June 28, 2026
by Arnie Gess, president of Construction Links Network
What if the biggest competitive advantage in construction isn’t equipment or scale but data? Across the industry, organizations are embracing AI, automation, and connected platforms to improve productivity, reduce risk, and make better decisions.
This week’s ConTech Weekly is packed with examples of that transformation in action, from AI-powered BIM and workforce solutions to smarter estimating, procurement, and project collaboration. Dive in and discover what’s shaping the next generation of construction.
Have news to share? We’re always looking to spotlight forward-thinking companies and ideas. Submit your ConTech or PropTech updates by Thursday end of day for next week’s edition.
Materials arrive late. Invoices skip three-way matching. Scope changes reach the ledger before anyone flags the overrun. These problems trace back to procurement, receiving, and cost tracking running in separate systems. An integrated ERP links purchase orders to budgets, delivery records to cost codes, and commitments to schedule demands. The result is tighter coordination between project teams, accounting, field personnel, and suppliers across every phase of the job.
Your estimate was careful and still lost money. Data-driven construction estimating finds the wrong number behind every bad bid before you submit the next one.
What’s inside a safety form that people actually finish? Seven small design choices, drawn from teams with the highest completion rates: shorter questions, multiple choice, photo fields, pre-filling, one question per mobile screen, an optional final field, and a friendly confirmation. A practical, useful read for safety teams who want forms that get done quickly and completely.
Most contractors don’t have a warehouse problem; they have a job-costing problem. Parts walk off trucks, get used but never charged to the job, and you reorder materials you already own. Your margin disappears where you can’t see it. Here are 7 signs your construction company is quietly losing money on materials it can’t track, and what to do about it.
OFA Group has officially launched the QikBIM™ AI Platform, a next-generation Building Information Modeling (BIM) automation solution designed to transform digital workflows across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Available globally through a subscription-based SaaS platform, QikBIM uses proprietary artificial intelligence to automate time-intensive BIM tasks, enabling architects, engineers, contractors, and developers to generate coordinated drawings, intelligent BIM models, structural plans, clash detection reports, and permit-ready documentation in hours instead of weeks. The cloud-based platform supports Revit, IFC, and DWG export formats, allowing seamless integration into existing design and construction workflows. Future updates are expected to include AI-powered Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) capabilities. By reducing manual drafting, improving coordination accuracy, and accelerating project delivery, QikBIM aims to increase productivity and lower production costs across the AEC sector.
Frost & Sullivan’s latest global homes and buildings industry analysis forecasts sector revenues to reach between $2.03 trillion and $2.10 trillion in 2026, driven by the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), stricter regulatory requirements, and growing investment in critical infrastructure. The report identifies agentic AI-powered smart buildings, unified building intelligence platforms, and intelligent adaptive lighting as key growth opportunities accelerating the transition toward data-driven, outcome-based services. Additional trends shaping the industry include AI-enabled HVAC systems, smart building energy management solutions, digital twins, robotics, automation, and increased investment in AI-driven data centres. Rising demand for operational efficiency, decarbonization, resilience, and regulatory compliance is also fueling adoption of integrated facility management and smart building technologies. In Europe, the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is expected to stimulate significant retrofit activity, increasing demand for building automation, energy management, lighting controls, and indoor air quality solutions. Frost & Sullivan notes that organizations combining AI, connected infrastructure, cybersecurity, and sustainability capabilities will be best positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities and achieve long-term competitive advantage in the evolving built environment.
ProjectTeam.com has officially introduced the CoreLink Data Model™, a connected data architecture designed to transform multi-party collaboration across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Available to all ProjectTeam customers, the platform replaces traditional siloed construction software by enabling owners, contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, and consultants to collaborate through a single shared project record while maintaining ownership and control of their own data. The CoreLink Data Model™ supports connected workflows for RFIs, submittals, change orders, daily reports, meeting minutes, and financial records, eliminating duplicate data entry, reconciliation delays, and fragmented project information. Built on ProjectTeam’s FedRAMP-authorized SaaS platform, the architecture includes role-based permissions, full audit trails, no-code workflow customization, open API integrations with ERP, BIM, accounting, and scheduling systems, and an AI-ready framework capable of analyzing complete project data across organizations.
BLUE HAWK, one of the largest HVACR purchasing cooperatives in North America, has named Construct CRM a BLUE Solution Partner and will introduce BLUE FSM, a co-branded field service management (FSM) and CRM platform designed specifically for independent distributors and their contractor customers. Built on Construct CRM technology, the white-labeled platform enables HVACR contractors to manage leads, scheduling, dispatch, estimating, invoicing, financing, and payments while seamlessly purchasing products directly from their distributor’s integrated catalog. Offered free to contractor customers, BLUE FSM is designed to strengthen the independent distribution channel by increasing customer loyalty, driving digital commerce, and helping members compete against national consolidators. The platform also provides distributors with valuable customer activity and demand insights while supporting broader e-commerce and data initiatives across the cooperative. Already demonstrating significant market traction, Construct CRM’s platform has scaled rapidly among building material distributors and is projected to exceed $250 million in annualized online sales this year. BLUE HAWK and Construct CRM have launched a member education program and webinar series to support platform adoption across the cooperative’s network of more than 200 independent member companies operating throughout the United States.
A recent accuracy study conducted by Swiss survey firm Lerch Weber found that data captured by the WingtraRAY survey drone equipped with the SURVEY61 sensor closely matched results from the Trimble SX10 terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), one of the industry’s gold-standard ground surveying systems. The study, performed at a 20-hectare gravel pit in Lostorf, Switzerland, revealed minimal differences between drone and terrestrial survey data, including a volume discrepancy of just 0.24 cubic metres on a 466 cubic metre stockpile. Researchers concluded that modern drone surveying technology can deliver survey-grade accuracy while dramatically reducing field time. Traditional terrestrial laser scanning required six to eight hours to complete the survey, while the WingtraRAY completed the same work in approximately one hour, including setup. Unlike earlier drone surveys, the Wingtra platform achieved these results without ground control points (GCPs), reducing field complexity and improving efficiency. The findings demonstrate significant advancements in drone-based surveying for construction, mining, and aggregates operations, enabling survey teams to collect accurate topographic and volumetric data more frequently, safely, and cost-effectively while improving project planning, rework prevention, and contract reconciliation.
Skillit, the AI-powered construction hiring platform, has announced a strategic partnership with DPR Construction and Suffolk Technologies to accelerate the development of AI-driven workforce infrastructure for the construction industry. Supported by equity investments from DPR’s WND Ventures and Suffolk Technologies, the partnership aims to address the ongoing skilled labor shortage by expanding access to vetted craft workers and improving labor deployment across construction projects nationwide. As national-scale design partners, DPR Construction and Suffolk Construction will help Shape Skillit’s platform as it continues building the industry’s largest network of skilled trades professionals. Skillit’s AI-powered platform streamlines the sourcing, screening, and coordination of construction labor, helping contractors connect with qualified workers faster and improve project delivery outcomes. With labor shortages increasingly impacting schedules and productivity, workforce technology is emerging as a critical component of modern construction operations alongside project management and procurement systems.
