July 18, 2026
by Arnie Gess, president of Construction Links Network
Construction leaders face increasing pressure to do more with less such as tight margins, labour shortages, and rising project complexity demand smarter technology investments. This week’s newsletter features solutions that help contractors improve operational visibility, strengthen financial performance, and reduce project risk.
Whether your focus is AI, ERP, project management, drones, safety, or workforce development, you’ll find valuable insights throughout this edition. Thank you for continuing to make ConTech Weekly your trusted source for construction innovation.
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.
Construction firms managing complex labor agreements and billion-dollar contracts face mounting pressure on margins. Nucleus Research analyzed how CMiC customers replaced fragmented tools with a unified ERP foundation, gaining real-time financial visibility, centralized labor tracking, and earlier identification of cost overruns. Get the research and learn why a unified data foundation matters for AI, predictive decision-making, and active decision support.
Most trade contractors doing both project work and service calls run two pieces of software to do it. The problem isn’t the extra subscription. It’s the double data entry, the second QuickBooks sync that breaks at the worst time, and a crew that’s never sure which app to open. This breaks down what it actually costs, and why one system usually wins.
Command Alkon has announced that Chief Product Officer Ranjeev Teelock has received the Executive Achievement in Innovation award at the 21st Annual 2026 Globee® Awards for Technology. The award recognizes technology executives who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and measurable business impact through digital transformation and product development.
90% of contractors have passed on profitable work due to cash flow timing. Here’s why it’s not a financing problem — and what actually fixes it.
Labour shortages, rising material costs, and tighter project schedules are accelerating the adoption of construction technology across the industry. At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, more than 200 exhibitors showcased innovative solutions designed to help contractors improve productivity, streamline workflows, and make better business decisions.
Commercial UAV Expo 2026, the world’s leading trade show and conference for commercial drone technology, has announced its second and final keynote session: “Two Skies, One Conversation: Comparing FAA and EASA Approaches to BVLOS Drone Operations.” Scheduled for September 3, 2026, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, the keynote will bring together senior representatives from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to discuss the future of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations.
In construction, building permit information is one of the most valuable tools for identifying projects that are right for your business, yet is often underutilized. PermitsCA is a platform designed and managed by the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) that provides early, convenient, and comprehensive access to building and development permits. The portal consolidates permits across the country into a searchable database that allows members to view, pitch, and close before tenders hit the market.
Command Alkon has earned a 2026 Gold Globee® Award in the Software as a Service (SaaS) Solution of the Year category for Command Cloud, its cloud-based construction materials management software designed specifically for the heavy building materials industry. The award recognizes innovation, customer value, and measurable business impact. Command Cloud unifies production, dispatch, logistics, quality control, inventory, customer engagement, and financial workflows into a single connected platform, replacing disconnected systems with centralized, AI-powered operations. Built on a modern cloud architecture, the platform delivers automatic software updates, enhanced security, and new AI capabilities without the disruptions associated with traditional on-premise upgrades. Today, producers use Command Cloud to connect batch plants, aggregate operations, asphalt facilities, dispatch offices, scale houses, field teams, and back-office staff, enabling standardized processes, real-time operational visibility, improved collaboration, and faster decision-making. According to Command Alkon, the platform was developed to address the unique operational challenges of heavy building materials producers while supporting continuous digital transformation.
OFA Group Inc. has reported strong early commercial momentum for QikBIM, its proprietary AI BIM platform, just weeks after its public launch. The platform is attracting architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals across multiple countries, with rapid growth in website traffic, user registrations, and digital engagement. Key milestones include more than 45,700 Instagram impressions, 633 unique website visitors—an increase of over 830% since launch—and a 75% growth in registered users. QikBIM has also expanded its international reach to users in the United States, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Italy. OFA Group reports that professionals are increasingly discovering the platform through AI-powered search tools, including ChatGPT, highlighting the growing role of generative AI in enterprise software discovery. The company plans to accelerate commercialization through expanded marketing, enterprise outreach, customer case studies, strategic partnerships, and continued product enhancements.
HCM TradeSeal has released a major update to WageFinder, its prevailing wage data platform, making it easier for contractors, payroll professionals, compliance teams, and software providers to access accurate wage information. The enhanced platform now offers unlimited free prevailing wage searches, a new WageFinder API, faster search performance, and a modern user experience. With a database exceeding 1.8 million prevailing wage records from federal, state, and local agencies—including Davis-Bacon wage determinations—WageFinder simplifies what has traditionally been a complex process of navigating government websites and PDF documents. The new API enables payroll systems, compliance software, and enterprise applications to integrate structured prevailing wage data directly into existing workflows, helping improve payroll accuracy and reduce manual research. Designed for contractors, subcontractors, certified payroll administrators, HR teams, and technology partners, WageFinder supports stronger prevailing wage compliance while saving time. HCM TradeSeal also plans to expand the platform with additional state and municipal wage data, enhanced union wage information, and new compliance tools, including the upcoming WageIntelligence feature, further strengthening digital payroll and compliance management for the construction industry.
