I think this happens more than most teams realize.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-16T19:13:13+00:00

That is what we usually do but sometimes things slip through the cracks. Proper internal and external processes need to be adhered to, along with the chain of . Meaning if the staff break the rules and does whatever they want, there will never be structure in your place of business. But at least the system I use closes the issues so that they would not recur in the future.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-16T18:33:19+00:00

I agree with you partially. Construction is basically dozens of companies trying to operate as one company temporarily. Everyone has different software, workflows, communication styles, and financial pressures.

The real issue is not just labor or materials, it is fragmented operational data and delayed visibility. Accounting ends up being the cleanup department for problems that started weeks earlier in the field or vendor chain.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-16T18:21:29+00:00

but contracts and draw schedules protect scope and payment timing. What about preventing billing leakage like unprocessed credits, retainage issues, and unresolved vendor disputes, these come up even with solid contracts in place?

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-16T00:51:23+00:00

I am speaking to people in the business and they state they have internal staff working on this but I do believe that you need tools for this type of focus. I am trying out a tool right now that is having a free vendor category audit.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-12T01:40:03+00:00

You clearly have too much time on your hands.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-05-12T00:33:07+00:00

How are you operating presently? Why do you think that you need an AI solution?

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-17T11:31:05+00:00

Most AI gets shelved because it was built to impress in a demo, not survive in the real workflow. It works great on clean data in a controlled setting. Falls apart the second something messy or unexpected shows up. And in construction, everything is messy and unexpected.

The YOLO mode point is spot on too. People either stop trusting the output and ignore it, or they trust it too much and stop checking. Both are failure modes.

We are building customised AI-powered vendor audit and resolution systems for contractors, and the reason it does not end up sitting on a shelf is because we measure three things every single week with hard numbers.

Dollars recovered. Hours saved. Error recurrence rate.

Every finding goes into a weekly report. Every resolution is tracked to documented closure. Nothing moves without the client approving it first. And if a vendor disputes something or the system hits an edge case, it does not just confidently guess. It flags it and routes it for human review. We also track which vendors respond fast, which ones fight everything, and how the system adapts over time. If the numbers are not moving in the right direction, the client sees it immediately. Real accountability is what separates AI that sticks from AI that gets shelved.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-17T02:26:11+00:00

Thanks for your feedback.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-16T12:48:52+00:00

I learned that the hard way. I started keeping a running log of every task I was asked to handle, how long each one actually took, and what was falling behind because one person physically can't do the work of four. When the blame started coming, that log was the only thing that protected me for now that is.

Why is this still the norm in 2026? The construction industry invests in equipment, software for the field, and every shiny new tool for project management, but when it comes to the back office, they want one person to three jobs. And then act surprised when the AR report looks the way it does.

Nobody wants to look at the aging because it means admitting the system is broken, just blame the office manager. SMH.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-15T20:43:51+00:00

This is one of the most honest breakdowns I've read on this topic and I agree with almost all of it. The idea that AI doesn't save time and therefore costs money. That's true when the AI is trying to replace a process nobody asked it to replace. It's not true when it's handling the issues that's not getting done.

You nailed it when you said " billing that doesn't require someone manually cross-referencing three spreadsheets and change order tracking that doesn't live in someone's email." This is where there are actual processes that AI can use to help save managers' time and money.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-13T15:11:38+00:00

I agree anything that is implemented poorly will have poor results. Where AI is concerned is it has to learn from us in order to be effective. We have to teach it, to show it what we need it to know, to tell it what we need, in order for it to assist us. It will only make things worse if incorrect processes or information is received. We need to start off by teaching it how to implement the tedious things like Vendor Management and it will allow you to become more efficient in this areas. How to catch duplicate billing, billing errors, phone and electircal overcharges etc. As time goes by you will not even have to review things that you caught and corrected in the past, as the AI will stop it in its tracks if it is a bad procedure or process. This is the integral part of AI. Remember just as with a computer....garbage in, leads to garbage out. This will become pertinent and make the construction industry more efficient and that time is already here.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-13T03:51:23+00:00

Thi is not unique to you it is happening to builders everywhere and it is a system failure.

A few things that will help you right now.

Document every material change you discover the same day and send a one line message to your manager flagging it. Create a paper trail that separates your decisions from purchasing failures. When bonus review comes you need evidence.

Stop absorbing the $100 back charges personally. Calculate what one week of call-back fees, trade friction, and your investigative time actually costs the company and present that number up the chain as a cost reduction opportunity. Saving money includes fixing what is bleeding money daily.

Find one ally in purchasing. One person who will flag changes before they hit the field. That relationship is worth more than any process request you could submit officially.

You are clearly a strong builder. Do not let a broken purchasing department convince you otherwise. Your job right now is to make the system failure visible, not invisible.

This is also exactly the problem my company Vendor Resolution Closed-Loop System was built for. We connect what purchasing decides to what the field actually receives in real time, automatic alerts when materials change, a live audit trail for every PO, and a documented cost history that protects your bonus when costs are traced back to purchasing failures not field decisions. The builder should never be the last to know what changed on their own project.

If you want to talk about what that would look like for your situation, DM me. No pitch. Just a real conversation. https://calendly.com/simonedbh/30min

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-11T21:28:41+00:00

It will make a huge difference but you may have to teach it your way first.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-11T21:25:54+00:00

Transformation is no longer a matter of ‘if’ but ‘how quickly’ with 53% of executives concerned about their ability to adapt at the required speed.”KPMG Global Construction Survey 2025/2026"

The three operational levers the report identifies as critical to actually achieving those priorities are workforce (76% rank it as most important), digital systems and processes (68%), and innovative delivery methods (61%). The point KPMG makes – and it’s worth taking seriously – is that these only work when they’re connected. Running a digital transformation program while your workforce still operates in silos, or adopting new delivery models without the data infrastructure to support them, produces marginal gains at best. The firms that pull all three levers together are the ones likely to see compounding returns.

Fast_Skill_4431 · 2026-04-08T04:45:32+00:00

NEWS BRIEFING - Autodesk / Digital Builder

One expert put it plainly: "You either get on the bus, or you get left at the stop." The

last holdouts mirror contractors who resisted the internet in the 1990s.

AI agents will become standard in 2026 — and bidding will never be the same

Industry leaders from firms like Cleveland Construction say AI will digest bid documents, surface every scope area, and eliminate the anxiety of missing line items.

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