Experience what’s next in the construction industry at the AU 2026 Expo! From September 15-17 in Las Vegas, you’ll discover what’s in store for the future in your field, get up close and hands-on with emerging technology, and meet hundreds of partners with solutions to help transform your business.
While you're at the Expo, check out Autodesk Forma Integration Partners, including:
Take a look at sessions that showcase, discuss, and include integrations with an Autodesk AECO solution:
Most sustainability strategies never make it into daily work. Teams struggle to turn ambition into decisions, data flows, and repeatable processes. This session will explore three sustainability workflows that are actually working today: design-phase carbon estimation, AI-enabled inspection, and material selection informed by connected product and carbon data. We’ll examine how these workflows are structured, where they break, and what it takes to implement them across tools, teams, and data sources—drawing on examples from technology partners such as One Click LCA and VAPAR. You’ll leave with a practical framework for turning sustainability goals into operational workflows.
Design teams increasingly need trusted workflows that connect Autodesk Forma, Autodesk Platform Services (APS), agentic AI, engineering tools, proprietary company knowledge, and cloud automation to solve real project challenges. This session explores how organizations can use open APIs and modern development platforms to build custom applications and intelligent workflows around Forma Site Design and Building Design.
Attendees will learn how to integrate project data, automate engineering and design processes, connect cloud services, and extend Autodesk workflows with company-specific logic. We will also introduce the Autodesk Marketplace and discuss how developers can package and distribute solutions that strengthen the Autodesk ecosystem.
Using VIKTOR.AI as the application, workflow, and agentic automation layer, we will demonstrate how Autodesk technologies can be combined with AI, engineering software, and internal knowledge. We will show how organizations can move beyond isolated AI prompts by creating transparent, controlled, and verifiable workflows in which agents execute tasks, use engineering tools, and present traceable results for expert review.
Are you tired of manually re-entering data between Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud), Procore, and HCSS? ProjectReady WorkBridge eliminates that burden. In this live product demo, Topcon Solutions and ProjectReady will walk through three real-world workflows: bidirectional sync between Autodesk Forma and Procore for submittals, RFIs, issues, and photos; project data transfers from Procore to Autodesk Forma; and the connecting of HCSS HeavyBid to BuildingConnected for a seamless preconstruction-to-construction handoff. See WorkBridge's scheduling engine, audit logs, and no-data-at-rest architecture in action—and leave knowing how to connect your platforms and keep every team aligned.
Discover how Esri and Autodesk are advancing BIM and GIS interoperability through their strategic alliance. Today, teams rely on manual conversion, translation, and duplicate publishing to bring BIM into GIS context - creating friction, slowing decisions, and making it harder to trust the right information is available when needed. This session explores the art of the possible: a future where BIM and GIS data stay connected across Autodesk and Esri environments. Attendees will see how evolving interoperability efforts can reduce handoff friction, improve continuity, and make it easier to bring BIM into GIS and GIS into BIM. Join us to learn about the patterns enabling true cloud-to-cloud workflows!
Ground models are the missing link between site investigation and infrastructure design. Engineers make critical decisions on alignments, crossings, and foundations while the subsurface remains a black box—data arriving late, locked in static reports, or in formats incompatible with the design environment. GeoDin Ground for Civil 3D software is changing that. In this session, we’ll present the latest advances in 3D ground modeling inside Civil 3D, including direct AGS file ingestion and autoconversion—eliminating the need for a preexisting database and letting teams start directly with received data. You’ll see the ground take shape inside Civil 3D, evolving into a 3D model that drives critical design choices and reduces project risk from day one.
Construction companies are navigating more workforce challenges than ever—and those staying ahead are doing it with a powerful combination of technology, data, and AI. But the game’s changing. A new era of AI agents is shifting workforce planning from reactive to strategic—giving contractors instant command of their people data, smarter staffing decisions, and a clearer view of what's on the horizon. Join David Pimiskern, Bridgit’s VP of strategy and operations, for an in-depth look at how North America's leading contractors are building their workforce planning strategies for the agent era—and what it means to put AI to work without losing the human expertise at the center of it all. You’ll leave with a fresh perspective on where construction workforce planning is headed, and what forward-thinking leaders are doing today to stay ahead of the curve.
Autodesk Forma industry cloud connects design, preconstruction, and field coordination within a single platform. But one critical layer has been missing: real-time workforce data from the field. Labor is the largest cost on most construction projects—and the least measured. That’s why Autodesk acquired Rhumbix. In this session, we’ll explain the strategic vision behind the acquisition and why Rhumbix is essential to the future of Autodesk Forma. You’ll learn what field and resource management data Rhumbix captures and how it will flow into the Forma platform to support cost, schedule, estimating, and planning workflows, enabling a more complete field-to-finance operation for construction.
Early-stage site design moves fast, but ground conditions rarely keep up. Excavation costs are a top risk driver, yet reliable estimates arrive long after key decisions are made. This session demonstrates outcome-based BIM in practice: directly from Forma, GroundIQ generates a 3D ground model from site investigation data and delivers excavation volumes and cost estimates automatically without specialist intervention. Attendees see a live demo: footprint placed, ground intelligence derived, cost insight surfaced instantly. BIM that connects subsurface conditions to project outcomes.
AU 2026 is going to be a great experience that brings us together live with colleagues and industry professionals, experts, speakers, and other talented individuals. We’re excited to bring everyone together in the beautiful city of Las Vegas.
Are you ready to register for AU 2026? Head to the official AU 2026 site to grab your tickets today! Registration is open now.
We can’t wait to see you in person at AU 2026! With so much to do and see, this year’s event is shaping up to be our most exciting one yet. Register here.
Sustainability isn't new to construction, but the way teams approach it is changing.
In the past, sustainability efforts were often tied to compliance requirements, certifications, or reporting activities. While those remain important, many of the decisions that have the biggest impact on a project's environmental performance happen much earlier, during preconstruction.
That's why forward-thinking firms are bringing sustainability into early planning and evaluating it alongside cost, schedule, and scope. By doing so, they can make more informed decisions while they still have the greatest flexibility to influence project outcomes.
Many sustainability outcomes are locked in early on. The decisions you make during design and planning can determine everything from building orientation and material choices to procurement strategies. All of these things influence a project's long-term environmental impact.
As such, teams can no longer afford to wait until after the design stage to tackle sustainability. It needs to be part of the conversation right from the get-go, alongside cost, schedule, and scope.
If you wait until the project’s later stages to make adjustments, you risk:
In other words, when teams delay those sustainability conversations and decisions, they’re limiting their options throughout the project, which results in reactive decisions.
The good news is that firms are increasingly recognizing the importance of baking in sustainability from the start. The best preconstruction teams today treat “going green” not as a separate initiative, but as a core precon workflow.
Because of this, projects are coming together in a much more holistic way. Teams aren't just asking, "Can we afford this?" They're also asking, "What's the long-term impact?"
With that, they’re also evaluating choices around materials, procurement, and design through both a financial and an environmental lens.
So rather than scrambling to solve sustainability challenges later, project teams can weigh their options early, while they still have more options. This results in a more balanced approach that considers performance, cost, and long-term outcomes from the very beginning.
The areas in which you apply that sustainability lens matter. When it comes to preconstruction, here are the areas where teams can have the most influence.
Embodied carbon—i.e., the total greenhouse gas emissions generated from infrastructure materials—is largely determined before construction even begins. This is why proactive carbon modeling is so valuable. By analyzing the carbon impact of different design concepts and material options upfront, teams can compare scenarios and understand the tradeoffs before specifications are finalized.
Material choices affect far more than cost. They influence everything from availability and durability to embodied carbon and long-term performance. When teams look at these factors together, they can identify options that meet project goals without sacrificing sustainability or blowing the budget.
In addition to the materials themselves, where those materials come from and how they’re sourced also impact sustainability.
Evaluating suppliers, lead times, transportation, and sourcing practices gives procurement teams more flexibility to align purchasing decisions with both project schedules and sustainability objectives.
Just because something has a low upfront cost, doesn’t mean it’s the best long-term investment. You need to look beyond initial pricing to really understand how material and design choices affect maintenance, operating costs, and building performance. Having this broader perspective often leads to smarter decisions for both the project and the owner.
Of course, none of these decisions happen in isolation. A change in materials can affect carbon emissions, procurement timelines, lifecycle costs, and the overall budget. As such, teams must look at these factors together to make more informed tradeoffs before they're locked into a path forward.
No single team owns sustainability. Consider:
Sustainability works best when it's a shared responsibility, not a handoff between teams. Bringing the right people together during preconstruction helps everyone understand the tradeoffsand make decisions that support both project goals and desired sustainability outcomes.
When sustainability is simply bolted into the project, teams have fewer options and much less flexibility.
That could lead to difficult compromises, such as:
For example, a team may decide late in the project to replace conventional concrete with a lower-carbon alternative. By then, approved specifications, supplier agreements, and pricing may already be in place. The change can increase costs, delay procurement, and force the team to choose between staying on schedule and meeting sustainability goals.
Or let’s say a project team realizes after design is complete that its embodied carbon is higher than expected. Reducing it could require different materials, revised specifications, and new suppliers. All of that can increase costs and push back the schedule.
On the flip side, when you move sustainability upstream, you can avoid many of these last-minute compromises. Teams no longer have to be reactive. Instead, they can evaluate options and build sustainability into the project when they have a lot more choices.
Leading teams don't treat sustainability as a separate initiative. They make it part of every major decision from the beginning.
These teams tend to share a few common practices:
Moving sustainability upstream doesn't require a complete overhaul of your preconstruction process. Small changes early in a project can lead to better decisions and fewer compromises later.
Here are a few practical ways to get started:
The earlier these conversations happen, the more flexibility teams have to make choices that support both project goals and long-term sustainability outcomes.
Tackling sustainability early isn’t just about having a more positive environmental impact. When you “go green” from the start, you’re also able to unlock better decisions across the board.
Additionally, when sustainability is considered alongside cost, schedule, and scope, teams get more clarity around tradeoffs before they're forced into expensive changes. That leads to stronger alignment between designers, estimators, procurement teams, and owners.
Projects also benefit from more predictable costs and stronger long-term performance. In the end, bringing sustainability into preconstruction isn't just good for the environment. It’s clearly good for business.
If you’ve read this far, you’re likely ready to take action and want to introduce sustainability practices earlier in the project. With that, here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:
By the time construction begins, many of the decisions that shape a project's sustainability have already been made. That's why preconstruction is the most important opportunity to influence environmental impact while balancing cost, performance, and project goals. =
With Autodesk Forma for Preconstruction, teams can evaluate sustainability impacts alongside cost and design from the earliest stages of planning, helping them make smarter decisions with greater confidence. Learn more about the Forma for Preconstruction bundle.
Hot take: technology adoption isn’t about the tech itself. It’s really about the people using it and solving the problems they deal with day to day.
The best digital leaders understand this. That’s why, when introducing technology, they don't start with the newest tool or the latest AI announcement. They start by getting as close to the work as possible, then find better ways to help folks build.
Victoria Jones has done just that throughout her remarkably diverse career. She's worked with her hands, built deep engineering expertise, and now serves as Principal Digital Developer at Laing O'Rourke.