EquipmentShare, a leading provider of connected jobsite technology and one of the largest construction equipment rental companies in the United States, has received the inaugural Ford Pro Community Award, recognizing outstanding corporate social responsibility and community impact. Presented by Ford Pro, the commercial division of Ford Motor Company, the award celebrates organizations that create meaningful change beyond the jobsite. EquipmentShare earned the honour through initiatives including branch-level charitable giving, paid volunteer time for employees, disaster response through its Team Orange program, financial assistance provided by the EquipmentShare Foundation, and the TELEHERO™ Program, which donates a portion of telehandler revenue to veterans’ organizations. CEO Jabbok Schlacks credited the company’s employees for driving positive change through volunteerism and community engagement. As EquipmentShare continues expanding its nationwide fleet and digital construction technology platform, it remains committed to supporting employees, strengthening local communities, and responding to disasters with equipment, personnel, and resources.
Linarc has released a major platform update for commercial contractors, adding enhanced field, scheduling, and financial management capabilities to its collaborative construction project management software. Built as one connected system rather than a collection of separate tools, Linarc helps project teams enter information once and share it across workflows, improving visibility, risk tracking, and decision-making. The update includes a new look-ahead schedule that identifies constraints, connects equipment and resources to specific tasks, and surfaces RFIs and submittals that could delay progress. A native mobile app for iOS and Android allows field crews to clock in, switch tasks, and capture notes, photos, and files offline, ensuring critical jobsite information is recorded even without reliable connectivity. Linarc also improves financial control by separating owner-funded change orders from budget adjustments while keeping contract changes tied to the full project record.
Virtual Trades Inc. has launched a new simulation-based skilled trades training platform designed to help address Western Canada’s growing construction labour shortage. Through a partnership with Interplay Learning, the Alberta-based company is bringing immersive virtual training to employers, unions, educators, and community organizations across Alberta and Saskatchewan. The platform enables apprentices and workers to build practical skills in 16 core trades, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and construction safety, without the need for additional physical training facilities or jobsite risk. According to BuildForce Canada, Alberta will require 59,000 new construction workers by 2034, while Saskatchewan will need 10,700, with thousands of skilled tradespeople expected to retire during the same period. Virtual Trades aims to accelerate workforce readiness by providing scalable, flexible, and repeatable hands-on learning experiences that improve safety, competency, and productivity. Trusted technology from Interplay Learning, already used by more than 14,000 companies and 500,000 learners worldwide, supports the initiative as organizations seek innovative ways to recruit, train, and retain the next generation of skilled trades professionals across Western Canada’s rapidly growing construction sector.
DroneDeploy has partnered with Shepherd, an AI-native commercial insurance provider, to help contractors and project owners reduce insurance costs through data-driven risk management. Based on a multi-year actuarial analysis of construction claims, Shepherd found that contractors using DroneDeploy’s Ground and Aerial reality capture solutions experienced 44% fewer claims and a 48% lower overall loss rate than non-users. Organizations using both technologies together achieved an average 51% reduction in general liability losses, while long-term users improved loss performance by 35% after two years of adoption. As a result, qualifying contractors and owners can receive up to 25% savings on Shepherd casualty insurance products, including wrap-ups and Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs). The partnership highlights the growing role of AI, drones, and reality capture technology in improving jobsite safety, project documentation, and construction risk management.
Estimating Edge, developer of The EDGE® estimating and takeoff software and part of the Foundation Software portfolio, has released a new resource introducing SafetyHQ®, its construction safety management software designed for specialty trade contractors. The guide explains how SafetyHQ complements The EDGE by supporting safety operations throughout active construction projects, while The EDGE continues to streamline preconstruction estimating and digital bidding. Contractors can learn how SafetyHQ simplifies toolbox talks, site inspections, certifications, OSHA compliance documentation, and centralized safety record management to improve jobsite safety and reduce compliance risks. The resource also highlights the advantages for existing The EDGE users, noting that both solutions share the same Foundation Software support team and work together to connect field safety data with future estimating accuracy.
RETEVIS has released its Industrial Reliability White Paper 2.0, introducing a practical Three-Tier Industrial Reliability Standard to help contractors, site managers, and procurement teams evaluate industrial walkie talkies for construction jobsites. Rather than relying on broad claims such as “rugged” or “industrial grade,” the framework assesses communication devices based on physical durability, environmental resilience, and safety assurance. The guide helps construction professionals match two-way radios to real-world jobsite conditions, including exposure to drops, dust, rain, vibration, heat, and other demanding environments where reliable communication is critical for coordinating crews, equipment operators, crane teams, and safety personnel. RETEVIS also references engineering test results for its RB48 and RB648 radios, which successfully completed 19 MIL-STD-810H environmental reliability tests, providing objective performance data for buyers. In addition, the white paper encourages contractors to evaluate complete jobsite communication systems—including batteries, charging stations, repeaters, accessories, and deployment planning—to improve operational efficiency, reduce communication risks, and lower total cost of ownership.
Sky Systemz has concluded its inaugural Construction Technology Summit, unveiling its vision for the future of construction financial technology through an integrated ecosystem of connected software and fintech solutions. During the two-day event, the company showcased innovations across SkyOS, Fractal, Outpave, and SkyFi, designed to help construction businesses streamline operations, modernize payments, improve cash flow, and reduce inefficiencies with a unified operating network. Attendees received exclusive previews of upcoming features, including the new SkyOS Mobile App, an enhanced Customer Portal, expanded AI-powered capabilities, and Pay By Bank 2.0, all aimed at simplifying workflows and delivering greater operational and financial visibility. Company executives outlined their long-term strategy of creating an intelligent construction platform that connects operational software, embedded banking, payment technology, and automated workflows to improve productivity and profitability. The summit also featured leadership sessions on artificial intelligence, engineering, product development, and innovation, reinforcing Sky Systemz’s commitment to investing in both technology and people.
