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AI agent for construction contractors

Material Substitution Impact Agent

Pick a substitute that meets every requirement with the least cost and delay.

DecisionsReal estate and constructionOperations
See how it worksGet access
Material Substitution Impact Agent: what goes in, what the agent does and what you get

What it does

When a material is out of stock, someone orders a substitute and nobody checks if it fits. This agent takes the item, finds alternatives from suppliers, and compares price, lead time, dimensions, rating and code needs against the drawing and specification. It rejects options that fail a hard requirement, such as a fire rating, and ranks the rest by cost and delay. It rechecks the top choice against the drawing notes and the neighboring materials. You approve the substitution and the notice to the client or architect. Edge case: a cheaper board is thicker by 3 mm, and the agent flags that it will change the door clearance.

How it works

Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The orange dashed arrow is the loop: when a check fails, the agent goes back and tries again.

Start and resultWhat it doesA check on its own workWaits for your OKGoes back and retries
Yes, continueYes, continueApprovedNoNo 1 STARTS WHEN Supplier reports the item unavailable 2 USES A TOOL Read the item's specification and drawing notes 3 USES A TOOL Search suppliers for alternatives with price andlead time 4 DOES Compare each alternative with the hard requirements 5 CHECKS THE RESULT Does the option meet every hard requirement? If not: Reject it and record the reason. Back to step 4. 6 DOES Rank the remaining options by cost and delay 7 DOES Check the top option against drawing notes andneighboring materials 8 CHECKS THE RESULT Does the top option still fit? If not: Drop it and test the next option. Back to step3. 9 USES A TOOL Draft a substitution request with cost and scheduleeffect 10 YOU APPROVE Contractor approves the substitution and the noticeto the client 11 RESULT Substitution decision record
Read the steps as a list
  1. Supplier reports the item unavailable
  2. Read the item's specification and drawing notes
  3. Search suppliers for alternatives with price and lead time
  4. Compare each alternative with the hard requirements
  5. Does the option meet every hard requirement?If not: Reject it and record the reason. Back to step 4.
  6. Rank the remaining options by cost and delay
  7. Check the top option against drawing notes and neighboring materials
  8. Does the top option still fit?If not: Drop it and test the next option. Back to step 3.
  9. Draft a substitution request with cost and schedule effect
  10. Contractor approves the substitution and the notice to the clientThe agent waits here for your OK.
  11. Substitution decision record

How it decides

Hard requirements (rating, size, code) eliminate options. Remaining options are ranked by total cost and lead time.

  • Fire, structural and code ratings are never traded for price
  • Dimension changes over 2 mm are checked against neighbors (default)
  • Rank by total installed cost, then by lead time
  • An item with no data sheet is rejected

Make it yours

Every agent is a starting point. You choose these settings for your own situation.

  • Hard requirements
  • Ranking order (cost or delay)
  • Preferred suppliers
  • Dimension tolerance (default 2 mm)
  • Notice recipient

What keeps you in control

It always asks you first

  • The substitution
  • Any notice to the client or architect

Hard limits

  • Never orders the substitute
  • Never trades off safety ratings
  • Documents each rejection

It stops when

  • Done: an approved substitute with checked fit
  • Stop: no option qualifies; contractor asks the designer

Set it up

We guide you through the set-up, step by step

Members get the full set-up guide for this agent. No technical skills needed: you copy, paste and upload.

10 minto set it up in your AI
5 AIsChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Grok
  • One set of instructions to paste into your AI, with the clicks for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini and Grok
  • The agent then walks you through connecting your own data, one source at a time
  • A downloadable copy with the flow chart, the rules and the full guide
Get access to this agent

An example run

What happensA 12 mm fire-rated board was out of stock for 6 weeks. The agent found three alternatives. One lacked a 1 hour rating and was rejected. The best option was $4 cheaper but 3 mm thicker, and the check at the door frame failed. The agent moved to the second option, which fit and added 4 days. The contractor approved it and the notice.

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