InEight
A connected suite of project controls tools built for large, complex capital construction projects.
Quick Answer
InEight is a project controls software suite built for complex capital construction projects, particularly in heavy civil and infrastructure. It connects estimating, scheduling, cost management, document and model management, and field execution across a project's lifecycle. Originally developed inside the contractor Kiewit before becoming an independent software company, InEight is widely used by heavy civil and industrial GCs.
The Full Picture
InEight exists because complex capital projects — highways, dams, industrial facilities — involve massive amounts of cost, schedule, and field data that need to stay connected. A change in scope has to flow through the estimate, the schedule, and the cost report consistently, and disconnected point tools make that alignment hard to maintain across a project that can run for years.
Mechanically, InEight is organized as connected modules: estimating and takeoff, CPM scheduling, cost and change management, document and model information management, and field data capture, all built to share data rather than operate as isolated applications. That connection between the estimate, the schedule, and cost actuals is InEight's core positioning versus assembling separate best-of-breed tools.
In AEC workflows InEight is used heavily by heavy civil, infrastructure, and industrial contractors — firms building projects large and complex enough that a dedicated project controls discipline exists, staffed by cost engineers and schedulers working across the InEight suite from precon estimating through construction close-out.
InEight's roots inside Kiewit, one of the largest contractors in North America, shaped it around the realities of self-perform, heavy civil work — which is why its adoption skews toward that segment of the industry rather than smaller vertical building GCs, where lighter tools are more common.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: InEight is just an estimating tool.
Actually: Estimating (InEight Estimate) is one module in a broader suite that also covers scheduling, cost and change management, document management, and field execution — the estimate is meant to connect through to the rest of the project lifecycle, not stand alone.
People assume: InEight is interchangeable with lighter tools like Procore for any contractor.
Actually: InEight's strength and adoption are concentrated among heavy civil and industrial contractors managing complex, long-duration capital projects with dedicated project controls staff — its depth is aimed at that segment more than general vertical building work.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentMeltPlan and InEight both touch preconstruction estimating, but from different angles. MeltPlan's AI reads drawings and specs to produce a verified quantity takeoff and identify scope gaps before pricing begins; InEight is a broader project controls suite where that takeoff-level data gets estimated, scheduled, and tracked through construction. MeltPlan doesn't cover InEight's scheduling, field, or portfolio cost-control capabilities.
See how MeltPlan's AI takeoff works →Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes InEight?
InEight originated within Kiewit, one of the largest contractors in North America, before becoming an independent software company focused on project controls for complex capital construction projects.
What is InEight used for?
It's used to connect estimating, scheduling, cost and change management, document and model management, and field data capture on complex capital projects, giving project controls teams one connected data set across the project lifecycle.
Who typically uses InEight?
Heavy civil, infrastructure, and industrial contractors with dedicated project controls staff — cost engineers and schedulers — are InEight's core users, more so than smaller vertical building general contractors.
What's the difference between InEight and Primavera P6?
Primavera P6 is a dedicated CPM scheduling engine; InEight is a broader suite that includes scheduling alongside estimating, cost management, document management, and field tools connected to a common data set.
Is InEight owned by Trimble?
No. InEight operates as an independent software company; it maintains third-party integrations with other platforms, including Trimble products, but is not a Trimble-owned subsidiary.