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LODE vs Part3

Part3 is the closest direct competitor to LODE: construction administration software built for architects and engineers, with submittals, RFIs, change orders and field reports. The difference is scope and starting point. Part3 is a CA tool that syncs with the contractor’s Procore. LODE is the architect’s whole project, from the bid set to closeout, built on the drawing set it compiles. If you want CA and only CA, on Procore jobs, Part3 is a strong choice.

Conor McMichael · Architect. Founder, LODE

Last updated

The same problem, approached from two sides

Both products exist because the architect’s side of construction administration was being run in spreadsheets and email while the contractor had a platform. Both put the architect’s RFIs and submittals in a tool the architect owns. Part3 does it as a dedicated CA workspace that can sit beside the GC’s Procore, syncing RFIs and submittals so the shared log stays in Procore and the design team’s review happens in Part3. It adds change orders with quote history and mobile field reports.

LODE does it from the set. The bid set, the addenda, the ASIs and bulletins are issuances; the current set is compiled from them; RFIs cite the sheet and revision they ask about, the submittal log is built from the compiled spec sections, and the same project carries bidding before CA and pay applications and closeout after it. The lifecycle, phase by phase.

What Part3 does that LODE does not

This section is not optional. A reader choosing between the two deserves the list.

  • A Procore sync. On a contractor-led project, Part3 keeps the GC’s Procore as the shared RFI and submittal log and gives the architect a separate review workspace. LODE has no Procore integration; the contractor works in LODE’s portal from a link.
  • Field reports built for the phone. LODE’s field observation reports have the same anatomy, the visit, the weather, parties present, photos, items pinned to the sheet and a PDF, composed in the browser; Part3 describes a mobile-first workflow.
  • Change-order quoting with the GC submitting a quote directly and the quote history kept with the change. LODE tracks change events and change orders in Financials; the GC’s quote arrives as a document.
  • Spec comparison on submittal review, as Part3 describes it. LODE’s DOC Review takes a first pass against the spec section, with DOC switched on per project.
  • Years in market and a customer list. LODE is in early access.

What LODE does that Part3 does not

The other half of the same list.

  • Compiles the drawing set from every issuance, with sheet detection, revision resolution and the superseded sheets kept, so an RFI knows when the sheet it cites is superseded.
  • Builds the submittal log from the compiled spec sections, rather than from a schedule typed in, and supersedes sections by addendum and bulletin the way it supersedes sheets.
  • Runs bidding and addenda before construction, and G702/G703 pay application review and closeout after it, in the same project.
  • Live Review on the sheet, compare between revisions, Sketch Paper, and the firm-wide Hub with DOC reading across every project.
  • Gives the contractor a seat-free portal from a link, with no account.
  • Publishes per-seat monthly pricing with 30 days free; Part3 publishes an annual starting price.

Head to head

Every cell about Part3 links to the Part3 page it was read on, with the date it was checked.

