AI by industry · General contractors
Bid and quote follow-up for general contractors
Contractors use AI follow-up in two directions: nudging clients who have a proposal and have gone quiet, and chasing subcontractors and suppliers for the quotes you need to build the proposal. Both are reminders you would send yourself if you had the time. A person approves the wording.
Talk through your construction company with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your general contractor to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Chasing subs is half the job
You cannot finish a proposal until the electrician, the tile setter and the plumber send numbers. A tracker that sends each sub a polite reminder and shows who has not replied saves a dozen small calls.
Ask for quotes in a standard format, with scope, exclusions and a date, so they can be compared. The reminder can attach the scope sheet.
Proposals take thinking time
A client weighing a major remodel needs weeks, not days. Follow-ups should offer something: a clarification on allowances, a note on lead times, an offer to walk the site again. Not “just checking in.”
Selections and decisions
Mid-project, the delay is often a client decision that has not arrived: tile, fixtures, paint. A reminder tied to the date it affects the schedule moves things along.
Picture this
Examples of what it can look like. Illustrations, not clients.
The proposal went out two weeks ago. A short note asks whether the allowance for flooring raised any questions.
A sub has not replied on a bid due Friday. A second request goes out Wednesday, and you see it flagged.
The client has not picked a faucet. A reminder explains it needs ordering this week to hold the plumbing date.
The rules that apply, in their own words
“unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful.”
“header information that is materially false or materially misleading.”
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. § 7704 (CAN-SPAM Act): Rules for commercial email: honest headers, opt-out, address.
- OSHA: construction safety: Federal safety rules for job sites.
- EPA: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Lead-safe rules for work on homes built before 1978.
- 15 U.S.C. § 45 (FTC Act, Section 5): The federal ban on unfair or deceptive business practices, ads included.
Talk through your construction company with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your general contractor to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Questions
Will subs find reminders annoying?
Less than a missed deadline. Keep them short and specific.
Can it follow up by text?
Yes, where people have agreed to texts. Respect opt-outs.
What if a client says nothing for months?
Move them to a slow track with a quarterly note. Many remodels begin long after the first proposal.
More jobs AI can take on
What Westward builds for this
Follow up automatically: the same job in similar businesses