Agenda

Description

The construction industry is on the cusp of a technological revolution, with artificial intelligence (AI) and automation poised to fundamentally reshape preconstruction and estimating practices. This session explores evolving roles of estimating and preconstruction teams in this rapidly changing landscape, examining both challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies.  

We’ll delve into potential automation of tasks currently performed manually, such as 2D and 3D quantity takeoff, project benchmarking, and scope of work document creation. Automation will impact estimators significantly, requiring a strategic proactive approach to transformation and upskilling, even if immediate AI adoption isn’t on the horizon. The session highlights how estimator roles will likely evolve into more analytical positions focused on more advanced cost analysis, constructability and schedule optimization, scope validation, and safety improvements.  

Case studies will illustrate significant benefits of integrating superintendents and project managers into estimating/preconstruction operations and risk/contracts discussions. This collaborative approach leverages valuable field experience and insights of these professionals, bridging the often-significant knowledge gap between office and field personnel. The session will emphasize the critical value of hands-on trade and field experience in estimating and preconstruction, advocating for the promotion of craft professionals (former foremen and superintendents) into preconstruction teams. We will also discuss how with the ongoing skilled labor shortage, removing college degree requirements for certain roles can help incentivize the trades.  

A key focus will be developing practical roadmaps for teams to embrace these upcoming changes. Whether you’re a self-perform contractor or a multi-sub general contractor, front-end teams must adapt to evolving project delivery methods and technological advancements.  

We’ll explore how AI can and will automate:  

• All 2D and 3D quantity takeoff. 

• Project comparable and benchmarking for unit costs, productivity factors, and parametric costs. 

• AI Creation of scope of work documents and bid forms from project drawings/models and past project examples and templates. 

The session will provide actionable strategies for preparing your teams for these evolving responsibilities. Participants will learn how to create a technology adoption roadmap that outlines the integration of AI and emerging technologies, addressing workflow evolution and transformation of team responsibilities. Finally, a real-world case study will demonstrate the practical application of AI and technology within estimating and preconstruction, including a cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, and implementation plan. This session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to navigate the technological transformation of your preconstruction and estimating teams, so your organization remains competitive and successful in the future. 

Description

With billions lost annually to documentation friction (change orders, RFIs, submittals) AI now gives construction teams immediate clarity on what’s changed, where, and why it matters. In this session, Jean-Pierre Trou (Founder & CEO, mbue), and Robert Lambert (Design Quality Manager, Austin Commercial), will show how teams can identify and highlight only the meaningful deltas in drawings and specifications with AI-powered overlays, so decisions happen sooner and costly mistakes don’t reach the field. 

As part of the session, we’ll discuss how teams can: 

• Detect real changes, not noise: See true changes in Smart Overlays, with human-like intelligence, matching notes or callouts that move, while AI flags character level modifications in text, schedules, and details that typically slip past reviews. 

• Close the loop from Precon to field: Pair overlays with AI-assisted spec comparison and submittal checks to compress review cycles and cut RFI volume upstream. 

• Get started with AI, not overwhelmed: Learn how to pilot overlays in small, low-risk steps, plug into existing review sessions and platforms, and build confidence with measurable results before scaling. 

We’ll walk through a real-world example with Austin Commercial, where a single missed detail cascaded into a weekend scramble and a costly change order. With AI-powered overlays, that change would have been flagged upstream, before reaching the field. Their experience shows how AI strengthens coordination, reduces surprises, and delivers clearer accountability across Precon and field teams. 

Why it matters now. 

Up to 70% of construction errors stem from miscommunication or misalignment wasting over $100 billion due to changes each year in the U.S.. AI-powered overlays directly target those failure points, augmenting human judgment where manual checks are most repetitive and error-prone. 

Take-home value. 

The session offers a practical path forward with AI and overlays, and how precon teams can work smarter and build better. 

Description

Large-scale commissioning efforts are often complex, fragmented, and reactive. With multiple trades, overlapping scopes, and thousands of MEPFP systems to inspect and document, the process is too often managed through siloed spreadsheets and isolated workflows. Each step: procurement, installation, startup, testing, and turnover is treated as a stand-alone task rather than a connected system. This mindset consistently leads to coordination gaps, delays, inaccurate tracking, cost and schedule impacts. 

To address this, Clayco’s project management, VDC, commissioning teams applied a systems-thinking, asset-first approach by building a unified commissioning workflow inside Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). Rather than adding another standalone tool, we leveraged ACC, the platform already used for models, drawings, RFIs, and submittals, and made assets the hub of the commissioning process. The result was a transparent, data-driven, and collaborative workflow from day-one. 

Assets were imported from Revit models into ACC, structured by system and location. In the field, QR codes were placed on every asset, allowing teams to scan with mobile device to update status, complete checklists, access submittals, or attach photos. Every asset became a single source of truth, housing inspection form, test results, model links, photos, and open issues accessible to all stakeholders. 

Subcontractors’ buy-in was secured through early planning sessions and collaborative pull-planning workshops, ensuring every trade had input into sequencing and constraints. Field adoption followed hands-on training and the use of simple, intuitive digital checklists. What began as a technology rollout became a process embraced by the field because it made their work easier and more transparent. 

We divided the lifecycle of asset into 7 statuses. This provided measurable progress markers and objective conversations. Weekly automated color-coded floor plans and one-lines gave teams clear visibility, while dashboards tracked KPIs and compared planned versus actual progress, acting as a feedback loop. 

The impact was significant. On a highly complex $700M advanced manufacturing facility, the team successfully tracked and commissioned over 1,200 pieces of equipment across 45 categories through a single consolidated real-time environment that gave project leadership, subcontractors, and the owner instant visibility into progress, bottlenecks, and handover readiness. What had once been a scattered, reactive process became a streamlined one-page workflow that simplified coordination, reduced errors, and ensured no equipment was overlooked. 

Looking ahead, we’ll explore how this commissioning approach could evolve. Scaling from project-level workflows to enterprise-wide systems, predictive analytics using AI, VR for immersive visualization, and seamless alignment with owner maintenance and operational systems.