Construction firms in the Katy and Houston area typically pay $100 to $350 per seat per month for managed IT support. Where your firm lands inside that range depends on four things: how many computers and users are supported, when you have support (business hours only, after hours, weekends, holidays), what compliance standards you are subject to, and what security your general contractors and insurers require. Below are the five factors that move the number and three items that are usually not included in the price.
The 5 Factors That Move a Construction Firm's IT Price
When two firms with the same headcount get proposals that are $80 per seat apart, it's almost always one of these five things.
Seats versus devices
Office businesses run roughly one device per person. Construction doesn't. A superintendent has a laptop in the trailer and a tablet on the deck. A project manager has a desktop, a laptop, and a phone with company email on it.
Ask directly whether a provider bills per user or per device, because on the same 25-person firm those two models can land far apart.
Your AEC software load
Supporting Microsoft 365 and a browser is not the same job as supporting Revit, Navisworks, Bluebeam, SolidWorks, and OnScreen Takeoff. Those workstations need heavier specs and they generate files that stress your network and your backup window.
That shows up in two places: supported network equipment and a provider who works your Autodesk, Procore, and Bluebeam tickets instead of handing you a support phone number to call. Our IT support for AEC firms page lays out what that liaison work covers.
Support availability
Construction jobs run 24x7x365. Most firms need IT support that covers this schedule. When comparing proposals, make sure you know what support is included - remote, onsite, inshop, and when it's included - business hours, afterhours, weekends, holidays.
Security requirements pushed down to you
Your security spend is increasingly set by your customers and your carrier rather than by you. GCs and project owners have to verify the security of every vendor touching project data, and that flows downhill to subs. Cyber insurance applications now ask specific questions about multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, and tested backups.
Those requirements move you up a tier - not because a vendor talked you into it, but because a bid or a renewal depends on it.
Compliance standards and requirements
Most construction firms are subject to more security regulation than they realize. Usually because of a contract, a lender, or a payment processor.
Ask yourself: Do you hold Department of Defense contracts, or subcontract to a prime who does? Do you accept credit card payments for progress billing or change orders? Do you help customers arrange financing? Do you store personally identifiable information for employees, homeowners, or subcontractors?
A 'yes' to any of these puts you under specific framework and each one dictates specific requirements for how your data is secured, backed up, and restored.
What's Usually NOT Included in the Monthly Price
This is the section that costs vendors deals, so most of them leave it out. Here is what a per-seat monthly fee almost never covers.
Hardware.
Laptops, workstations, servers, switches, firewalls, access points, and tablets are capital purchases. Managed IT covers supporting the equipment, not buying it.
Project work.
Office moves, server migrations, cloud transitions, standing up a new job site, a full workstation refresh. These are usually scoped and quoted separately. Ask what their definition of project work is so you know what is and is not included.
Third-party software licensing.
Autodesk, Procore, Bluebeam, SolidWorks, ProjectWise, and your accounting platform. We support them and we'll help work your vendor tickets, but these licenses will remain with you.
How to Compare Two Construction IT Quotes
Take these three questions to every vendor you're evaluating, including us. Same questions, same order, answers written down side by side.
- What after-hours and weekend coverage is included at this price? Construction doesn't run 8-to-5. If a Saturday pour is billable at an emergency rate, you want that rate now, not in November.
- Who handles Autodesk and Procore vendor tickets, you or me? There's a real difference between a provider who works the case and one who tells you to call the software company.
- What is the onboarding timeline and what can I expect during this process? A specific answer is a good sign. "We'll get started right away" is not a plan.
Bonus question: do you have experience with hostile onboardings where the current IT support company was uncooperative in the transition? Hint: We do!
Most common failure: comparing two quotes on the monthly total alone. A quote that's $40 per seat cheaper but excludes after-hours support and doesn't ensure your security meets compliance standards will not end up being cheaper.
Why Construction Firms Work With Alexaur
We've supported architecture, engineering, and construction firms across Katy, TX and Greater West Houston since 2001, and we're still family-owned. The person who answers your call knows why the trailer machine matters.
- 98% of support tickets resolved on the first call
- Average client tenure of more than 10 years
- 100+ combined years of cybersecurity experience on staff
- Clients who have implemented our full security and business continuity recommendations have not reported a business-disrupting security incident.
- Fluent in the software you actually run: AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, SolidWorks, Procore, Navisworks, ProjectWise, and OnScreen Takeoff.
- Dell & Lenovo Partner
- Managed Protection Security Suite Associate Accreditation
- MSP Pro
- Keeper Sales Professional
- Network+ Certified
- SonicWall Certified
Want a Real Number for Your Firm?
Every figure on this page is a range because pricing depends on four things: how many computers and users are supported, when you need support, what compliance standards you are subject to, and what security your general contractors and insurers require. Those take about fifteen minutes to answer.
Book a 15-minute discovery call and bring the information above. We'll tell you which tier you're actually in and what the monthly number looks like.
Call 281-646-1200 or email results@alexaur.com.