In this episode of Digital Builder, we explore what it truly takes to drive technology adoption on complex projects, why staying close to the field matters, and where AI has the potential to make the biggest impact.
We discuss:
Sometimes, tech adoption in the field goes smoothly. Other times, not so much. So, what separates the successes from the setbacks?
Technology doesn't fail because field teams resist change. More often, it fails because it doesn't fit the reality of how they work. As Victoria puts it, site teams are "under so much pressure" that if a tool is clunky, "they'll start implementing workarounds."
And that behavior happens not because folks in the field aren’t capable. In fact, she argues the opposite. Teams are "incredibly capable people trying to adapt to systems that don't work for them."
Instead of forcing adoption, organizations should involve the people doing the work, explain the "why," and design solutions that solve real problems.
Successful technology adoption often comes down to something surprisingly simple: meeting people where they are. Victoria recalls working with an engineer who found the team's model review software "absolutely daunting."
“Despite being a fantastic engineer, he'd repeatedly say, ‘I can't get my head around this. I have absolutely had enough of this.’”
Instead of pointing him back to the training materials, Victoria sat down beside him and said, "Show me what you're trying to do," then guided him through it.
The team also realized the software was more complex than many engineers needed. So rather than forcing everyone to use the full tool, they built a simpler interface using Power BI and IFC View with "just a handful of filters."
That small change made a big difference. Engineers went from "not engaging with the model at all" to "being all over it," even chasing the digital team down when they spotted an outdated model.
When teams run into technology that doesn't fit the way they actually work, the tendency is to create workarounds. Now, it's easy to see a workaround as something to be eliminated, but for Victoria, it represents an opportunity to improve.
"A workaround obviously signifies that the system isn't working," she says. The next step is figuring out whether it's a one-off or "a pattern" showing up across teams and projects. If the same workaround keeps surfacing, it's worth asking why. Sometimes the underlying constraint can be removed. Other times, "we have to standardize the workaround."
That being said, those conversations shouldn't be punitive. Instead of asking, “Why did you break the process?” ask, "Help us understand what was happening that caused you guys to go break this."
In other words, don’t just see a workaround as something that’s wrong or needs to be shut down. Often, it’s a chance to uncover what's driving behavior and build a better process from there.
The principles around tech adoption and getting teams on board become even more important on projects where the stakes, the scale, and the complexity are all significantly higher.
Hinkley Point C (HPC) is a perfect example of what that looks like in practice.
HPC is the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation, and it’s one of the country’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
The scale is hard to wrap your head around. Victoria describes the site as spanning "84 football pitches," with roughly 70 buildings and around 12,000 people. “It's so large that you can't walk around the site. You have to catch a bus to get from one part to the other."
Despite its size and the strict governance required for a nuclear project, HPC also became a proving ground for digital innovation. Because the project was established when information management was still in its infancy, the team had the opportunity to build "absolutely bonkers tools" that brought together fragmented data and structured previously unstructured information. One example automatically pulled rebar data from the CDE, enriched it with pour information, and fed live dashboards showing concrete and rebar quantities.
"I've been in construction for 20 years, and I've seen things at Hinckley that just blew my mind," she remarks.
Rolling out new technology across thousands of people isn't about getting everyone to use the same tool. It's about making that tool worth using.
For Victoria, successful adoption came down to a few simple principles:
One example was the move to paperless rebar inspections. Rather than relying on paper checklists, engineers used tablets to review rebar and update statuses in the field. The tool was simple, easy to access, and delivered immediate value. Office teams could also see live updates as work progressed.
As a result, project teams didn’t just adopt the tech, they bought into it. As Victoria explains, “people embraced the new process because we made the system easy for them to use."
Construction of Hinkley Point C has been underway since 2017, and operations are scheduled to start in 2030. So, HPC isn't just massive in scale. It also spans more than a decade, making long-term consistency just as important as day-to-day execution.
Keeping a megaproject on track for that amount of time isn't about freezing processes in place. Change is inevitable. The challenge is making sure everyone stays aligned as that change happens.
Victoria acknowledges this. "I won't pretend that everything stayed consistent." But on a project with half a million embedded items, consistency still matters because repeated mistakes become expensive.
Her advice is quite practical: document how teams work, communicate often, and make information easy to find. "It sounds really simple, but there’s quite a number of times that I've come across things where that's not happened,” she remarks.
Just as important is creating a culture where teams share information instead of guarding it. Victoria sums it up really well: "Don't be protective, don't keep your cards close to your chest, let go of your ego and work together."
No conversation about technology and ways of working would be complete without the topic of AI.
Here, Victoria shares a balanced perspective on where the technology stands today. While there's plenty of excitement around its potential, she cautions against oversimplifying what AI can actually do.
"It's not something you can just run off with and tell it to do something, and it's going to churn out that information. AI needs context. It needs support. It needs information. It needs structure."
That doesn't mean she’s skeptical of AI. Quite the opposite.
She points to Microsoft's Copilot as a recent example of technology that's already changing the way her team works. While she's used ChatGPT for years, she says the real breakthrough has been the integration across platforms. "That's been a real game changer."
Looking ahead, Victoria sees AI becoming less about standalone tools and more about embedded workflows. As systems become more connected, AI can help more people access information without needing to master every piece of software they use.
All to say: AI isn't replacing human expertise anytime soon. But when it's built on quality data, integrated into existing workflows, and given the right context, it can become a powerful partner in how construction teams get work done.
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
or wherever you listen to podcasts.
We’re thrilled to announce that Autodesk University is back and better than ever before in 2026! We’ve made sure to pack every hour of the event with opportunities for you to learn, grow, and connect.
Whether you’re learning from experts in a dynamic conversation panel, rubbing shoulders with industry professionals at an evening reception, or learning about emerging technologies, there won’t be a wasted moment.
This year’s Autodesk University will take place in Las Vegas from September 15 to 17. Over the course of three days, we’ll provide a treasure trove of information for construction professionals like yourselves.
Here at Autodesk, we understand that preconstruction professionals face many unique challenges related to workflows, data, and other tasks. We’ve crafted our event specifically to help you meet those challenges head-on.
By attending AU 2026, you will walk away better equipped to embrace the future of construction. We’ll cover topics and host sessions relevant to your day-to-day tasks, such as connected workflows, advanced innovation, and data-centric sessions.
You’ll have a chance to meet face-to-face with Autodesk product experts and connect with hundreds of trusted partners, allowing you to fully unlock the benefits of your cloud-based solutions.
Wondering which sessions to attend for the latest in preconstruction? At AU 2026, you can pick and choose from among hundreds of options that help you discover key insights and improve your teams.
If you’re not sure where to get started, we’ve curated our top picks for the sessions to help you learn more. Remember: This list is just a quick preview of the sessions you’ll find at AU 2026. You can check out the full session catalog here.
This session will present a practical case in which Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) connects project data across design, preconstruction, procurement, cost, and construction workflows. Traditionally, inspections required time-consuming drawing checks, record creation, document handling, and information sharing. In this initiative, models, drawings, inspection records, and progress data are centrally managed in Forma Build, enabling standardized inspections and real-time collaboration. Automated status updates and stakeholder communication through Autodesk Forma Construction Connect reduce document search time, support early issue detection, and cut overall workflow effort by 45%. Success depends not only on technology, but also on the right team structure to support common data environment (CDE) operations.
Autodesk Forma industry cloud connects design, preconstruction, and field coordination within a single platform. But one critical layer has been missing: real-time workforce data from the field. Labor is the largest cost on most construction projects—and the least measured. That’s why Autodesk acquired Rhumbix. In this session, we’ll explain the strategic vision behind the acquisition and why Rhumbix is essential to the future of Autodesk Forma. You’ll learn what field and resource management data Rhumbix captures and how it will flow into the Forma platform to support cost, schedule, estimating, and planning workflows, enabling a more complete field-to-finance operation for construction.
BuildingConnected has long been the backbone for bid management and subcontractor qualification at Miller Davis. As early beta users, Miller Davis has worked closely with Autodesk to test workflows that bring BuildingConnected into Autodesk Forma alongside Autodesk Forma Takeoff and Autodesk Forma Estimate. The Miller Davis team will share how Forma Bid helps reduce tool fragmentation and keeps preconstruction work connected within a single environment. We’ll discuss lessons learned from early adoption, and we’ll walk through familiar workflows reimagined in Forma—including RFP management, multiple proposals per project, bidder recommendations, qualification insights, bid leveling, and flexible reporting. The Autodesk product team will join to support the discussion.
Cost management doesn’t happen in one phase—it spans preconstruction, risk, contracting, and field execution. In this hands-on lab, experience how Cost Management in Autodesk Forma Build directly integrates with BuildingConnected Pro, TradeTapp, DocuSign, and Rhumbix to break down silos, accelerate workflows, and increase transparency for stronger cost control. You’ll explore how teams can reduce risk, accelerate buyout, and streamline contract execution through integrated workflows. You’ll also explore how field data flows back into cost management, delivering real-time visibility and enabling more-informed decisions. Walk away with practical, repeatable skills you can apply immediately to implement cost workflows across your projects.
Preconstruction teams often lose time when takeoff, pricing, and estimate updates are managed across disconnected processes. Manual quantity transfers, revision checks, and pricing adjustments can create inefficiencies, rework, and risk. In this hands-on lab, you’ll work through a connected Autodesk preconstruction workflow from 2D and 3D takeoff to estimate generation and cost refinement. You’ll learn how to capture quantities, apply formulas, push results into Estimate, manage updates, and use libraries, templates, and cost markups to standardize your process. By the end of the class, you’ll be able to create a more consistent, scalable process for turning quantities into cost insights with greater speed and confidence.
Preconstruction is evolving fast—and the way teams bid, qualify, and estimate work is changing with it. This meetup will bring together preconstruction professionals to connect with peers, exchange real-world strategies, and explore how leading teams are using data to make smarter, faster decisions. From improving bid accuracy to strengthening go/no-go decisions, join the conversation to hear what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is headed. Whether you’re refining your current approach or looking for fresh ideas, this session is your chance to learn from others facing the same challenges—and winning.
Investing in preconstruction is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk and set projects up for long‑term success. Join this dynamic session with the Autodesk preconstruction product team to explore what’s new and what’s coming next for Autodesk Forma Takeoff, Autodesk Forma Estimate, Autodesk Forma Bid, BuildingConnected Pro, Bid Board Pro, and TradeTapp. You’ll get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our product strategy, major initiatives on the horizon, and the customer feedback that’s shaping our future. Bring your voice to the table and help influence the evolution of our preconstruction offerings. Whether you're a power user or just getting started, you won’t want to miss this session!
AU 2026 offers construction pros some of the best opportunities to level up their careers and businesses. Whether you’re looking for knowledge and tools to help you and your teams work together or you’re interested in connecting with like-minded individuals, Autodesk University has something for you.
The labor shortage and talent gap have been top of mind for the construction industry, and for good reason: with skilled professionals leaving the workforce faster than they can be replaced, companies are facing challenges in maintaining productivity and preserving institutional knowledge.
This issue is especially pronounced in the preconstruction phase, where success depends on specialized expertise that takes years to develop. As veteran preconstruction professionals leave the industry, they're taking decades of hard-earned knowledge with them. And because that expertise can't be developed overnight, firms can't simply hire their way out of the problem.
