Manual takeoffs, proposal writing, and chasing project updates eat hours that could go toward winning more work or solving problems on the jobsite. For contractors juggling estimates, schedules, crew management, and cash flow, these repetitive tasks compound into a real bottleneck, one that limits how many bids you can submit and how fast you can grow.
AI platforms built specifically for construction now handle much of this work automatically. The following nine tools help contractors reclaim time, improve accuracy, and scale their operations without adding headcount.
1. STACK: Automate Estimates
Your estimator spends three hours measuring a set of plans, only to find out a competitor submitted their bid yesterday. STACK uses AI to eliminate manual measurements from 2D plans, letting estimators increase bid volume without hiring additional staff. Customers report improved win rates, with one electrical contractor achieving 3x revenue growth in a vendor-published case study by using STACK to bid more projects.
The platform includes trade-specific templates for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and roofing, with cloud collaboration enabling your team to work on estimates from anywhere. STACK integrates with popular construction management software, allowing direct data transfer between estimating and project execution. It supports assemblies and cost libraries that help calculate labor and material costs based on your historical data, reducing errors and ensuring consistent markup across all bids.
2. Togal.AI: Speed Up Material Takeoffs
Quantity surveying keeps your estimators chained to their desks when they could be reviewing plans for scope issues or following up on pending bids. Togal.AI uses computer vision to automatically identify and measure building elements from construction drawings. In one vendor-published case study, Coastal Construction documented $1 million in savings through faster estimating and improved accuracy.
Essential plans of Togal.AI start at $1,999 per year (pricing subject to change), requiring roughly 20 hours of annual time savings to break even at standard estimator rates. For contractors processing 120+ bids annually, this translates to approximately $17 per bid.
The platform supports multiple file formats including PDF, DWG, and RVT files, making it compatible with most architectural submissions. Togal's machine learning continuously improves recognition accuracy based on user corrections, becoming more precise with each project you complete.
3. CompanyCam: Turn Jobsite Photos into Instant Reports
Your crew finished the rough-in inspection, but the photos are scattered across three phones and nobody wrote down what the inspector flagged. CompanyCam's AI Notes feature transforms jobsite photos into inspection reports instantly, eliminating hours of manual compilation. The platform automatically captures GPS coordinates, timestamps, and project classifications.
Field crews can document as they work, and the AI handles formatting professional reports. For contractors struggling to turn field observations into client-ready documentation, this solves a daily friction point. The platform also enables real-time photo sharing with clients, subcontractors, and insurance adjusters directly from the field. Unlimited photo storage means your entire project history remains searchable, providing valuable protection during warranty claims or legal disputes years after project completion.
4. Joist AI: Create Proposals Faster
Proposals that sit in draft mode represent money waiting to be made. Joist AI generates contractor-specific proposals and estimates with AI-powered content suggestions. The platform can help contractors build proposals significantly faster and improve overall productivity.
Pricing of Joist.AI ranges from $8-32 per month (subject to change), making the barrier to entry minimal. The platform includes advanced content search to quickly locate and reuse previous work. For contractors handling multiple proposals weekly, time savings can compound quickly. Joist also handles electronic signatures and payment processing, converting accepted proposals into invoices automatically.
The mobile app lets you create professional proposals on-site during client consultations, striking while interest is highest and reducing the gap between estimate and signed contract.
5. QuickBooks Online and Intuit Assist: Automate Expense Categorization
Tracking expenses accurately matters for job costing and taxes. QuickBooks Online with Intuit Assist uses machine learning to automatically categorize transactions, capture receipts, and generate custom reports through natural language queries. The system learns your patterns over time, reducing manual data entry. For contractors already using QuickBooks Online, Intuit Assist adds automation for expense categorization and invoice creation without requiring platform migration.
The natural language query feature lets you ask questions like "Show me all lumber expenses for the Johnson project" and receive instant reports. Intuit Assist also proactively identifies potential tax deductions you might miss and flags unusual spending patterns that could indicate errors or fraud, adding a layer of financial oversight to your daily operations.
