Approach
Expert-led, AI-powered.
We're not a tech company that does construction. We're a general contractor that built the operating system we wished existed — judgement from operators, leverage from AI. Below are six places we apply that leverage, each tied to a real project from Elie's $1B+ track record.
01
AI-assisted estimating
We blend historical cost data with operator judgement. Quotes ready in days, not weeks. Cost models trained on the trade base we actually use, not a generic regional index. Pairs with proven external estimating tech for higher-end scopes.
How we've applied it
Productivity & benchmarking research
Krane (2022–2025)
Elie led product and strategy at a construction tech platform whose published productivity research now informs benchmarking frameworks adopted in large capital programs.
02
Real-time RFI tracking
Every RFI auto-routed, tagged, and SLA-tracked. No PDF graveyard, no quarter-end surprises. Turnaround data feeds back into the schedule risk model so a slow design team shows up as a schedule signal, not a meeting agenda.
How we've applied it
Semi-occupied 22-story TI
430 California St · WeWork · $62M
Active building operations on adjacent floors meant every coordination question had to clear in days, not weeks. Disciplined RFI tracking was the difference between schedule and slip.
03
Schedule risk modeling
Continuous critical-path simulation. We surface slips weeks before they cost you. The model runs on the same data the field runs on — daily logs, RFI close-out times, submittal turnaround — so the picture stays current.
How we've applied it
$200M active SmartLabs portfolio
SmartLabs · 2020–2024
Running 30+ concurrent lab projects means a single slip cascades. Standardized scope packages and CPM rigor kept the program moving at portfolio scale.
04
Submittal automation
Spec-to-submittal matching cuts coordination time by more than half. AI proposes the matches, an operator confirms — every reviewed submittal feeds back into the model so the next project starts sharper.
How we've applied it
cGMP + Vivarium + BSL-2
750 Gateway Blvd · SmartLabs
Highly regulated environments demand exhaustive submittal traceability. Standardized submittal templates across the SmartLabs portfolio compressed reviews from weeks to days.
05
Document intelligence
Drawing revisions, change orders, contracts indexed end-to-end. Search the full project archive in plain English. Auto-flag spec drift, missing references, and version mismatches before they become RFIs.
How we've applied it
Historic adaptive reuse
2201 Broadway · WeWork · $8.5M
Historic structures generate dense documentation — heritage drawings, code variances, structural reinforcement. Indexed document workflows kept the trail audit-ready.
06
Subcontractor coordination
AI-managed look-ahead schedules keep every trade aligned to the same plan. Three-week, six-week, twelve-week views, all generated from the same baseline. Subs see what they need to see; we see how the trades line up against each other.
How we've applied it
30+ Day-2 upgrades program
SmartLabs · 2020–2024
$500K–$2.5M tenant and infrastructure upgrades running in parallel across multiple sites. Repeat trade partners + standardized look-aheads turned a sprawl of jobs into a delivery platform.
One more thing
We don't sell AI. We use it.
None of this shows up in your bid. The leverage is on our side of the line — it's how we deliver more reliably at a fair number, not a feature we charge for. Operators get judgement. Owners get results.