So, the challenge isn’t just about hiring new talent but capturing and scaling the knowledge that already exists.
One of the things that makes a preconstruction professional successful is hands-on, real-world experience. Think about it: a seasoned estimator can spot missing scope before it turns into a change order. An experienced preconstruction manager knows which design details are likely to create constructability issues or where budgets tend to drift.
Those instincts don't come from a textbook. They come from years of working through projects, learning from mistakes, and seeing how project decisions are made.
Unfortunately, today's workforce is losing that experience faster than it can be replaced. The median age of construction workers is 42, and the industry expects a significant wave of retirements over the next several years. What’s more, demand for skilled workers continues to outpace supply. The construction industry is expected to need roughly 439,000 additional workers beyond normal hiring needs to meet demand.
Preconstruction faces the same challenges, but with an added layer of difficulty because expertise takes a lot of time to build. Companies can hire junior talent, but they can't fast-track the judgment that comes from spending years estimating projects, coordinating with design teams, and managing risk. That's the experience gap many firms are grappling with today.
Preconstruction sets the direction for the entire project. When experienced professionals are in short supply, projects are much more difficult to execute. These challenges can come in the form of:
The result is more uncertainty, more rework, and more pressure on the people who hold the most institutional knowledge.
Beyond finding and keeping skilled people, you also need to preserve and document what they know.
But too often, critical knowledge lives in the heads of experienced estimators and preconstruction managers rather than in documented processes or shared systems.
They remember which subcontractors consistently over- or underbid, what risks surfaced on similar projects, and which assumptions proved costly in the past.
The problem is that this knowledge isn't always captured in a way the rest of the team can use. Best practices may vary from one estimator to another, and important decisions can depend on who happens to be assigned to a project.
So, when experienced employees retire or move on, they take that institutional knowledge with them. New hires can eventually build those same instincts, but it won’t happen right away. Until then, teams risk repeating past mistakes instead of building on what they've already learned.
Hiring and training are important to solving the challenges outlined above, but they aren't enough on their own.
New team members need time and project experience before they can make the same judgment calls as seasoned professionals. At the same time, many preconstruction teams still rely on spreadsheets, email threads, and individual workflows that make it difficult to share knowledge consistently across the organization. As a result, critical information stays siloed, and teams continue to depend on a small number of experts.
Technology can't replace years of experience, but it can make that experience easier to preserve and share. Here’s how.
Capture knowledge from past projects
Every completed project contains valuable insights, from estimating assumptions to budget variances and lessons learned. Technology gives you a place to capture and organize that information so if someone transitions out of the organization, all that info doesn’t walk out the door with them.
Make historical data easy to use
Past estimates, bid results, and project outcomes become much more valuable when teams can quickly find and reference them. Instead of starting from scratch, estimators can use historical data to validate assumptions, benchmark costs, and make more informed decisions.
Standardize the way teams work
When everyone follows the same workflows and checklists, preconstruction becomes less dependent on individual habits or preferences. Teams can eliminate inconsistencies and make it simpler for new folks to get up and running.
Create a shared source of truth
Rather than having data scattered across spreadsheets, emails, or personal drives, the right tech can give you a centralized platform on which to access all that information. And with everyone working from the same data, collaboration improves, and important details are less likely to fall through the cracks.
Turn expertise into an organizational asset
The goal isn't to replace experienced professionals. It's to make sure their knowledge benefits the entire team. When historical insights and proven workflows become part of everyday processes, organizations can scale expertise instead of relying on a handful of individuals.
We've covered the risks of losing institutional knowledge and how technology can help reduce them. The next step is putting processes in place to make knowledge sharing part of your team's everyday workflow. Consider these best practices to get started.
Document the reasoning behind decisions
Numbers only tell part of the story. Be sure to document the assumptions, cost drivers, risks, and decision-making process behind each estimate. That context helps future teams understand not just what decisions were made, but why they were made.
Build centralized cost libraries and templates
Instead of having estimators create everything from scratch, develop shared cost libraries, assemblies, and estimating templates that everyone can access. This creates consistency across projects and gives newer team members a solid starting point.
Standardize how project data is organized
Standardize whenever you can. Be sure to use consistent naming conventions, classifications, and coding structures across projects. Doing so makes it easier to compare estimates, identify trends, and find relevant information when planning similar work in the future.
Turn completed projects into learning resources
Every completed project is an opportunity to improve the next one. Capture final estimates, actual costs, lessons learned, and project outcomes in a structured format so future teams can build on past experience.
Encourage experts to share what they know
Your most experienced estimators and preconstruction managers have developed processes that work, but those approaches shouldn't live only in their heads. Encourage them to document checklists, estimation methods, review processes, and common pitfalls. When that knowledge becomes part of your team's standard way of working, everyone benefits, including the next generation of preconstruction professionals.
Beyond helping teams capture institutional knowledge, the right technology and best practices can also set up future generations for success.
Connected systems give newer team members more than just access to completed estimates. They help explain the thinking behind them. Instead of seeing only the final numbers, junior estimators can understand the assumptions, cost drivers, and decisions that shaped the estimate.
Structured data, consistent documentation, and visual workflows make it easier to connect the dots and learn from previous projects. When you have repeatable processes and work from the same source of truth, existing teams and new hires alike spend less time searching for answers and devote more energy towards building practical skills.
Over time, all of these practices build confidence and help organizations develop capable preconstruction professionals without relying solely on years of trial and error.
No conversation about technology and the future would be complete without AI. And when it comes to strengthening the preconstruction workforce, artificial intelligence has the potential to complement the expertise of experienced professionals.
As organizations capture more project information in connected systems, AI-powered tools can help teams analyze large volumes of data, uncover patterns, summarize information, and surface relevant insights from historical projects. This can make it easier to learn from past work and access information that might otherwise be difficult to find or interpret.
For newer estimators, AI can provide additional context and support as they develop their skills. For experienced professionals, it can help reduce time spent gathering information and performing repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value analysis and decision-making.
That said, AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement. Final decisions still require human judgment, industry experience, and an understanding of the unique circumstances behind every project.
The most successful preconstruction teams recognize that experience is one of their most valuable assets, so they treat it that way. Instead of relying on a few go-to experts, they build systems that make knowledge accessible across the organization. They invest in connected, structured data, along with standardized workflows.
Another thing they do differently? They make knowledge sharing part of the job, not something that happens only when there's extra time. They view onboarding and professional development as long-term investments, giving new team members the tools and context they need to contribute sooner.
Forward-thinking precon leaders recognize that investing in these efforts builds more resilient teams who are better prepared for growth, turnover, and whatever comes next.
Having a stronger preconstruction team doesn't happen overnight, but small, intentional changes can make a big difference. Start with these practical steps.
The preconstruction talent gap isn't a challenge that will solve itself. The firms that come out ahead won't be the ones waiting for more experienced professionals to enter the workforce. They'll be the ones capturing the knowledge they already have, using technology to turn past projects into future insights, and giving every estimator access to the information they need to make better decisions.
Start building those capabilities today, and you'll create a more resilient, scalable preconstruction team for years to come
Autodesk Forma for Preconstruction gives you the tools you need to preserve institutional knowledge, connect historical project data, and make more informed decisions from bid to estimate. Learn more.
We are weeks away from Autodesk University, and we couldn’t be more excited! Happening in Las Vegas September 15-17, AU 2026 is a must-attend for any AEC professional.
From inspiring and informative keynote sessions to networking opportunities you won’t find anywhere else, you’re bound to elevate your expertise and forge invaluable connections at AU 2026.
If you’re a subcontractor who wants to stay competitive (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), attending AU 2026 should be at the top of your list.
AU 2026 is packed with sessions and resources for navigating these challenges. You’ll learn how to use technology to improve quality and productivity while unlocking cost savings in your projects.
Take a look at our top session picks below.
In this session, we’ll explore how trade contractors can provide streamlined navigation to the applications and platforms used by field, project management, and safety teams, ensuring each team member can easily obtain and share the information needed to perform their roles. We’ll review the solution Cupertino Electric uses on our projects, and outline the core functionality required to replicate this approach, regardless of vendor or specific products.
When we, one of the larger MEP design-build contractors on the US West Coast, decided to replace PlanGrid, our mission was clear: We want to update our tool suite, and quickly standardize data quality across all projects. But a platform decision is more than just a tool swap. This session will walk you through the generalized strategic framework that we used to evaluate, select, and roll out Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) as the enterprise backbone for both office and field teams. Learn how a three-stage rollout from exploration, a year-long pilot with rigorous standardization, and a fine-tuned enterprise deployment delivered measurable results: unified dashboards, and a data foundation that helps us to build custom solutions with Autodesk Platform Services.
In this session, we’ll walk through the process of building an electrical detailing and prefabrication Revit template that supports more than 50 detailers in multiple regions across the United States. Then we’ll examine what it takes to evolve it to the next level with EVOLVE Electrical.
For EFCO's team of 250 engineers, moving design data across AutoCAD, Inventor, and Revit software meant constant rework, misaligned models, lost parameters, and no path to incremental updates. By adopting Data Exchange, EFCO built a consistent, update-aware pipeline that scales reliably across the firm’s full team. But the real power of this story extends beyond EFCO: Its workflow is a blueprint for any industry where manufacturing and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) teams must collaborate across domains. You’ll leave this session with practical techniques for modernizing multitool workflows and a model for enabling seamless cross-domain collaboration, from design to construction.
Procurement issues cause roughly 50% of project delays, and using inconsistent, manual processes for planning/tracking is a recipe for cost overruns and missed deadlines. DPR Construction manages more than 2,000 projects annually, so the stakes couldn’t be higher. Success demands disciplined best practices across process, tools, and metrics. In this session, we’ll present a proven, measurable procurement planning and tracking approach using tools like Autodesk Forma, ConstructivIQ, and more. DPR has already implemented this across hundreds of projects—moving from disconnected workflows to a scalable, connected system. Join us to learn how you can apply the same principles within your own organization to drive more-predictable and efficient outcomes.
Unlock cost forecasting by exploring the range of tools in Cost Management in Autodesk Forma Build. In this interactive lab, you’ll immerse yourself in a real-world project, learning to create accurate cash-flow forecasts, manage revenue projections, and link budgets and schedules in one seamless workflow. Guided step by step, you’ll apply the new 3-Point Fee Enhancement to compare plans, forecasts, and fee goals. You’ll walk away with practical skills to identify fee risks early and forecast contract value with confidence.
Join us for an insightful session on how The Walsh Group is transforming construction processes using Autodesk Forma and ReCap Pro reality capture. This session will explore the full journey from initial scanning to the final build phase, showcasing how advanced capture technologies improve accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration. Speakers will demonstrate real-world applications of reality capture within a connected platform, highlighting benefits like enhanced visualization, streamlined workflows, and reduced rework. You’ll gain practical information about integrating capture data into Forma to support better decision making and project delivery.
As a subcontractor, the best thing you can do to gear up for 2027 is to equip yourself and your team with the right knowledge, tools, and industry connections. Autodesk University has all of these and more.
Don’t miss your chance to attend one of construction’s most anticipated events. Register for AU 2026 today!