For contractors who want both AI-powered categorization and purpose-built account1 separation, Relay integrates directly with QuickBooks Online, keeping your bank feeds connected without the manual fixes traditional banks require.
6. AI Voice Agents and Chatbots: Capture Leads Around the Clock
Missed calls mean missed revenue. AI voice agents and chatbots handle incoming inquiries 24/7, qualifying leads and scheduling appointments while dramatically improving response times. Platforms like AgentiveAIQ use automation for lead qualification and multi-channel communication, providing 24/7 customer responses. Voice AI achieved a 60% higher conversion rate through automated incoming call handling and appointment scheduling.
These AI systems can answer common questions about pricing, availability, and service areas without human intervention, freeing office staff for higher-value tasks. The voice agents integrate with your existing phone system and CRM, logging all interactions and flagging urgent requests for immediate follow-up, ensuring no potential customer falls through the cracks during busy periods or after hours.
7. Housecall Pro: Optimize Field Schedules
Your dispatcher just sent a technician across town for a 30-minute repair when another tech was finishing a job two blocks away. Housecall Pro provides route visualization and mapping tools, appointment scheduling, and dispatching that lets office staff assign jobs to technicians using a drag-and-drop calendar and GPS map.
For HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors with daily service routes, this means fitting one or two extra calls into each tech's day without extending hours. The platform includes automated customer notifications via text and email, reducing no-shows and keeping clients informed of arrival times. Housecall Pro's QuickBooks Online integration syncs invoices automatically, eliminating double data entry and ensuring your books stay current without manual reconciliation.
8. Bauwise: Forecast Cash Flow
Knowing your bank balance tells you what happened, not what's coming. Bauwise provides cash flow forecasting with real-time budget tracking and customizable approval workflows across project stages. For contractors managing multiple projects simultaneously, this means seeing next month's payroll crunch before it arrives rather than scrambling when invoices come due. The platform covers the full project lifecycle from pre-construction through closeout, connecting financial planning to job progress.
While Bauwise predicts future cash positions, Relay gives contractors real-time clarity on what's actually available right now. Relay's multi-account1 system automatically separates funds for taxes, payroll, materials, and profit, so you always know what's committed versus what's free to deploy. Combining Bauwise's forecasting with Relay's purpose-built business banking and expense category accounts gives contractors both the visibility to plan ahead and the structure to execute those plans.
Bauwise can update forecasts as you enter actuals and change orders, providing increasingly accurate predictions as projects advance. The platform also generates variance reports highlighting where actual costs diverge from estimates, enabling mid-project corrections before budget overruns become critical.
9. OpenSpace: Track Progress Automatically
Manual progress verification consumes superintendent hours that could go toward problem-solving. OpenSpace uses 360° cameras to automatically map photos to floor plans as contractors walk jobsites. BIM Compare then compares as-built conditions against planned specifications. In one vendor-published case study, Suffolk Construction achieved hundreds of hours in progress verification savings through this automated process. KBS Constructors used the platform to resolve disputes effectively, as documented in their case study.
For commercial contractors with BIM-based workflows, automated as-built verification catches deviations before they become expensive problems. OpenSpace maintains a complete visual history of every square foot of your project, accessible remotely by project managers, architects, and owners without site visits. The AI-powered search lets you locate specific building elements across thousands of captured images, dramatically reducing time spent hunting for documentation during inspections or dispute resolution.
Put Your AI Tools on a Solid Financial Foundation
AI tools generate insights, but insights without financial clarity lead to hesitation. If your money sits in a single account where payroll, taxes, and operating expenses blur together, acting on those insights becomes guesswork. The contractor who knows exactly what cash is available can move faster than the one checking their balance and hoping the math works out.
Relay solves this by automatically separating your funds into dedicated accounts1 for taxes, payroll, materials, and profit. When your AI tools tell you it's time to hire another estimator or bid on a larger project, you can see exactly what cash is available for that growth decision.
Open a Relay account to see the difference purpose-built banking makes for your contracting business.
Disclosures
1Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply.