LODEPart3
Built forArchitects. Consultants and reviewers join as external parties by access class; the contractor, bidders and punch walks work from links. None of them needs a seat. lode.buildArchitects and engineers; construction administration only. part3.io
Drawing set and revisionsCompiles the Field Set and the Revision Record Set from every issuance: sheet detection, revision resolution, references kept current, the history stamped and kept. Nothing is slip-sheeted by hand. lode.buildDrawing management is listed; no issuance-based compiled set is described. part3.io
RFIsRFIs cite the sheet and revision they ask about; routing hop by hop with a ball-in-court clock; an answer that changes the drawings becomes the ASI or bulletin that cites it. lode.buildRFIs, with a Procore sync so the GC’s Procore stays the shared log on contractor-led projects. part3.io
SubmittalsThe submittal log is built from the project’s CSI spec sections; several reviewers at once, each with their own layer and stamp; DOC Review takes the first pass against the section. lode.buildSubmittal review, with AI review against the project’s specifications since April 2026; synced with Procore. part3.io
SpecificationsSpec sections compiled and superseded by addendum beside the drawings; DOC answers from the section’s text; the submittal log is built from them. lode.buildSpecifications (April 2026): uploaded spec PDFs split into divisions and sections and kept current as change orders, instructions and RFIs revise them. part3.io
Field reports and punchField observation reports: the visit with weather filled in, parties present and work observed; items with photos, status, location and a pin on the sheet; issued as a PDF. Punch items are pins on the plan, walked and issued as revisions. lode.buildMobile field reports with photos and notes by location or trade. part3.io
Contractor accessThe GC works from a link with no seat or account; bidders open a bid room from a link; punch walks travel by punch link. lode.buildMobile field reports with photos and notes by location or trade. part3.io
Pay applicationsG702/G703 pay application review with the summary arithmetic done beside the signed form; change events to proposed to executed change orders, reconciled at each step. lode.buildChange orders with quote history; a GC can submit a quote on its own. part3.io
The firm-wide recordThe Hub: firm files, lessons learned, the companies and contacts every project draws on, QA/QC reviews and a firm-wide schedule. DOC answers questions across every project the firm has in LODE. lode.buildNot published.
AIDOC, off by default and switched on per project: revision summaries, answers from the sheets and specs with citations, DOC Review on submittals, the firm directory. Your documents are never used to train a model. lode.buildAI review of submittals against the project’s specifications (April 2026). part3.io
PlatformWeb app; nothing to install and no server to keep. Export the whole account at any time. lode.buildWeb and mobile. part3.io
Published pricingPublished per-seat monthly plans, 30 days free. lode.buildPublished as starting at $9,000 per year on an annual subscription. part3.io
What changed in 2026In early access; public launch planned for mid-November 2026, when the waitlist CTA becomes Sign up. lode.buildSpecifications, 14 April 2026: the spec book lives in Part3, is split into sections automatically, updates through CA, and submittals are AI-reviewed against it. part3.io
Last checked . Products change; a row that has moved on is one edit.

Best for

LODE

Construction project management for architects, built on the drawing set it compiles.

An architecture practice that wants the drawing set, bidding, CA, pay applications and closeout in one place, from the set itself, with the firm’s record in the Hub and DOC reading across it.

Part3

Construction administration software for architects and engineers: submittals, RFIs, change orders and field reports.

A firm that wants a dedicated CA tool on contractor-led Procore projects, with field reports from a phone.

part3.io

Where Part3 is the better choice

  • Most of your projects are contractor-led on Procore and you want your CA record to sync with the GC’s rather than run beside it.
  • Field reports from a phone are the deliverable, and a phone-first workflow matters more than the report being on the same record as the set.
  • You want CA alone, with bidding, pay applications and closeout handled elsewhere, and a vendor with years in market and a customer list.

Choose LODE when the drawing set is the thing you want under control, and CA is one phase of a project that starts at the bid set and ends at the record set.

Frequently asked questions

Is LODE a Part3 alternative?

Yes, and the closest one in intent: both are construction administration tools for architects. LODE also runs the drawing set, bidding, pay applications and closeout; Part3 goes deeper on Procore sync and field reports.

How much does Part3 cost?

Part3’s site publishes a starting price of $9,000 per year on an annual subscription, as of the date in the table. Check the page; prices move.

Does LODE integrate with Procore?

No. The contractor works in LODE through a seat-free portal from a link. A firm whose projects require the GC’s Procore to stay the system of record should weigh Part3’s sync.

Does Part3 compile the drawing set?

Its public pages list drawing management among its features and do not describe compiling a current set from issuances or superseding sheets as revisions land. That is what LODE is built around.

Can I use both?

Nothing prevents it, but they overlap on RFIs and submittals, and running one log in two places is the problem both exist to solve. Pick the one whose starting point matches your firm.

Construction administration, on the set it administers.

See pricing

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