We now live in a world where there’s no shortage of AECO tools. Construction has never had more technology available to solve jobsite challenges. So the question isn't whether new tools exist. It’s which ones actually make it easier for teams to do their jobs and build with confidence.
Augmented reality is one of those technologies that's quickly moving beyond the hype. Folks are starting to see that AR can give field teams a practical way to visualize work before it's built, so they can reduce rework and make faster decisions.
In this episode, I sit down with Caner Dolas, CEO and co-founder of GAMMA AR, to discuss how augmented reality is bringing BIM data into the field and why accessibility, simplicity, and adoption matter just as much as the technology itself.
We discuss:
Augmented reality (AR) overlays digital information onto the physical world, giving teams a clearer picture of what needs to happen before work begins. As GAMMA AR CEO and co-founder Caner Dolas explains, "When we're talking about augmented reality, it's about adding information to reality." In construction, that means crews can "preview the work and then have a better understanding of what is about to come."
That visibility has practical applications throughout a project. Teams can compare digital models against the jobsite before installation, verify completed work, and spot potential issues before they turn into rework.
One of the biggest misconceptions about augmented reality is that it's only useful for checking completed work. While that's certainly one use case, Caner says it's "just part of the story. It's not the full picture." The real value comes earlier in the construction process. AR gives superintendents and foremen the ability to "look into the future" by overlaying digital models onto the physical jobsite before work is installed.
He describes it as giving field leaders "a superpower to foresee what's about to come." With that added context, teams can identify potential conflicts and coordinate more effectively across trades.
For years, BIM models contained valuable project information, but much of it stayed in the office. Field teams relied on printed drawings, which Caner points out are "still something very important" because they work well in many situations. But AR fills a gap that 2D plans can't always address.
Make complex spaces easier to understand
In highly coordinated areas with multiple building systems, 2D drawings can only show so much. AR overlays BIM data onto the jobsite, making it easier to visualize how different elements fit together before work begins.
Help less-experienced crews work with confidence
Construction continues to face skilled labor shortages, and not every crew has decades of field experience. According to Caner, AR "makes it very simple to understand by overlaying elements into their work," giving teams more context without requiring them to mentally translate complex drawings into the physical space.
This is where GAMMA AR comes in.
GAMMA AR is designed to bring BIM data out of the office and onto the jobsite. The platform takes Revit, Navisworks, IFC, DWG, and point cloud data, then overlays those models onto the physical site so general contractors, owners, and trade partners can see what's planned before it's built.
The software also helps teams coordinate work more effectively and make better decisions in the field. Superintendents can quickly check for trade clashes, identify areas where drawings may be out of date, and flag installation issues before they snowball into rework. Instead of waiting for answers, teams can discuss potential solutions on site and decide what to do next together.
While AR headsets often get the most attention, GAMMA AR has intentionally focused on tablets and smartphones. As Caner explains, the reason is straightforward: "Everybody has phones, everybody has tablets. It's super scalable." That makes it much easier to get the technology into the hands of field teams and, as he puts it, "help the most people."
Caner also believes tablets create a better collaborative experience. With a headset, one person is immersed in the model. With a tablet, teams can stand together, review the same information, and "share the same perspective" while discussing what should happen next.
Headsets still have a future, though. Caner expects they'll become more practical as they evolve into something closer to everyday glasses. But for now, "everybody knows how to press a button" on a phone or tablet, while headset interfaces require more training. For many contractors, familiar devices remain the fastest path to adoption.
According to Caner, AR delivers the biggest impact during two key phases of construction.
Before concrete is poured
Before it's too late to make changes, teams can verify that sleeves, openings, and other critical interfaces are in the right location. As Caner explains, "These are interfaces. Things are going to go through, and that's what you need to check."
During MEP installation
This is where AR really shines. It's common for one trade to install work before another arrives, only to discover later that both systems need the same space. With AR, crews can spot those conflicts before everything is built. "I have to deviate in this area because something else is going to go through," Caner says.
Even if an issue has already made it into the field, AR still helps. Superintendents can document the problem, then ask, "Can we fix this in some other way? Can we reroute this, or do we need to rework?" Instead of reacting after the fact, teams can have an informed discussion while there's still time to choose the best path forward.
When it comes to AR limitations, Caner says the biggest issue isn't the technology itself. It's setting the wrong expectations. AR isn't intended to replace high-precision tools like total stations or laser scanners, and users need to understand that slight alignment drift can occur.
"The risks are mitigatable," Caner says, but crews need to know they exist and understand how to correct them. GAMMA AR includes both automatic and manual methods to resolve drift, and the company continues to improve automatic alignment to keep models locked to the structure or designated markers on site.
The takeaway? AR works best when teams understand what it's designed to do and how to use it effectively.
Rolling out AR isn't just about the technology. It's about the people using it. According to Caner, "people matter the most." In his experience, all it takes is one superintendent or foreman who's willing to try something new. "They will use it, other people will see, they will inspire other people to do the same, and then it kind of moves by itself."
Support from BIM and VDC teams is just as important. Rather than handing field teams every model and expecting them to figure it out, Caner recommends preparing views that match each phase of construction. It only takes a few minutes, but it makes a big difference. The goal isn't to reduce model size. It's to make the information easier to understand and digest, so crews have exactly what they need without being overwhelmed.
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
or wherever you listen to podcasts.
For global engineering, procurement, and construction leaders, the pressure is on. Projects are growing more complex; margins are tight, and expectations for speed and precision keep rising. At MAIRE, those pressures were not abstract—they were daily realities across thousands of engineers working on highly regulated, high-stakes projects around the world.
“Staying competitive means more than adding new tools, so we set out to design a digital landscape that could evolve with the business,” says Michele Mariella, CIO of MAIRE. “One that would help our engineers navigate complexity, collaborate across disciplines, and prepare the company for the next decade of innovation.”
MAIRE’s journey accelerated with a foundation that was already in place. As longtime Microsoft cloud users, the company had standardized documentation and processes in the cloud, creating readiness for AI at scale. The real challenge was extending that intelligence into the core of engineering work—where the most value, risk, and time reside.
That breakthrough came by connecting Microsoft technologies with Autodesk solutions. By integrating Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Foundry with Autodesk Forma and Autodesk Revit, MAIRE is helping its engineers interact with complex project data using natural language—directly inside familiar tools like Microsoft Teams.
Marco Pecoraro, Engineering Process Digitalization Head, MAIRE
“In engineering and construction, we operate in a high-complexity, low-margin environment,” says Marco Pecoraro, Head of Engineering Processes Digitalization at MAIRE. “By connecting Microsoft technology and Autodesk solutions, we’ve made our engineering and project data usable through natural language, so teams get immediate answers and can act faster, with less rework and less risk.”
This integration allows engineers to query thousands of models, issues, and documents without navigating multiple systems. “What makes this powerful is not AI on its own, but how it’s embedded into engineering workflows,” says Stefano Toparini, Principal Enterprise Account Technical Lead at Autodesk.
From Autodesk’s perspective, the collaboration with Microsoft and MAIRE shows what’s possible when engineering platforms and cloud AI are designed to work as one.
Stefano Toparini, Principal Enterprise Account Lead, Autodesk
“What started as a workflow is now an operating model,” says Pecoraro. “With the same workforce, our objective is to channel our engineers’ expertise toward high-value, complex engineering scopes—while AI supports them by accelerating routine, repetitive, and data-heavy tasks.” Pecoraro continues, “This evolution of our operating model enhances the efficiency of engineering workflows, shortens schedule durations, and generates tangible cost improvements across the project lifecycle.
Engineers now have 24/7 access to organizational knowledge through AI-readable documentation, accelerating onboarding, and reducing errors across global teams. AI-based quality checks and generative modelling are shrinking cycle times and improving consistency at scale.
Michele Mariella, CIO, MAIRE
Today, across MAIRE, more than 200 engineers are moving more than 100 agentic solutions toward enterprise deployment—from simulating new plant technologies to exploring physical AI and robotics for construction and safety. Says Pecoraro, “Our journey began nearly a decade ago with Microsoft Azure. It has continued through our partnership with Autodesk and now with the adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot and the development of our NEXTBRAINS platform—bringing AI into engineering, procurement, and R&D.”
Perhaps the most telling outcome is engagement. “Before, people waited for technology,” Mariella says. “Now they come to us and say, ‘Give me the tool—I want to improve myself and the people around me.’”
“The real business outcome isn’t a number. It’s people getting involved in designing our future through this technology,” concludes Mariella. “I put the best people in a room, give them the pen, and say, ‘Please, draw our future.’”
The construction industry wouldn’t be where it is today without the bold visionaries who chose to challenge the norm. These are the people who refused to accept things as they were; those who came up with creative solutions to problems and found new ways of doing things.
Innovators move businesses—and ultimately entire industries—forward. Their ideas and innovations enhance our efficiency, allowing us to accomplish tasks more effectively and swiftly.
AU 2026: The Design & Make Conference is the premier event for innovators in architecture, design, and construction. This highly anticipated in-person function will be held in Las Vegas between September 15-17, so mark your calendars!
Innovation is one of the key reasons why so many industry professionals have attended Autodesk University in the past. And this year, we fully expect it to be top of mind, given the pace of change in the construction sector, particularly when it comes to digital transformation and tech.
Staying on top of these changes is necessary for success. Research shows that digitally-savvy firms outperform non-savvy companies by as much as 48% on revenue and 15% on net margin.
If you want to stay ahead of the competition, then you must keep up with the innovations happening within the AEC industry.
AU 2026 is packed with resources and opportunities that can help you drive innovation at your firm. From informative classes to networking functions, you’ll be sure to gain new ideas and perspectives at every turn.
Innovation-focused topics for you to discover at AU 2026 include:
(Please note, this session list is a preview only and is not comprehensive. Check out the full session catalog here.)
Discover how VR and AR create a practical, end‑to‑end BIM workflow from design to construction. See how Autodesk Forma can be integrated with Autodesk Workshop XR to enable immersive design reviews and collaborative decision-making in VR. Then discover real-life integration with GAMMA AR to validate installation, reduce errors, and connect design intent directly to construction for a seamless, circular, virtual design and construction (VDC) workflow.
Join us for an insightful session on how The Walsh Group is transforming construction processes using Autodesk Forma and ReCap Pro reality capture. This session will explore the full journey from initial scanning to the final build phase, showcasing how advanced capture technologies improve accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration. Speakers will demonstrate real-world applications of reality capture within a connected platform, highlighting benefits like enhanced visualization, streamlined workflows, and reduced rework. You’ll gain practical information about integrating capture data into Forma to support better decision-making and project delivery.
Agentic AI is rapidly changing how work gets done, moving beyond prompts into systems that can plan, act, and automate tasks across tools. This session will explore how to apply agent-based approaches using tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork, Dispatch, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) with Autodesk Platform Services. In this session, you’ll learn how to connect agents to Autodesk data, manage authentication and permissions, and orchestrate workflows that automate design and project delivery tasks. Through practical examples, we’ll show how to combine agents, Claude skills, and APIs to move from isolated automations to scalable, end-to-end processes.
