Image: BuildOps
A new BuildOps report, The Pivot Point: AI and the Future of Commercial Contracting, based on a survey of 600+ U.S. and Canadian contractors, finds that 78% of commercial contractors are already using or testing AI tools to keep up with labor shortages, competition, and increasingly complex projects.
The big takeaway: the industry is splitting into winners and losers—not by size, but by how quickly they learn to put AI to work.
The Pivot Point
The report frames this moment as a “pivot point”: the gap between AI adopters and everyone else is now big enough that it may soon be impossible to catch up.
78% of contractors are already using or testing AI tools.
The survey included 600+ commercial contractors across the U.S. and Canada.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents say they can’t find enough skilled workers, and many report crew burnout.
Nearly 1 in 4 positions are sitting unfilled at many firms.
AI is being used today for estimating, compliance tracking, admin work, and jobsite communication—not futuristic robots, but the repetitive tasks that eat up time.
For the 22% not using AI yet, the #1 barrier isn’t cost—it’s training and know-how.
The New Divide: AI “Winners” vs. “Losers”
Once AI-enabled contractors have tightly integrated workflows and data, it becomes harder and harder for manual shops to compete
“Winners”: Contractors Leaning Into AI
These are firms—big and small—that:
Use AI for faster, more accurate estimating
Automate submittals, RFIs, compliance docs, and closeout packages
Give dispatch and service managers better visibility into schedules and backlog
Use AI tools to capture institutional knowledge from senior tradespeople before they retire
“Losers”: Contractors Stuck in Manual Mode
Estimates built from scratch in Excel
Paper timecards and handwritten job notes
Compliance and safety tracking in random spreadsheets
No consistent system for storing as-builts, photos, or lessons learned
These firms are:
Struggling to bid fast enough
Getting choked by admin work and compliance paperwork
Bleeding margin on change orders and rework
Burning out their best field leaders
5 Practical Ways Skilled Trades Contractors Can Use AI Today
You don’t need a full-time data science team to get started. Here’s where the early adopters are focusing—and how that maps to a mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, or electrical shop.
1. Estimating & Quoting
The report notes that nearly half of contractors are already using AI for estimating tasks.
For a trades contractor, that can look like:
Extracting quantities and scope from drawings and specs
Auto-building material and labor takeoffs for common assemblies
Suggesting alternates or VE options
Generating polished proposals and service agreements in minutes
2. Scheduling, Dispatch & Route Optimization
AI can help:
Suggest optimal daily routes for service techs
Match skills, certifications, and truck inventory to each job
Predict which PM customers are most at risk for emergency calls
Result: fewer driving hours, more billable hours—without asking techs to work more.
3. Safety & Risk Reduction
BuildOps has highlighted how AI can be used to improve safety in an industry that accounts for roughly one in five U.S. worker fatalities, with a fatality rate almost three times higher than the all-industry average.
AI-driven tools can:
Analyze photos and video from job sites to flag unsafe conditions
Generate toolbox talks and safety reminders based on recent incidents
Track training, certifications, and PPE compliance automatically
4. Compliance, Documentation & Closeout
Contractors in the report say compliance paperwork is now one of the most resource-intensive parts of their work.
AI can help:
Auto-generate JHAs, method statements, and checklists from templates
Organize photos, as-builts, test reports, and commissioning docs by job and system
Draft submittals and RFIs from specs and drawings
This means your foremen spend less time at a laptop and more time running work.
5. Training, Onboarding & Capturing Knowledge
The BuildOps analysis talks about retiring baby boomers and the loss of institutional knowledge.
Practical ways to use AI here:
Turn your best tech’s experience into written SOPs and troubleshooting guides
Build interactive “how do I…” assistants for new techs in the field
Create short training modules from your existing manuals, PDFs, and specs
Instead of losing decades of experience when a senior workers retire, you’re turning that into reusable knowledge across the company.
Powering America’s Skilled Workforce
At TradesmenUp, we are bridging the gap between employers and tradesmen who keep America running.
👉 If you’re hiring: post your open roles or explore TradesmenUp’s job board to connect with qualified skilled tradesmen in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, welding, and more.
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