Overview:
This session provides construction estimation professionals and their teams with a thorough, practical introduction to using AI - specifically ChatGPT - with a focus on team-wide adoption, workflow standardization, and building consistent estimation practices across an entire department.
From understanding how AI processes construction documents to applying it across bid preparation, scope development, and proposal writing, attendees will leave with a clear picture of where AI adds value and how to embed it into their team's estimation process for lasting impact. This session is structured as a knowledge-based professional development program, equipping attendees with strategies, frameworks, and ready-to-use approaches they can apply independently.
Why you should Attend:
The construction firms winning more bids in 2026 are not always the ones with the lowest numbers - they are the ones with the clearest proposals, the most professional documentation, and the fastest turnaround on bid preparation. If your team is still relying entirely on manual effort to produce every document, every scope narrative, and every subcontractor communication from scratch, you are at a structural disadvantage.
This session gives you a concrete strategy for using AI to level that playing field - and in many cases, tip it in your favor.
Areas Covered in the Session:
- What AI is and how ChatGPT specifically works - explained in plain language for construction professionals without a technology background
- How AI reads and processes construction documents - specifications, drawings narratives, scope of work sections, and bid instructions
- Using ChatGPT to review and extract key information from project bid documents faster and more thoroughly than manual review
- How to use ChatGPT to identify scope inclusions, exclusions, clarifications, and risk items before finalizing an estimate
- Drafting subcontractor bid invitations, scope letters, and clarification requests using ChatGPT - saving hours on every bid cycle
- Using ChatGPT to organize and structure subcontractor bid comparisons - ensuring nothing falls through the cracks
- How to use ChatGPT to write bid proposal narratives, scope statements, and executive summaries that are professional and competitive
- Using ChatGPT to prepare pre-bid RFIs - structuring questions clearly and professionally before bid day
- How to use ChatGPT to draft lessons learned documentation and post-bid analysis reports for continuous improvement
- Building a construction estimation prompt library - reusable AI instructions for the most common written tasks in the estimation process
- How estimating teams can use AI to standardize their documentation and maintain consistency across multiple estimators and projects
- The boundaries of AI in estimation - what it does well, where human expertise remains essential, and how to use both effectively together
- How to build a team-wide AI adoption strategy for an estimating department - getting buy-in, setting standards, and rolling out ChatGPT across multiple estimators consistently
- Using ChatGPT to create and maintain a shared estimation prompt library - so every estimator on the team produces consistent, professional documentation regardless of experience level
- How to use ChatGPT to onboard new estimators faster - using AI-assisted documentation and knowledge capture to reduce the learning curve on company processes and standards
- The difference between individual AI use and team-level AI integration - and why the latter produces far greater and more sustainable results for an estimating department
Who Will Benefit:
- Construction Estimators at all levels
- Chief Estimators and Estimating Managers
- Preconstruction Managers and Directors
- General Contractors and Specialty Subcontractors
- Project Managers with estimating responsibilities
- Bid Coordinators and Proposal Managers
- Construction Business Development Professionals
- Design-Build Teams with estimation functions
- Anyone involved in preparing, reviewing, or managing construction bids and proposals