AI is increasing output across construction teams, but many leaders are seeing a quieter problem: more-polished work, less ownership. With more options come harder decisions. This strategy talk will use one concrete story and a practical framework to show how to adopt AI without eroding the judgment that experienced builders, designers, and owners have earned the hard way. You’ll learn how to separate AI-assisted production from the human decision making that takes decades to develop. We’ll discuss how leaders in the industry add thinking checkpoints within workflows that make teams faster while preserving their precious (and playful) cognition.
Architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) teams excel at BIM for construction, but a "missing middle" exists between handover and operations where high-fidelity data often rots. For owners of 200MW+ mission-critical assets, this data gap creates massive operational risk. How do we bridge this divide to ensure a living digital twin? This session will deconstruct the missing middle using a data-first framework. We’ll explore how to use Owner Data Delivery Requirements (ODDR) and ISO 19650 to align design with operations from inception. Learn the technical workflows to migrate and validate data from Revit software and Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud). We’ll also preview how AI agents can automate QA/QC, transforming static models into actionable digital currency for the entire building lifecycle.
AI isn't just changing how construction work gets done. It's changing how the best leaders plan, communicate, and develop their teams. Most organizations aren't keeping pace, leaving forward thinking VDC leaders navigating the gap alone. This session delivers a practical playbook for managers already ahead of their organization with AI. Planning decisions get sharper, team communication gets stronger, and coaching conversations improve. AI tools get matched to your department's real capability and fit, including what's already built into Autodesk Forma. Credibility for leading adoption gets built even when policy or access hasn't caught up. You will leave this session with high-value entry points you can use this week with zero approval required from your organization.
In addition to these sessions, you’ll have plenty of other opportunities to discover the latest innovations in construction. Don’t forget to stop by the AU 2026 Expo, which features offerings from Autodesk’s most trusted partners.
The Expo will allow you to:
Innovation doesn’t just happen. It comes from the conscious effort of forward-thinking individuals who are committed to building a better future.
AU 2026 empowers you to be more innovative by giving you the opportunity to experience the latest and greatest developments in the industry.
Don’t miss your chance to attend! Register today, and we’ll see you in person in Las Vegas, September 15-17!
The topic of trust doesn’t always take center stage when we’re discussing AECO and technology, but if we really think about it, trust is critical in our industry. As the sector whose purpose is to shape the world we live in, every project depends on people having confidence in the tools, data, and partners they work with.
As Chief Trust Officer at Autodesk, Sebastian Goodwin spends every day helping customers and teams build that confidence. In this episode of Digital Builder, we explore the impact trust has in business, why transparency is becoming a competitive advantage, and how organizations can foster trust both inside their teams and with the customers they serve.
We discuss:
What exactly does it mean to be a Chief Trust Officer? According to Sebastian, the role is "the evolution of the Chief Security Officer or Chief Information Security Officer,” expanding the focus from protecting systems to earning and maintaining customer confidence.
While the Chief Trust Officer role overlaps with more traditional security leadership positions, it also extends into product development, customer communication, and governance.
“There's a lot more to it than security. We need to have great availability. We have to be very transparent with customers about how we use their data. We need to build things responsibly.”
Sebastian continues, “There are many, many elements. And I think that the security is a narrow view while the Chief Trust Officer role is the broader view.”
Ask Sebastian what a typical day looks like, and the answer is simple: there isn't one.
"One of the things I love about the role is that it can be completely different every day," he says. One day, he's meeting with EU policymakers in Brussels. The next, he's sitting down with customers to hear how they're using Autodesk products and understand their concerns.
Behind the scenes, he works closely with technical teams to make sure products are "built in a secure, safe, and reliable way."
But the role isn't only about technology. Sebastian also sees himself as someone who impacts culture across the business. "Every single person in our company has a role that they play in keeping the company secure and maintaining reliability and transparency for our customers."
It's a role that blends deep technical expertise with leadership. "I love learning the tech deeply," he says. "But I also view my job as very much influencing the behavior of people."
Trust isn't just a feel-good concept. It has a measurable impact on how teams work and how customers view an organization.
“It is so impactful within a company, to the culture, and how the company operates. Trust materially impacts performance and innovation,” remarks Sebastian.
He references research showing that organizations with strong internal trust don't just create healthier workplace cultures. They also benefit from higher performance and better customer experiences.
"Companies perform better. They treat customers better when they have trust inside. So internal trust is actually a prerequisite to getting customers to trust you.”
He also firmly believes that trust fuels innovation.
“Why can you innovate better when you trust? In companies where trust is low, people are less willing to take risks, as they have to protect themselves. In high-trust companies, people are willing to take risks in a safe environment. They have that emotional safety, but also well-governed risk.”
Going even deeper into the tangible aspects of trust, Sebastian points to an approach outlined in the book The Four Factors of Trust by Amelia Dunlop and Ashley Reichheld. He explains that trust can actually be measured using a scoring framework called TrustID, which evaluates organizations across four core areas: capability, reliability, transparency, and humanity.
Capability
Customers need to know they're working with a partner that can deliver. For Sebastian, capability goes beyond shipping features. It's about "providing all the features and capabilities the customers need" while also being "capable of securing their data."
In other words, expertise and execution matter just as much as innovation.
Reliability
Being capable means little if customers can't count on you. Sebastian explains that reliability includes the obvious things, like software uptime and cloud service availability. But it also extends to every customer interaction, whether that's support, customer success, or communication throughout the sales process. Trust grows when organizations consistently show up and follow through.
Transparency
Transparency is one of the clearest ways organizations build trust. Sebastian points to Autodesk's AI transparency cards as an example. Designed to answer common customer questions about how AI features work and how data is used, these cards are modeled after nutrition labels, so people can easily understand the information.
These cards have been extremely well-received. After customers viewed the transparency cards, they were 3.3 times more likely to try an AI feature.
“Whereas they had a little fear or hesitancy before, the AI transparency cards broke down that barrier.”
Of course, transparency extends to "so many other aspects of the business." The more open organizations are about how they build products, protect customer data, and make decisions, the easier it becomes to earn and maintain trust.
If you're looking to build trust, don't look for a single initiative or silver bullet. According to Sebastian, trust is built through the small decisions and interactions that happen every day.
"It's really in everything we do," he says. That includes the obvious things, like following security best practices and using company tools responsibly. But it also comes down to how people show up for one another and for customers.
As Sebastian puts it, "Trust is built up in little drops, but it's lost in buckets.”
Every conversation, every commitment you keep, and every interaction is another opportunity to strengthen trust. His advice is simple: be transparent, be reliable, and consistently show up as "that capable partner," whether you're working with colleagues across the organization or serving customers.
Trust isn't built when everything is going according to plan. According to Sebastian, it's tested when things go wrong.
"That's the moment when you really build trust," he says. "It's how you show up in that moment."
When facing a mistake, security incident, or unexpected challenge, his advice is to lead with integrity, transparency, and honesty. More importantly, keep your focus on the customer.
“You always start with the question, ‘What's in the customer's best interest?’” Sebastian explains.
That question becomes the north star for every decision that follows. Sometimes that means sharing difficult news. Other times, it means taking a measured approach so customers aren't put at greater risk.
Either way, he cautions against making decisions simply to protect your company's image. "You have to stay obsessively focused on the best outcome for the customer.”
While those conversations can be uncomfortable, "sometimes you just have to" tell customers something that's embarrassing or admit you don't have all the answers yet. The same principle applies beyond cybersecurity. Whether you're managing a construction project or leading a business, trust is earned by owning mistakes, communicating honestly, and showing up with integrity when it matters most.
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
or wherever you listen to podcasts.
The construction industry is evolving at an incredible pace. New technologies, smarter workflows, and fresh ideas are transforming how we design, build, and deliver projects. Digital transformation is accelerating, but the fact is, the industry wouldn’t be where it is today without the people who are constantly driving us forward.
That's exactly what our 40 Under 40: Champions of Construction list celebrates. Now in its eighth year, this peer-nominated recognition honors the rising leaders who are driving innovation, inspiring their teams, and making a lasting impact on construction.
So without further ado, let's meet this year's champions and discover the people helping shape what's next!
The list appears in alphabetical order by company name. Click on a name to jump to the individual or scroll on.
Ben has spent his career making complex construction projects more connected, collaborative, and data-driven across Europe and North America.
As Vice President of IDD & Geomatics at Aecon, Ben led the development of the company’s Integrated Digital Delivery Framework and created a connected digital ecosystem that integrates BIM, GIS, Information Management, and Geomatics. This ecosystem brings together design, planning, field execution, and project data, enabling a connected digital thread from design and construction through to handover.
His work has standardized digital workflows, strengthened collaboration across teams, and provided project stakeholders with improved visual insights to support lean construction and better decision-making.
Beyond technology, Ben has helped foster a digital-first culture at Aecon by building digital capable teams, championing emerging technologies such as AI and digital twins, and equipping employees with the tools and processes needed to work more efficiently.
“Ben has been instrumental in advancing Aecon’s IDD Framework, setting new standards for information management and digital design and construction coordination across major infrastructure projects. His leadership has driven the adoption of digital tools and systems that optimize project management, improve efficiency, and ensure high-quality outcomes.”
Aruni Sharma believes construction achieves its best outcomes when people, processes, and technology work together. As Senior Manager – Project Management & Strategy at Ahluwalia Contracts India Ltd., he initiated and scaled the company's BIM journey, transforming isolated digital practices into an organisation-wide approach that has strengthened planning, collaboration, and decision-making across some of India's most complex projects.
Passionate about digital transformation, Aruni works closely with leadership and technology teams to identify operational challenges, conceive innovative digital solutions, and drive the development and implementation of applications that enhance project delivery.
He initiated and has led the adoption of Autodesk's connected ecosystem as a common data environment, enabling project teams to work from a single source of truth for design coordination, issue management, and document control. By introducing immersive design reviews, drone-enabled progress monitoring, digital asset management, and BIM-led coordination, he has helped streamline construction workflows from planning and execution through to project handover.
“With a vision to advance BIM-led execution, digital twins, AI-enabled project intelligence, and data-driven project management through Autodesk technologies, Aruni is committed to driving the next phase of digital transformation across the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, helping build a more connected, intelligent, efficient, and technology-enabled future.”
Managing construction data across a global organization like Amazon is no small feat, and Sofia is helping make it possible. As Senior Standards and R&D Manager, she leads the development of enterprise-wide information management standards that ensure consistency across projects spanning fulfillment centers, retail stores, AWS infrastructure, and beyond.
Sofia has built the governance framework that underpins how project teams manage, share, and use construction data, making digital compliance a core part of project delivery rather than an afterthought.
She also leads the development of an enterprise data platform that connects Autodesk systems with Amazon's internal tools, creating a reliable foundation for smarter collaboration. Now, she's building on that work with AI-powered tools that enable teams to search, analyze, and extract insights from millions of project data points, turning information into a strategic advantage.
“Sofia represents a generation of AEC professionals who refuse to accept the traditional separation between technology strategy and construction delivery. In a sector where digital transformation is frequently vendor-led, process-light, and disconnected from operational reality, Sofia's approach is the opposite: she builds the governance infrastructure first, then drives platform adoption against it.”
Ron takes on the impressive challenge of overseeing complex public and institutional projects across the San Francisco Bay Area. One of the things he does well is combining an architect's perspective with a builder's mindset to improve collaboration from planning through construction.
