On Built This Week, AI in construction means paperwork, not robots. Both construction founders we hosted build AI agents that read the documents the industry runs on. Tristan Wilson of Edgevanta reads bid packages for civil estimators. Eldar Sadikov of Field Materials AI reads quotes, delivery tickets and invoices for subcontractors. In both cases a person still checks the work, and both founders tie their products to models finally being able to read these documents reliably.
I believe we're we're sort of entering this golden era for construction technology, and AI is a big element of this.
— Eldar Sadikov, Episode 33
How companies we talked to use AI in construction
Edgevanta: AI agents for civil estimating
Civil estimators get 1,200 to 1,500-page bid packages, and only 80 to 100 pages really matter. Edgevanta's agents pull out the important details, extract bid items to CSV, and summarize new packages for go/no-go decisions. One estimator's two hours of typing became two minutes. Edgevanta also pulls historical DOT bid pricing so contractors leave less money on the table; Tristan's family company went from leaving 11% to about 7%. (Episode 16)
Field Materials AI: procurement agents for subcontractors
Field Materials sells mostly to commercial trade subcontractors, such as electrical, mechanical, concrete and drywall firms that build hospitals, offices and data centers. It runs more than 20 agents, each trained for one document type, from switchgear quotes to asphalt tickets. The agents extract and match line items and write them into the contractor's ERP. Eldar named three gains: twice the project volume with the same staff, paying negotiated prices instead of retail, and invoice approval cut from 30 to 45 days to a few days. (Field Materials AI procurement agents)
Because we're using these foundational models, when these foundational models get better every single quarter, every single month, our fundamental ability to read, interpret, and verify the documents is also going up.
— Eldar Sadikov, Episode 33
What we built
- BOM price-shock scenario tool: Sam's build for Episode 33. You upload a bill of materials, change material prices (a 10% rise in concrete showed a 6% overrun risk), or run presets like a tariff shock, which pushed overrun risk to 9% and recommended locking in steel prices with a forward contract. Eldar said it resembles Field Materials' pricing intelligence and BOM modules, and the scenarios could be good additions.
- Edgevanta Tycoon: Jordan's RollerCoaster Tycoon-style game for Episode 16. You bid on projects, take bid suggestions and earn AI agents to grow your company.
- Highway paving mini-game: crush rocks, heat them, pave a highway and roll it out. Jordan's own verdict: he is "no expert in the highway construction space."
The two games were for fun. The BOM tool is closer to something a contractor could use.
What's still hard
- Construction is late to software. Eldar said the industry's IT spend is a couple of percent, far below healthcare, retail or banking, and labor productivity has barely moved in decades. Most procurement still runs on email, spreadsheets and manual entry into on-premise accounting software.
- Adoption is early. Tristan put enterprise AI use at 15 to 20% of the firms he talks to, mostly general tools like ChatGPT. He said the majority wants proven products before they jump in.
- Fear in the room. Estimators and project managers often hear "AI" as "replacement." Tristan's answer is that the estimator still reviews every page and owns the bid.
- Mistakes are expensive. One missed addendum cost Tristan a $6.5 million bid by 19 seconds. That is why both companies keep a person checking the AI's output.
- Gimmicks. Eldar warned that adding AI to old software just to check a box produces "a gimmick." You have to start from the use case.
What is pushing the industry, according to Eldar, is the data center boom. Owners like Google, Meta and Verizon arrive with huge jobs on aggressive schedules, and contractors can't meet them with pen and paper.
Episodes on AI in construction
- Episode 16: AI Agents Reinvent Construction with Tristan Wilson of Edgevanta (October 2025).
- Episode 33: AI Is Transforming Construction with Eldar Sadikov of Field Materials AI (February 2026).
FAQ
How is AI used in construction?
The companies we talked to use AI agents on documents: Edgevanta reads 1,200 to 1,500-page bid packages and extracts bid items for civil estimators, and Field Materials AI reads supplier quotes, delivery tickets and invoices and enters them into contractors' ERPs.
Will AI replace construction estimators?
Edgevanta CEO Tristan Wilson says no. Estimators still review every page and own the bid; AI removes manual data entry and catches conflicts they might miss.
How many construction companies use AI?
Tristan estimated in October 2025 that 15 to 20% of the civil construction firms he talks to use AI across the company, often through OpenAI enterprise accounts. He said few tools are built specifically for the industry.
What is driving AI adoption in construction?
Field Materials AI founder Eldar Sadikov points to the data center boom: hyperscalers bring big jobs on aggressive schedules, and contractors can't keep up with pen, paper and manual data entry.