Our History

Founded in 1900 as the Builders Exchange of Texas, we’ve served the construction industry since bid results were posted on black boards and mules pulled supplies to the job site.

Today, we provide the most sophisticated online plan distribution and document management service available anywhere in the United States.

Throughout our long history, the Builders Exchange has been just what the name implies – a place for construction professionals to find and exchange critical information during all phases of the construction process.

If you need bidding information or a list of qualified contractors, document management services or a snapshot of current market conditions, please give us a call. We believe that experience counts and customer service never goes out of style!

Surveyors prepping site
– Texas (1900’s)

Builders Exchange Building
– San Antonio, TX (1926)

Builders Exchange Luncheon
– San Antonio, TX (1931)

The Builders Exchange was created by the
construction industry, for the construction industry

About Builders Exchanges

  • Established in the Mid-1800’s, Builders’ Exchanges are the oldest form of cooperative alliance between segments of the construction industry in North America other than trade unions and guilds. Exchanges pre-date all other nationally recognized construction organizations.
  • Builders’ Exchanges represent a collection of construction-related firms or “members” within a geographic region who pay annual fees to belong to the collective, and receive the services it provides.
  • Builders’ Exchanges provide tangible services at the local level, specifically collecting and disseminating bidding information.
  • Collectively, Builders’ Exchanges report over 500,000 unique bidding opportunities each year.
  • There are approximately 250 organizations currently operating in the United States who originated as Builders’ Exchanges. Many continue to identify themselves as such while others have adopted names that better recognize their evolution as construction trade associations.
  • Although Exchanges enjoy a cooperative relationship with others of their kind, each organization operates independently without direct obligation to a state or national governing body. Exchanges may voluntarily collaborate through a nonbinding federation called the Builders Exchange Network (BXNet) of which VBX is a proud member.