Ron is a strong advocate for using technology to simplify project delivery. He champions tools like Autodesk Forma and BuildingConnected Pro to improve procurement, coordination, and communication across project teams. At the same time, he's helping move the industry toward more data-driven decision-making by incorporating analytics and AI into preconstruction and project management.
Through his leadership, Ron is proving that connected data, stronger partnerships, and thoughtful innovation lead to better project outcomes.
“Ron is a builder and operator at the intersection of design, construction, and community impact. With a background in architecture and construction, he brings a dual perspective that strengthens coordination between design intent and field execution, reducing risk and improving outcomes for clients and communities.”
For Irene, great architecture is more than thoughtful design. It's about creating the digital foundation that allows projects to move seamlessly from concept to construction. As Co-Founder, Architect, and BIM Manager at AURUS Arquitectura, she blends design expertise with BIM, AI, and data-driven workflows to deliver complex residential, hospitality, healthcare, and public-sector projects across Europe and beyond.
Irene has developed integrated workflows that connect design, documentation, coordination, and construction, reducing production time while improving project accuracy. She also leverages Autodesk Forma to give project teams real-time visibility into site progress, issue tracking, and collaboration.
In addition to her work on projects, Irene is shaping the future of the profession by training more than 200 AEC professionals each year, helping architects and engineers embrace practical digital workflows without losing sight of thoughtful, human-centered design.
“An architect, BIM Manager, and educator, Irene is contributing to the transformation of how architecture and construction projects are conceived and delivered through the integration of design excellence, BIM, and AI-driven workflows.”
Luke Dressman is building a construction firm for the work public institutions cannot afford to get wrong.
A West Point graduate and former U.S. Army engineer officer who served with the Army Corps of Engineers, Luke founded Building & Repair Systems in 2022 after recognizing a widening gap in construction: demand for skilled building was outpacing the industry's ability to develop the next generation of builders. He started BR Systems with $5,000 of personal savings, drew no salary for its first two years, and reinvested everything back into the organization — growing it from that stake into a multi-million-dollar institutional contractor in four years. In 2026, the U.S. Small Business Administration's Tennessee District Office named BR Systems "Tennessee Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year".
Today, BR Systems is a Nashville-area commercial and institutional general contractor specializing in the renovation, repair, and build-out of occupied, mission-critical facilities. Its portfolio includes a municipal transit-center renovation, three barracks renovations at Fort Campbell, hospital pharmacy and secure special-needs facilities, college campuses, detention centers, and Tennessee state government facilities.
Luke's approach to innovation is deliberately practical: technology should not replace field expertise; it should capture it, strengthen it, and make it scalable. He connected estimating, project management, field operations, compliance, and financial data to give teams greater visibility into cost, schedule, risk, and closeout. BR Systems uses proprietary systems to help facilities teams define projects, price them against contract rates, and sharpen future estimates using actual field-cost data. Because BR Systems self-performs the construction, every completed project feeds the system with real-world outcomes and makes the next estimate smarter.
By pairing that digital backbone with standardized workflows, self-performed drywall and framing, and deliberate workforce development, Luke is building a company designed to scale without losing control of craftsmanship, quality, or accountability. His mission is clear: equip the next generation of builders to keep America's critical facilities mission-ready.
“Luke is redefining workforce expectations by investing in training, creating clear career pathways, and fostering a culture that values collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement. Equally important, he is helping shift the industry’s mindset. He demonstrates that construction is not only a skilled trade but also a dynamic, professional environment that embraces innovation, diversity of thought, and operational excellence.”
Giacomo sees BIM as much more than a design tool. For him, it's the foundation for smarter, more connected asset management across the entire project lifecycle. In his role as BIM & Digital Twin Technical Authority at Capgemini Engineering, he helps organizations integrate BIM, Digital Twins, and enterprise systems into cohesive strategies.
His work spans everything from developing enterprise BIM frameworks and information management strategies to implementing digital twin platforms that connect engineering, operations, and sustainability data.
Outside his client work, Giacomo contributes to Italian BIM standards, teaches at universities, and speaks at international conferences. His award-winning projects and commitment to open, interoperable digital ecosystems continue to advance how organizations think about digital transformation in the built environment.
“Giacomo Bergonzoni has successfully transformed BIM from a technical discipline into a strategic, enterprise-wide capability, delivering measurable business, sustainability, and operational value across complex infrastructures, energy systems, and industrial assets.”
Sampada is distinguished by her leadership in advancing model-based estimating within commercial construction. Beyond her technical expertise, she has led cross office training initiatives that have expanded the adoption of digital preconstruction workflows across multiple teams, helping transform model-based estimating from a specialized capability into a standardized organizational practice.
One notable thing about Sampada is that her work has focused on connecting design, cost, constructability, and execution into a single collaborative process rather than treating them as separate functions.
She is also preparing organizations for the next wave of modernization by aligning current processes with emerging platforms such as Autodesk Forma, demonstrating how early‑stage design intelligence can seamlessly connect to downstream execution.
Her work reflects the broader modernization of construction into a more connected, analytical, and future‑ready industry—and she is helping lead that transformation.
“Her ability to influence systems, not just tasks, places her among the most promising emerging leaders in the field. Sampada’s leadership extends beyond the organization as well. Through The Future Builds, she contributes to industry‑wide conversations, positioning herself as a practitioner‑leader whose voice is helping shape the future of construction.”
When a company is growing quickly, keeping people, processes, and technology aligned is no easy task. That's exactly where Amanda Rivera excels. As Senior Operations Manager at Dynamic Energy Solutions, she has helped guide the renewable energy company through a successful operational transformation, ensuring teams remained productive as they adopted new ways of working.
Amanda led the transition to Autodesk Forma, bringing preconstruction, project delivery, cost management, and operations together on a single platform. Thanks to this switch, the company gained greater visibility into project performance, more consistent workflows, and stronger collaboration between engineering, procurement, and operations teams.
All in all, Amanda focuses on building scalable systems that support long-term growth, so Dynamic Energy can deliver renewable energy projects more efficiently as the company continues to expand.
“Operating within a renewable energy company, Amanda’s work directly contributes to sustainability outcomes by enabling more efficient and data-driven project delivery. She has enabled better data visibility and reporting across projects, supported more informed decision-making through centralized systems, and built a foundation for future AI and analytics capabilities through structured data and integrated workflows.”
Alex thrives in environments where every project brings a new set of challenges. As an Interior Design Project Manager at Echelon Arch + Design, she oversees projects across education, healthcare, commercial, and interior design.
Beyond managing day-to-day delivery, Alex has helped strengthen the firm's digital project workflows by advancing the use of BIM, Autodesk Forma, and Revit as collaborative tools rather than just design software.
One example is her introduction of HOVER, a visualization and documentation platform that gives clients and project teams more accurate mockups early in the design process. This has led to better-informed decisions and smoother coordination. Combined with her commitment to mentoring colleagues and refining internal standards, Alex is helping her firm deliver higher-quality projects while continuously improving the way teams work.
“Alex has the ability to successfully manage complex, multi-sector projects while leading teams with clarity, accountability, and precision. As a Project Manager, she oversees projects across education, commercial, healthcare, and interior design sectors—often managing multiple projects simultaneously without compromising quality or timelines.”
Mohamad has built a career around solving complex challenges with digital innovation. As Regional Digital Manager for Egis across the Middle East and South Asia, he leads the company's digital strategy for more than 6,000 employees while helping deliver some of the region's most ambitious infrastructure projects.
His work spans far beyond BIM implementation. On one of the world's largest coral restoration initiatives, Mohamad led the development of a connected Digital Twin pilot integrating BIM models, IoT sensors, and asset documentation to enable real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making. He also plays a leading role in advancing regional AI initiatives that help accelerate digital transformation across operations and projects.
He has also led the ISO 19650 standardization initiative across Group, supporting regional teams through certification efforts involving more than 1,500 professionals, while sharing his expertise through Autodesk University, industry publications, and international conferences. His capacity to translate emerging technologies into practical, large-scale solutions continues to push the boundaries of digital transformation in the AEC industry.
“Mohamad is someone who moves fluidly between project delivery, organizational governance, and technology authorship, and whose career progression itself mirrors the industry's digital maturation.”
Hamid is a recognized leader in innovation and digital transformation who is redefining how infrastructure projects are planned, delivered, and managed through connected digital ecosystems. With a multidisciplinary engineering background and more than a decade of experience in digital delivery and construction technology, he has played a pivotal role in expanding digital services across FlatironDragados and embedding innovation across major infrastructure projects throughout North America.
Passionate about advancing the construction industry, Hamid has led the implementation of enterprise digital delivery practices by integrating BIM models, drone-based reality capture, AI, and connected project data into scalable digital ecosystems. His vision extends beyond deploying individual technologies—he is building Digital Twins that connect engineering, construction, and field information, transforming fragmented data into construction intelligence that drives better planning, collaboration, and decision-making.
Beyond implementing technology, Hamid has established enterprise standards, governance frameworks, and best practices that have accelerated digital adoption across the organization. Through training, mentorship, and close collaboration with project teams, he has empowered hundreds of professionals to confidently embed digital workflows into everyday project delivery. His people-first approach has streamlined processes, strengthened collaboration, and fostered a culture of continuous innovation.
By bridging engineering expertise with emerging technologies, Hamid continues to shape the future of digital construction, demonstrating how connected data, Digital Twins, and AI can transform infrastructure project delivery and create smarter, more efficient, and more resilient projects.
"Hamid embodies the future of digital construction through a passion for innovation and digital leadership. He believes technology creates its greatest impact when it empowers people, connects data, and transforms the way projects are delivered. By advancing Digital Twins, AI, connected data, and enterprise digital delivery, Hamid is building a culture of continuous innovation, establishing scalable standards, and enabling smarter, data-driven decisions that are shaping the future of infrastructure project delivery"
When projects are high-stakes and collaboration is critical, Pallavi is the kind of person teams want at the table.
As a Project Manager at Gilbane Building Company, she has earned a reputation for leading complex healthcare and life sciences projects successfully while developing the people and processes that drive reliable outcomes.
One example of her leadership came on the UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute project, where she introduced Hoylu as a live, visual pull-planning platform, replacing spreadsheet-based daily work plans. By giving designers, trade partners, and project engineers a shared view of schedules, constraints, and commitments, she helped create stronger accountability and faster decision-making across the team.
As Lead Project Manager for the Hospital Make Ready Program at UCSF Helen Diller Hospital, Pallavi guided project execution while mentoring project teams across multiple firms and advancing Lean, technology-enabled workflows that improved transparency, accountability, and coordination.
Pallavi pairs people-focused leadership with digital innovation, using collaborative planning tools and project controls systems to help teams solve problems early and deliver reliable results.
“Throughout her career, she has been repeatedly trusted with projects and problems where clarity, accountability, and sound judgment matter most, making her a leader who elevates both outcomes and the teams she leads.”
Manasi views digital transformation as more than introducing new technology. It's about creating systems that help people solve problems faster and make better decisions. As National Lead for BIM & Automations at Godrej Properties, she has helped scale BIM and digital workflows across the organization, making connected project delivery the standard rather than the exception.
