Example agent design
Submittal and RFI Agent for Contractors
A submittal and RFI agent compares each submittal with the governing spec section, flags deviations for the PM or project engineer, and drafts RFIs with drawing and spec references, while approval stays with the architect or engineer of record. This is a starting design. An AI Blueprint adapts it to your goals and the systems it will connect to.
- Owner
- The PM or project engineer, who reviews every flag and sends every RFI
- Reads
- Submittals, product data, and shop drawings · The governing spec sections and current drawing set · The submittal and RFI logs
- Never writes
- Submittal approvals or stamps, which stay with the architect or engineer of record, and nothing sent to the design team, owner, or GC. RFIs and comments go out only from the PM.
- Typical cost
- AI Blueprint $4,500–$7,500, credited toward the build. Typical first build $18,000–$35,000, or start local at $4,500–$9,500. Agent Operations after launch $2,500/mo for one production agent. See the first engagement
The workflow
Submittals and RFIs today and with the agent
Planning comparison only. Scope, timing, and outcomes vary by data, workflow, approvals, adoption, and implementation conditions.
- Submittal checks
- TodayRead against the spec section by hand.
- With the agentEach submittal set beside its governing spec section, with deviations flagged.
- Spec revisions
- TodaySuperseded drawings and specs mixed with current sets.
- With the agentThe current revision cited with each flag.
- RFI drafts
- TodayWritten with references looked up by hand.
- With the agentDrafted with drawing and spec references for the PM to edit and send.
- Approval
- TodayThe architect or engineer of record approves.
- With the agentUnchanged. The agent never approves or stamps.
How it runs
Five steps from submittal to sent RFI
An illustrative solution design, not a reported client result. The AI Blueprint maps it to the company's own project platform and review process.
- 01
Load the current set
Reads the current drawings and spec sections, with superseded revisions marked.
- 02
Read the submittal
Reads the product data, shop drawings, and submittal form.
- 03
Check against the spec
Compares the submittal with the governing spec section and flags deviations and missing items.
- 04
Draft the RFI where needed
Drafts the RFI with drawing and spec references for the PM to edit.
- 05
The PM decides and sends
The PM or project engineer reviews the flags and sends what they approve. Approval stays with the architect or engineer of record.
PM review point
Systems
The systems it reads
- Project platform
- Submittal and RFI logs in Procore or Autodesk Construction Cloud.
- Drawings and specs
- The current drawing and spec set in Autodesk Construction Cloud or Bluebeam.
- Documents
- Product data and shop drawings, in the project platform or Microsoft 365.
Technologies ITECS evaluates and integrates through supported APIs and exports; listing a product does not imply a formal partnership or a certified connector. The AI Blueprint confirms the systems each company runs.
Controls
Read-heavy and write-controlled by design
- Read-heavy
- Reads the systems listed above through access scoped to this workflow.
- Write-controlled
- Writes nothing listed under Never writes in the spec at the top of this page. Anything it drafts waits at the approval points below.
- Approval points
- The PM or project engineer reviews every flag and every RFI draft before anything leaves the company.
- Audit trail
- Each run keeps its inputs, sources, output, and the reviewer's decision.
In this design
- Submittal approval and any stamp stay with the architect or engineer of record. The agent flags and drafts only.
- Access mirrors project permissions in the source systems, and joint-venture and owner-confidential projects stay isolated.
- Claims workspaces stay restricted, and counsel reviews any claim or notice language.
- Each figure, flag, and draft traces to its source record and a reviewer, and data gaps such as missing logs or uncoded costs are reported, not guessed around.
- ITECS does not provide legal, accounting, or engineering advice through its agents, and no design promises an outcome. The agent prepares and checks; the company's PMs, controllers, design professionals, and counsel decide.
Deployment fit
Where this design can run
- Local AI Agents
- A Local variant runs in one PM's or project engineer's own Claude, Codex, or Copilot workspace, over the submittals and specs that person already has. A company-wide version alongside the project platform runs hosted.
- Hosted AI Agents
- Runs in a governed Linux environment ITECS operates, on frontier models through enterprise API agreements, connected to the project platform and the current drawing and spec set through controlled integrations, with human review and an audit trail.
Typical first engagement
Start with an AI Blueprint
The AI Blueprint sets the actual build rung and its fixed-fee not-to-exceed. The rows below show the typical path and the catalog range for each step.
- FirstAI BlueprintAgent Discovery & Technical Specification. Credited toward the build.$4,500–$7,500
- Typical first buildSingle-Workflow Production AgentIt is a single-workflow build because it runs one primary workflow, submittal to flagged review and draft RFI, with a human-in-the-loop review path.$18,000–$35,000
- Or start localLocal Agent SprintOne workflow · 1–2 data sources$4,500–$9,500
- After launchAgent Operations, one production agent$2,500/mo
Prices from the published AI pricing catalog. Every guided or delivered agent build is archived in the ITECS client vault: workspace configuration, skills, prompt libraries, data-source maps, and usage documentation.
Customize this design
Bring your goals and your systems. The AI Blueprint decides the scope and the systems, not this example, and ends with a fixed-fee not-to-exceed for the build.
FAQ
Submittal & RFI Agent FAQ
Does the agent approve submittals?
No. It flags deviations from the governing spec section for the PM or project engineer. Approval and any stamp stay with the architect or engineer of record.
Does it send RFIs?
No. It drafts RFIs with drawing and spec references, and the PM edits and sends them through the project platform.
Procore and Autodesk have their own AI. Why this?
It can run as a desktop agent or alongside platform AI. The AI Blueprint compares what the platform already does before anything is built.
Can one PM start on their own desktop?
Yes. A Local Agent Sprint builds one PM's or engineer's submittal agent in their own Claude, Codex, or Copilot workspace. When the company wants it shared across projects, with multi-user access or an audit trail, it moves to a hosted build.
Is this legal, accounting, or engineering advice?
No. ITECS does not provide legal, accounting, or engineering advice through its agents. The agent applies rules the company approved and drafts or flags for review; PMs, controllers, design professionals, and counsel decide, and no design promises an outcome.
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