Article
How can a general contractor take on more projects without hiring more project managers?
Cut the paperwork first: spec lookups, submittal checks and RFI drafts. Software takes the first pass and your project managers review.
Nov 12, 2026 · By Trunk Tools team · 4 min read
The short answer
A general contractor takes on more projects with the same team by cutting the document work that caps each project manager (PM): spec lookups, submittal checks and request for information (RFI) drafts. Trunk Tools takes the first pass on that work, and your PMs review and decide, so each one has hours for the next job.
The hours add up. On the Trunk Tools platform, time per submittal review fell from 2+ hours to about 10 minutes, an average of 1.52 hours saved across 35,000+ reviews (platform data).
01 — Key facts
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it does | TrunkText answers project questions from specs, drawings and documents, with sources. TrunkSubmittal reviews submittals against the spec. TrunkRFI checks for an existing answer, then drafts the RFI and flags the cost or change an answer implies. |
| Who it is for | Project managers, project engineers and superintendents at general contractors |
| Works with | Procore, Autodesk Forma, Egnyte and Dropbox |
| Typical result | Time per submittal review: 2+ hours to about 10 minutes; average 1.52 hours saved across 35,000+ reviews (platform data) |
02 — Where hours go
Where do project manager hours go on a commercial job?
Picture a PM running two commercial jobs. A superintendent texts to ask which firestopping product the spec calls for at a rated wall, and the PM digs through the spec book for the section. Three packages from the mechanical subcontractor land the same afternoon, and each one has to be checked against the spec before it goes to the architect. A conflict between the structural and mechanical drawings needs an RFI, so the PM first searches the earlier RFIs to see whether someone already asked.
None of that work can be skipped, and it grows with every project. When a submittal misses a spec requirement, it comes back marked revise and resubmit, and the material order waits. When an RFI answer changes the scope and nobody prices it, the job absorbs the cost. So more work usually means another PM hire.
03 — Free up PM time
How does a general contractor free up project manager time?
- Find where the hours go. On one commercial job, list the document work each PM does in a week: spec and drawing questions, submittal checks and RFIs.
- Let software take the first pass. TrunkText answers project questions from specs, drawings and documents, with the source attached. TrunkSubmittal reviews each submittal against the spec. TrunkRFI checks whether an answer already exists, then drafts the RFI and flags the cost or change an answer implies. Our explainer on how AI reads construction documents covers the reading step.
- The PM reviews, corrects and sends. Each draft is a starting point, and every decision stays with the PM.
- Measure one project. Agree on success criteria before you sign: one metric (PM hours per week on submittal reviews, for example), today's baseline, a dated target and an owner. The vendor then shows results against them.
- Put the freed hours to work. When the numbers come back, staff the next job with those hours before you open the next PM role.
04 — FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does AI replace project managers?
No. The software drafts the first pass on document work, and the PM reviews it, corrects it and decides what goes out. The owner and architect relationships, the trade sequencing and every judgment call stay with the PM.
Which work should stay with the project manager?
Anything that takes judgment or a relationship: negotiating changes, working with the owner and architect, sequencing trades and signing off on what goes out. Software fits the repeat reading and checking that comes before those calls.
Where do project manager hours go on a commercial job?
A PM's week fills with document work: finding answers in specs and drawings, checking submittals against the spec and writing RFIs. That work grows with every project, so it is the first place to look for capacity.
How do we know it is working?
Set success criteria with the vendor before you sign: a metric, today's baseline, a dated target and an owner. Then run one project and have the vendor show results against them. Our guide on how to evaluate construction AI covers the detail.
What should a growing contractor have in place first?
Project documents in one system the software can read, such as Procore, Autodesk Forma, Egnyte or Dropbox. If specs, drawings and RFIs sit in personal inboxes and on desktops, move them there first. Our post on where a small general contractor should start with AI walks through the first steps.
Is this only for large general contractors?
No. A growing contractor hits the PM limit first, because each new job lands on the same few desks. See how Trunk Tools works for growing contractors.
Last updated November 12, 2026. Written by the Trunk Tools Team.
Next step: Growing without adding project managers? See how Trunk Tools helps growing contractors.