One of Manasi's most impactful initiatives was leading the enterprise-wide rollout of Autodesk Forma, onboarding more than 1,400 users and embedding standardized workflows for RFIs, model coordination, and document management across design, planning, and site teams. She also introduced data-driven tools such as RFI heatmaps that identify recurring design and construction issues before they escalate, helping teams shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making.
“Manasi’s approach goes beyond technology implementation—she focuses on building digital capability within teams, upskilling professionals, and fostering a mindset shift from reactive execution to proactive, insight-led delivery.”
As a Senior Digital and Design Technology leader at Gray Puksand, Páraic led the migration of the entire practice to Autodesk Forma, now supporting hundreds of live projects across multiple studios. He has also embedded tools like Autodesk Forma and advanced Revit–Rhino workflows into everyday practice, improving both design quality and delivery efficiency.
Páraic is at the forefront of applied AI in AEC. He is leading the rollout of internal tools like “Gráice” and exploring AI agents to automate business processes. Also, he’s now about to roll out Ai within Revit with Claude and MCP, always with a strong focus on governance and real-world value.
Alongside this, he mentors teams, drives training across 50+ designers, and plays a key role in major project collaboration. His ability to combine strategy, innovation, and practical implementation positions him as a true emerging leader shaping the industry's future.
“Páraic combines this with strong change management, aligning leadership, upskilling teams, and ensuring consistent adoption across the business. From strategic engagement with partners to hands-on training for designers and interns, he embeds new ways of working effectively.”
Rather than treating innovation as a separate department, Josue is making it part of how work gets done every day. As Core Innovation Lead at Grupo Hermosillo, he is responsible for the systems, workflows, and culture that enable teams to improve how projects are designed, coordinated, and delivered.
One of Josue's most impactful achievements has been automating tilt-up and precast documentation workflows that once took weeks to complete. He combined Revit-based automation with standardized processes, enabling his team to reduce documentation time from as much as three weeks to less than an hour. More broadly, internal testing showed representative workflows dropping from roughly 240 hours of manual effort to just 13 hours.
Josue leads the creation of these solutions alongside the designers, modelers, BIM Managers and on site teams who use them, turning practical ideas into tools that are readily adopted and helping build a more innovative, digitally empowered workforce.
“Josue is changing both how work is done and who gets to shape that work. Instead of treating innovation as something delivered only by specialists or outside consultants, he is building a model where designers and modelers become active contributors to digital transformation.”
Strong project management often comes down to one thing: giving people the information they need to make the right decisions at the right time. That's where LaShawnda has made her mark. Over the course of her career, she has successfully managed facilities and construction programs for major clients, including Real Estate and Financial services.
In Real Estate services, LaShawnda helped establish disciplined project controls that kept teams aligned across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Through clear decision logs, action-item tracking, and consistent communication, she transformed scattered project information into an organized workflow that improved accountability and kept projects moving forward. Her ability to connect people, processes, and project goals has earned the trust of clients and colleagues alike, making her a leader who consistently delivers results in complex construction environments.
“What makes LaShawnda stand out is that she treats project management as a leadership function, not an administrative function. She connects people, process, schedule, cost, risk, and client expectations. Her ability to manage complex work for major clients across different industries and regions makes her a strong emerging leader in construction."
Rodney Younger serves as Director of Preconstruction for Keystone Construction Corporation, where he leads budgeting, planning, risk management, value engineering, and procurement strategies across a diverse portfolio of multifamily, hospitality, mixed-use, adaptive reuse, parking, and sports development projects. Known for his analytical approach and ability to anticipate challenges before they impact a project, Rodney has built a reputation for improving cost certainty, strengthening project coordination, and helping teams make informed decisions from concept through closeout. His leadership has contributed to the continued growth and operational excellence of Keystone by creating repeatable processes that align executive strategy, preconstruction, and field operations.
One of Rodney’s most significant contributions came while reviewing a major multifamily development, where he uncovered a concrete omission that had been missed throughout the estimating and bidding process. Through an independent quantity takeoff and validation with alternate subcontractors, he identified a multimillion-dollar cost exposure exceeding $4 million before construction began, allowing the project team to address the issue proactively rather than absorb a substantial financial loss. This proactive approach reflects Rodney’s broader philosophy of identifying risks early, leveraging data-driven decision-making, and protecting both owners and contractors from costly surprises. Drawing on experience from both the owner and contractor sides of the industry, he consistently delivers practical solutions that improve project outcomes and create value for project stakeholders.
Beyond project delivery, Rodney is committed to advancing the construction industry through leadership, mentorship, and innovation. He has helped modernize preconstruction operations by implementing standardized workflows, strengthening collaboration between office and field teams, and promoting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Passionate about developing future construction professionals and creating opportunities for others to succeed, Rodney represents the next generation of industry leadership—one that combines technical expertise, strategic thinking, and a commitment to building stronger teams, better projects, and more resilient communities.
“Rodney represents the modernization of the design and construction workforce by actively advancing both inclusive business practices and data-driven project delivery, bridging traditional gaps in how projects are procured, managed, and executed.”
Viktoria has such a strong ability to translate advanced construction technologies into practical, site-level impact.
In January 2025, Laminar Projects was brought in to lead the planning scope on a €100m data center project in Vienna, with a clear requirement to strengthen delivery in line with Digital Realty’s contractual expectations. Viktoria was seconded into the main contractor’s team as the Planning and Project Controls Lead, with responsibility for integrated programme management, project controls and production control. She led the integration of Primavera P6, Aphex and AI-driven site-intelligence tools, connecting the master programme with short-term production planning and real-time site progress data. She quickly became a central figure in how the project was planned, monitored and managed.
She has gone beyond traditional planning responsibilities to shape decision-making across the project, driving a shift from static program reporting toward a live, performance-driven approach aligned around real-time data and measurable outcomes.
Alongside this, she has played a key role in integrating Autodesk Forma and BIM workflows into day-to-day delivery, using the federated model to lead structured coordination sessions with subcontractors. This improved visibility of design deliverables, procurement status, and construction readiness, enabling earlier identification of blockers across critical and near-critical paths.
“She has played a key role in changing team behavior, building trust in data-driven decision-making, and encouraging collaboration across both technical and site teams. Her ability to communicate complex information clearly across stakeholders, from planners to site teams, has helped bridge the gap between digital tools and on-site execution. Through this combination of technical understanding and people-focused leadership, Viktoria is not only improving project outcomes but also contributing to the broader modernization of how construction projects are delivered.”
Steven has led several firmwide technology, workflow, and process improvements at Larson Design Group (LDG) that have delivered clear gains in efficiency, quality, and collaboration. As the leader of LDG’s Digital Practice, he focuses on transforming promising ideas into scalable, supported business solutions. As a result, teams spend less time locating information, reduce rework, and deliver projects more consistently across disciplines and offices.
One of his most impactful initiatives was implementing a centralized design content library. By streamlining access to resources and standardizing the content used across projects, the library has improved project execution and consistency. LDG estimates this effort saves approximately 3,000 labor hours annually and has contributed to measurable quality improvements reflected in both internal and external QA/QC reviews.
Under Steven’s leadership, LDG has built a culture of continuous learning by aligning annual technical skills assessments with targeted development plans that keep training relevant, measurable, and rooted in real delivery needs. He has helped drive adoption of the firm’s internal learning platform from 40% to nearly 80% of staff, strengthening digital fluency across the entire organization.
“Steven has been a driving force in his firm's adoption of emerging technologies by co-leading Larson Design Group's AI Initiative and leading its AI Task Force. He brings together a cross-functional team to identify high-value use cases, assess risk, and establish responsible governance for deployment. Under his guidance, the initiative has moved from experimentation to a structured program with clear priorities, executive visibility, and practical pathways for implementation.”
When Meyers + Associates decided to move from AutoCAD to Revit, Aubrey didn't just help with the transition—she led it. Over the past decade, she has transformed the firm's digital capabilities, building the BIM standards, workflows, and training programs that support hundreds of projects and some of Ohio's most technically demanding developments.
Aubrey continues to push those capabilities forward by pairing Autodesk's cloud platform with AI-powered design tools that give teams more time to focus on creativity and collaboration. One example is her custom visualization workflow, which uses tools like WiseBIM, Veras, and ArchSynth to compress days of modeling and rendering work into minutes, allowing designers to explore more ideas and present clients with multiple design options early in the process.
Beyond technology, Aubrey has trained nearly 50 colleagues, helping build a culture where continuous learning and innovation are part of everyday practice.
“The most significant cultural shift Aubrey has driven at Meyers+Associates is how experienced professionals relate to technology and how people learn. When she arrived, the firm had skilled architects and designers with years of AutoCAD experience and understandable skepticism about change. Rather than mandating adoption, she made Revit feel achievable. She delivered the first project, built the necessary templates, and became the person everyone trusted to ask.”
Douglas Carney is the CEO and Co-Founder of Odin, the workforce intelligence and operations platform that enables owners and contractors to manage the people, security, and operations behind the world's most critical infrastructure projects.
After founding Odin in 2020, Doug set out to solve one of construction's biggest challenges: the lack of trusted workforce data. Under his leadership, Odin has grown into a robust platform supporting more than 500 active projects, over 100,000 verified workers, and more than $100 billion in construction value.
Today, many of the country's leading contractors rely daily on Odin, connecting workforce management, physical security, compliance, and operational intelligence into a single platform that provides real-time visibility throughout an asset's lifecycle.
That mission is deeply personal. Doug's grandfather was permanently disabled in a construction accident on a poorly managed jobsite, inspiring Doug's belief that better information leads to safer decisions. That philosophy continues to guide Odin today: every product decision begins with improving safety, reducing risk, and building greater trust across the industry.
“The thing I think most people miss about Doug is that this is not abstract for him. His grandfather was permanently disabled in a backhoe accident on a poorly managed jobsite. That is the reason Odin exists. He talks about it rarely and never performatively. But when you understand it, you understand why he treats every product decision as a safety decision first and a business decision second.”
Wolf thrives where engineering and software development intersect. Drawing on expertise in mechanical engineering, computer science, and data analytics, he creates digital tools that solve real-world construction challenges while making advanced technology more accessible to the people who use it every day.
His work at Pan-Pacific Mechanical is integral to modernizing company-wide workflows and redefining how projects are monitored and delivered. From developing custom field and office applications to overhauling the company's technology stack, Wolf is one of the leaders introducing a new approach to software usage, automation, and development at Pan-Pacific Mechanical. Just as importantly, Wolf works closely with office and field teams to understand their needs before designing solutions, ensuring new tools are practical, reliable, and easy to adopt. This naturally makes him one of the key drivers for core initiatives like advancing Autodesk-based workflows and developing methods to apply AI responsibly for process automation, data analysis, and software development. To make this possible, he is building the data foundations needed for intelligent, trustworthy automation in the AEC industry.
“Wolf is one of the most innovative, precise, and hard-working people that I have ever met. He combines experience in mechanical engineering, computer science, and data analytics to not only deploy but also redefine and shape software and computing architecture solutions for the AEC industry. He continues to impress me with his drive to deliver excellent solutions that are robust, practical, and impactful.”
Meridith has built her career around turning ambitious ideas into real-world infrastructure. From leading engineering for first-of-kind carbon removal facilities to co-founding Puppet Robotics, she consistently tackles complex challenges where new technologies must prove themselves outside the lab.
