    Higher, project size based, modular pricing adds up
    Compliance & audit
    Strong, built-in governance tools
    Limited – depends on contractor setup
    Reporting
    Capital program KPIs, portfolio rollups
    Project-level dashboards
    Long-term program history
    Yes – enterprise record, structured, searchable
    Limited for owners

    If we had to summarize why to choose CIPO over Procore.

    You prioritize owner-specific workflows, precise document control, timely pay app processing, and role-level permissions by default, favoring a system tailored for oversight, transparency, and long-term owner efficiencies.

    Interested in learning more about CIPO?
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