BOM Price-Shock Scenario Tool

For Episode 33 (February 27, 2026), Sam built a price-shock scenario tool for construction procurement. You upload a bill of materials (BOM), change individual material prices, or run preset shocks like a tariff or a port delay, and it shows the risk of a cost overrun and a recommended procurement strategy. He built it to kick off the conversation with our guest, Eldar Sadikov of Field Materials AI. The episode didn't cover how long it took or which tools he used, so this page sticks to what the tool does.

Why we built it

Field Materials AI builds agents that automate material and equipment procurement for commercial and civil contractors. On our prep call, we talked through a few features that might be relevant to them. Sam picked scenario control for price swings and took a stab at it, warning at 01:31 that he "may be completely off base."

The stack

Sam didn't say what he built it with, so we won't guess. The tool on screen had three parts:

• A BOM upload with a confirm step that lists line items and prices.
• Per-material price controls (concrete, electrical and so on) tied to an overrun-risk number.
• Shock mode presets that output overrun risk, where the exposure sits, and a procurement strategy.

How we built it, step by step

1. Upload the BOM and confirm it. The tool pulls in each material and its price.
2. Move one price at a time. Concrete was the big line item on the sample project.
3. Add shock presets. Tariff shock hits steel and rebar and pushes overrun risk up to 9%, with the advice to lock structural steel pricing via a forward contract immediately. Port delay came out "not so bad" at 1% risk, concentrated in plumbing, so it recommends diversifying plumbing suppliers. Market relief drops prices: no action needed, and margin goes up.

You know, a 10% increase in concrete could result in a 6% risk of overrun.

— Sam Nadler, Episode 33

These numbers come from one demo project inside a prototype. They're illustrations, not industry benchmarks.

How it turned out

Eldar liked it. At 03:51 he said it reminded him of Field Materials' pricing intelligence module, which shows what you've paid for materials across jobs and how prices moved, and that they also let customers upload a BOM per job. What Sam's version adds is variables:

But what this does, you know, which is kind of cool is is that you can you can sort of throw in different variables.

— Eldar Sadikov, Episode 33

He said some of it already exists in their platform and some could be ported in as enhancements. The rest of the episode covers how their agents read quotes, delivery tickets and invoices. For more, see AI in construction and our other construction builds, the highway paving mini-game and Edgevanta Tycoon.

FAQ

How do you calculate the impact of tariffs on a bill of materials?

In Sam's prototype you upload the BOM, then apply a tariff shock preset. It raised steel and rebar prices and pushed overrun risk on the sample project up to 9%, with a recommendation to lock structural steel pricing via a forward contract.

How much does a material price increase raise construction overrun risk?

On Sam's sample project, a 10% increase in concrete produced a 6% risk of overrun. That's one demo project, not a general rule.

What does Field Materials AI think of BOM scenario tools?

Founder Eldar Sadikov said it resembles their pricing intelligence and BOM modules, and that the ability to throw in variables and see the effect on job cost could be a good enhancement.