Article
Where should a small or mid-sized general contractor start with AI?
Start with the paperwork that eats the most project manager hours, like spec questions or submittal checks. Prove it on one job, then expand.
Nov 12, 2026 · By Trunk Tools team · 5 min read
Picture a project manager at a small or mid-sized general contractor, running three jobs at once. The day goes to finding the spec section behind a superintendent's question, checking a sub's product data against the spec before it goes to the architect, and writing up an RFI with the right sheets attached. All of it repeats on every job, which makes it the right place to start with AI.
This post covers why document work comes first, how to pick the one job to start with, what the first 90 days look like, whether you need Procore or Autodesk, and the questions owners ask most.
The short answer
A small or mid-sized general contractor should start with AI on one document job its project managers repeat on every project: answering spec questions, checking submittals or writing requests for information (RFIs). Put Trunk Tools on one live project, have the project manager review every output, and measure the hours your team gets back before you expand.
01 — Why documents
Why should a small or mid-sized contractor start with document work?
Most advice for small and mid-sized contractors points AI at estimating, client emails or scheduling. Those tools help the office. On a commercial job, the hours that pile up sit with project managers, and most of them go into reading construction documents: specs, drawings, submittals, RFIs and the answers to past RFIs.
Document work also suits a first project because it is easy to check. Every answer points to a spec section, a sheet or an earlier RFI, so the project manager can confirm it against the source and the team builds trust one task at a time.
02 — First job
Which document job should you hand to AI first?
Pick the one that takes the most project manager hours on your current jobs. For most growing general contractors it is one of these three.
- Spec and drawing questions. A superintendent or sub asks what the spec requires, and someone has to find the section, check the drawings and answer. TrunkText answers project questions from the specs, drawings and documents, and shows the source for each answer.
- Submittal checks. Each submittal has to be reviewed against its spec section before it goes to the design team, and a miss means a revise-and-resubmit cycle while long-lead items wait. TrunkSubmittal reviews submittals against the spec.
- Requests for information. A clear RFI names the right sheets and spec sections, and many questions already have an answer somewhere in the project record. TrunkRFI checks for an existing answer first, then drafts the RFI. Across Trunk Tools projects, 19.5% of potential RFIs were already answered in project documents or prior RFIs (platform data).
If you are not sure which job costs the most, ask your project managers where last week went.
03 — First 90 days
What do the first 90 days look like?
- List the document jobs. Write down the document work that repeats on every project and pick the one that takes the most project manager hours.
- Connect one live project. Bring in one active job's documents from the systems your team already uses. Trunk Tools works with Procore, Autodesk Forma, SharePoint, Egnyte and Dropbox.
- Run that one job through the software. The project manager reviews every output before anything goes to the design team, the owner or a sub.
- Measure against how you did it before. Track hours per task and turnaround time against the baseline you wrote down at the start.
- Expand once the numbers hold. Add the next document job, or the next project, when the first one shows results.
Before you sign with any vendor, agree on the success criteria for step 4: one metric, today's baseline, a dated target and an owner, with the vendor showing results against them. How to evaluate construction AI covers that in detail.
04 — Your systems
Do you need Procore or Autodesk to start?
No. Trunk Tools reads your project documents where they already live. Many smaller contractors keep their specs and drawings in SharePoint folders, and Trunk Tools connects to SharePoint, Egnyte and Dropbox as well as Procore and Autodesk Forma. Start with the system your team uses today.
05 — 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 request for information. |
| Who it is for | Project managers, project engineers and superintendents at small and mid-sized general contractors |
| Integrations | Procore, Autodesk Forma, SharePoint, Egnyte, Dropbox |
| Typical result | 19.5% of potential RFIs were already answered in project documents or prior RFIs (platform data, across Trunk Tools projects) |
06 — FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What tools help automate construction admin tasks?
For a general contractor, the admin that costs the most project manager time is document work: spec lookups, submittal reviews and RFIs. Trunk Tools reads a project's specs, drawings and documents to answer questions with sources, review submittals against the spec and check for an existing answer before drafting an RFI. It works on top of the systems your team already uses, including Procore, Autodesk Forma, SharePoint, Egnyte and Dropbox.
How are general contractors using AI in 2026?
The practical uses sit in the paperwork around the build: finding answers in specs and drawings, first-pass submittal reviews and RFI drafts. The project team still reviews the output and makes the call.
Is AI only for large general contractors?
No. A small or mid-sized team feels every hour of document work, so one job done faster shows up quickly.
Which project should we start on?
A live job in the early months of construction, when submittals and RFIs move every week, with a project manager who wants to try it. A job in closeout gives the software too little to do.
What should we measure in the first 90 days?
Hours per task and turnaround time for the one job you picked, against how your team did it before. Write the baseline down before you start, set a dated target and name an owner.
Do our project managers still review the work?
Yes. The software drafts and checks, and your people review, edit and decide what goes to the design team, the owner or a sub. Each TrunkText answer shows its source, so the reviewer can check it.
Next step: If you run a small or mid-sized general contractor, join the Trunk Tools waitlist for growing contractors.
By the Trunk Tools team. Last updated November 18, 2026.