AI consulting · Construction
AI consulting for general contractors and specialty trades
Native helps general contractors and specialty trades put AI agents into bids, RFIs, submittals, change orders and subcontractor compliance. Agents read the drawings, specs and paperwork, check them against the contract, and draft the response for a project manager to approve. Engineers of record and PMs keep every decision that carries liability.
Featuring insights fromShaun Devan · Founder & CEOUpdated · 3 min read
Where AI has an impact in construction
Bid review
Invitations to bid read and summarised, with scope, risks and missing documents listed for the estimator.
Spec and drawing search
Project teams ask questions of the spec book and drawings and get the section and sheet cited.
Submittal review
Product data checked against the spec section, with deviations flagged before it goes to the architect.
RFI drafting
Questions drafted with the conflicting drawings and spec references attached.
Change order backup
Cost records, field reports and contract clauses assembled into a change order package.
Subcontractor compliance
Insurance certificates, endorsements and lien waivers checked on arrival and tracked to expiry.
Certified payroll
Weekly payroll reports on public work checked against prevailing wage rates before submission.
Daily reports
Field notes and photos turned into a consistent daily report for the project record.
Why construction is a document business
Every project runs on paper: a spec book that can run to thousands of pages, hundreds of submittals, a steady flow of RFIs, change orders priced against the contract, and pay applications that need lien waivers and insurance certificates before anyone is paid. Project engineers spend much of their week reading, checking and logging it.
The cost shows up as delay. A submittal that sits in review holds up procurement, an RFI answered late holds up a crew, and a missing waiver holds up a payment. Agents read and check the paperwork the day it arrives, so people spend their time on the decisions.
What agents prepare, and who decides
| Work | Agent | Your team |
|---|---|---|
| Bid invitations and scope | Reads the documents and summarises scope, risks and exclusions | Decides whether to bid |
| Submittals | Checks product data against the spec section and flags deviations | Reviews and forwards to the architect |
| RFIs | Finds the relevant drawings and spec language and drafts the question | Sends and tracks |
| Change orders | Assembles the cost backup and contract references | Prices and negotiates |
| Subcontractor compliance | Checks insurance, waivers and certified payroll | Releases payment |
Compliance documents without the chase
Before a subcontractor is paid, the file has to be complete: a current certificate of insurance with the right additional insured endorsement, conditional and unconditional lien waivers that match the amounts, and on public work a certified payroll report each week. A gap found late means a payment delayed or a risk carried.
Agents check each document against the subcontract and the pay application as it arrives, request what is missing, and track expiry dates so lapsed coverage is caught before a crew is on site. The accounts payable team releases payment from a file that is already complete.
The systems we work with
Agents work inside the project management and accounting systems you already run, such as Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Bluebeam, Sage 300 CRE, Viewpoint Vista and Textura, and in the inboxes where subcontractors send paperwork. Pay applications follow the AIA G702 and G703 format your owners expect.
What an AI engagement in construction looks like
We start with one live project and the people running it, mapping how submittals, RFIs and pay applications move and where they stall. The first agent, often submittal review or subcontractor compliance, goes into production within weeks on that project, then rolls out across the portfolio.
Within months preconstruction, project management and accounting all work with agents. Your team learns to adjust their checks as contracts and specs change, and nothing sits outside your own accounts.
How to measure the impact
- Days a submittal spends in internal review
- RFI response time
- Payments held for missing compliance documents
- Change order backup assembled per PM per week
- Bids reviewed per estimator
Case study · A regional commercial general contractor
A general contractor cleared its submittal backlog and stopped paying against incomplete files.
Native helped a commercial general contractor put agents on submittal review and subcontractor compliance. Submittals now reach the architect within a day, and every payment is released against a complete file.
The challenge
Project engineers were reviewing every submittal against the spec by hand, so packages queued for a week before going to the architect. Accounts payable chased insurance certificates and lien waivers at every pay cycle, and some payments went out against incomplete files.What we built
- A submittal agent that checks product data against the spec section and marks every deviation for the project engineer.
- A compliance agent that reads certificates, endorsements and waivers as they arrive, requests anything missing and tracks expiry dates.
- A project dashboard showing each submittal and each subcontractor's compliance status, with every check on record.
The result
Procurement stopped waiting on internal review, project engineers spent their time on the deviations that mattered, and payments went out against files that were complete.Frequently asked questions
What does an AI consultant do for a construction company?
An AI consultant maps how bids, submittals, RFIs and pay applications move through your projects and builds agents that read, check and draft that paperwork inside your systems. At Native the same team builds the agents and stays until they run on live projects.
Can AI review construction submittals?
AI can check submittal product data against the specification and flag every deviation, so the project engineer reviews only what differs. The engineer and the architect still approve.
Does AI work with Procore?
Yes. Agents read and write through Procore's own interfaces, so RFIs, submittals and documents stay in the project record your team already uses.
How can AI help with subcontractor compliance?
Agents check insurance certificates, endorsements, lien waivers and certified payroll as they arrive, request what is missing and track expiry dates, so payments are released against complete files.
Where should a contractor start with AI?
Submittal review or subcontractor compliance. Both are high volume on every project, follow written rules, and show results on the first job.