At Heirloom Carbon, Meridith built and led the engineering team responsible for designing infrastructure to support gigaton-scale carbon removal, while implementing digital workflows that connected engineering, construction, and business decision-making.
She is now bringing that same practical mindset to Puppet Robotics, where she's helping develop robotic systems that automate hazardous tasks such as abatement, selective demolition and other manual trade tasks. Rather than replacing skilled workers, the technology is guided by their expertise, enabling them to supervise fleets of robots while reducing exposure to hazardous environments and increasing productivity. By grounding innovation in the realities of construction, Meridith is helping shape a safe, more efficient and more resilient future for the industry.
“Meridith has demonstrated a consistent ability to lead at the intersection of engineering, technology, and construction, bringing new systems into existence and enabling teams to execute against them.”
For Sheik, digital transformation isn't about adopting the latest technology. It's about rethinking how project teams collaborate and integrating innovation into everyday practice. Over the years, he has played a leading role in raising the digital maturity of both RSP and the broader Singapore AECO industry, helping teams embrace cloud-based workflows, BIM, and AI-driven project delivery.
One of Sheik's most ambitious initiative, an AI-powered platform that combines 3D models, historical project information, and sustainability data to help project teams make better-informed design decisions. Built on Autodesk Platform Services and the firm's standardized Autodesk Forma environment, the platform transforms years of project knowledge into actionable insights.
Additionally, Sheik has led RSP's shift to cloud-first collaboration, expanded BIM adoption across the firm, and continues to explore new ways Autodesk tools can support emerging initiatives such as Singapore's CORENET-X regulatory approval framework.
“Sheik has been heavily involved in raising the digital maturity of the Singaporean AECO Industry for many years, while also being a strong advocate for Autodesk. His influence, as well as his innovative, hands-on approach, is far-reaching and impactful for RSP and the wider industry.”
The best processes are the ones people actually want to use, and Charlie has made that philosophy a cornerstone of his work. As Project Executive, he focuses on creating consistent processes that improve visibility, strengthen accountability, and help projects run more efficiently from preconstruction through closeout.
A key part of that effort has been leading the rollout of Autodesk Forma across multiple project teams, integrating budgeting, cost management, change management, and project documentation into a single connected platform. His efforts to pair standardized workflows with real-time reporting and team training have led to improved collaboration between field, office, and executive teams while giving project leaders better insight into cost and performance. He continues to build on that foundation by exploring AI-powered tools and automation that streamline decision-making and support more predictable project delivery.
“Charlie is leading a cultural change that emphasizes accountability, real-time collaboration, and transparency across teams, replacing outdated, siloed workflows. Through both technology implementation and team development, he is helping position construction as a more efficient, connected, and forward-thinking industry.”
As Project Leader at Shimizu Corporation, Saori has helped turn Autodesk Forma from a promising technology into an integral part of how one of Japan's largest general contractors approaches design and project delivery. She has led the standardization of Forma workflows across the organization, ensuring teams use the platform to make faster, more informed decisions from the earliest stages of a project.
Saori's influence extends well beyond her own company. Recognized as one of Autodesk University's top-rated speakers in 2025, she has become a trusted voice for digital transformation across Japan's construction industry, regularly sharing practical guidance with peers looking to adopt Forma. By combining hands-on construction experience with deep product expertise, she helps organizations move beyond pilot programs and embed digital tools into everyday workflows.
“Through close collaboration with project stakeholders, Saori has developed product knowledge that surpasses that of many vendor representatives. This has enabled her to propose solutions grounded in genuine construction workflows rather than theoretical use cases. She is actively reshaping how Shimizu Corporation approaches the adoption of design technology at the organizational level.”
Jackson Morley is helping redefine how digital delivery is applied during construction. As a Project Manager and Superintendent at SMEC, he focuses on turning digital engineering into practical site outcomes by connecting design, construction, quality assurance, and handover into a single, integrated workflow.
A leader in the implementation of Autodesk Forma across civil infrastructure projects, Jackson has championed model-based quality assurance, mobile field delivery, and digital construction workflows that replace traditional paper-based processes. His work enables project teams to complete inspections, manage issues, raise RFIs, and capture construction records directly from site, improving traceability, reducing rework, and strengthening confidence in project information.
Beyond implementing technology, Jackson is recognised for developing practical digital delivery frameworks that integrate Autodesk platforms with project controls, automation, and construction management processes. His focus is creating systems that are simple for field teams to adopt while establishing the foundations of the digital “Golden Thread” from design through construction and into asset handover.
Jackson actively shares his experience with the wider industry through presentations, articles, and collaborative initiatives, helping infrastructure organisations better understand how digital delivery can create measurable improvements in project performance. His practical, people-first approach has made him a respected advocate for construction-focused digital transformation across Australia.
“Jackson has been at the forefront of implementing Autodesk Forma across live civil infrastructure projects. What distinguishes him is his ability to bridge technology and construction practice, developing practical digital workflows that project teams genuinely want to use. By focusing on collaboration, simplicity, and long-term adoption, Jackson has helped transform digital delivery from a compliance exercise into an everyday way of working, creating lasting value for both project teams and clients.”
Bassant has shown that successful digital transformation takes more than new technology — it takes fluency in the latest construction technology, deliberate change management, and a deep technical understanding of how construction projects actually run.
At Square Engineering Firm, a contractor of around 1,900 people delivering more than thirty regional sites across Egypt and Saudi Arabia, she is helping to reshape project delivery by connecting engineering, commercial, project controls, procurement and construction teams through unified digital workflows — building toward the frontier of digital construction.
One of her most significant achievements was co-leading the implementation of Autodesk Forma across multiple live projects, followed by an instrumental role in the integration of Autodesk Forma Cost Management with SAP — replacing manual, spreadsheet-based cost control with connected cost and financial data flowing between the construction platform and the enterprise backbone.
Beyond Square, Bassant shares her expertise through Autodesk University, regional conferences, and industry events, helping organizations across the Middle East and beyond accelerate their own digital transformation journeys.
"Bassant is exceptionally skilled at bridging technical depth, business understanding, and organizational leadership. As Information Systems & Digital Construction Manager at Square Engineering Firm, she has played a central role in transforming how complex construction projects are planned, controlled, and delivered."
As Technical Director of Digital Delivery at Stantec, Jan is helping shape the future of project delivery across the built environment. He leads digital strategy, information management, BIM, and digital transformation initiatives across complex multidisciplinary programmes, driving the adoption of modern delivery practices that improve quality, efficiency, and project outcomes.
Jan has played a key role in advancing ISO 19650 implementation, Common Data Environments, automation, and data driven delivery across Stantec's UK business, while influencing best practice throughout the company's global network. His work focuses on creating scalable systems and standards that enable project teams to collaborate more effectively, reduce risk, and make better informed decisions throughout the project lifecycle.
One of Jan's notable achievements was leading the implementation of an ISO 19650 aligned Common Data Environment and for the Agratas Battery Cell Manufacturing Facility, one of the UK's most technologically advanced manufacturing developments. By integrating digital planning, information management, and model based delivery workflows, he helped establish a robust digital ecosystem that improved information quality, increased visibility of project performance, and streamlined collaboration across disciplines.
Beyond project delivery, Jan is passionate about developing people and capability. He has invested significantly in mentoring teams, developing digital standards, and championing innovation, helping embed digital delivery as a sustainable business capability rather than a standalone initiative.
"Jan champions clarity, standardisation, and automation, enabling multidisciplinary teams to work faster and with greater confidence. His leadership combines technical expertise with a practical focus on people, processes, and data, helping modernise how engineers, architects, and contractors deliver increasingly complex projects in a digital world."
As Engineering Manager at Stowe Australia, Sean has played a solid role in challenging long-standing workflows and guiding his team toward more structured, data-driven approaches aligned with ISO 19650 principles and Form adoption.
Rather than relying on established methods, Sean actively encourages his engineering team to engage with digital tools for coordination, documentation, and review, improving both efficiency and quality of outcomes.
His influence has been instrumental in embedding engineering input into structured information workflows, ensuring that design data contributes not only to project delivery but also to broader organizational intelligence. This aligns directly with Stowe’s shift toward treating data as a strategic asset, supporting decision-making and long-term business insight.
“Beyond technical leadership, Sean is known for his collaborative and thoughtful approach to change. He acts as a key sounding board for strategic digital initiatives, engaging in robust and constructive discussions that test assumptions and refine direction. He is respected for balancing practical engineering experience with a willingness to evolve, making him a trusted leader among his peers and a strong contributor to Stowe’s ongoing digital transformation.”
Ilhem has shown that meaningful innovation often comes from improving the way teams work together. Through her combination of technical expertise and collaborative leadership, she has helped deliver complex infrastructure projects while developing smarter, more efficient design processes that benefit everyone involved.
One example is her work on the UK's High Speed rail program, where she developed a methodology that combined finite element analysis with Excel-based post-processing to reduce the number of model runs required while accelerating structural analysis. The approach enabled a team of four engineers to produce results more efficiently and with greater consistency.
Ilhem also coordinated design efforts across teams in France, India, and the UK, creating standardized workflows and streamlined drawing production that improved collaboration across regions.
“Ilhem proves that leadership is not only for managers. Any engineer can drive a design team to be better and faster in the design process while maintaining motivation. She also proves that clever use of existing tools can bring more productivity, and that we shouldn’t wait for new magic tools to appear.”
Kesler approaches healthcare construction with a broader goal in mind: creating facilities that strengthen communities long after construction is complete. As Owner and President of The Apex Group, he works closely with tribal nations to deliver clinic and pharmacy projects that combine thoughtful design, efficient construction, and operational planning into a single, integrated model.
One example is an 18,000-square-foot clinic and pharmacy in New Mexico, where Kesler incorporated 3D concrete printing to accelerate construction while reducing costs. He has also leveraged modular construction, LiDAR scanning, and BIM to improve design accuracy and streamline project delivery, all while coordinating architecture, engineering, procurement, and healthcare operations.
By aligning facility design with technologies such as automated pharmacy systems and electronic medical records, Kesler helps ensure each project is ready to serve patients from day one, creating lasting economic and healthcare benefits for tribal communities.
“Through his leadership and work across Indian Country, he delivers clinic and pharmacy projects that go beyond the building, helping establish fully operational, tribally led healthcare businesses. His approach integrates culturally informed design, geographic influence, and efficient delivery to meet the unique needs of tribal nations and the communities around them. He consistently navigates complex regulatory, funding, and operational challenges while driving and ensuring a clean, deliverable building.”
Elaine is an architect and PMP-certified Senior Project Manager with a decade-long career on the owner's side of development—one of the most demanding and underrepresented perspectives in the AEC industry.
What sets her apart is the breadth and scale of her leadership across radically different project typologies: from coordinating 200+ healthcare facility projects annually at Hapvida (one of Brazil's largest hospital networks), to managing architectural design and brand approval for three Hard Rock Hotel developments simultaneously, to delivering luxury high-rise residential towers in Brazil, and most recently leading ground-up multifamily coliving developments in Miami.
At Hapvida, she led a team of seven architects managing a national portfolio of hospital and clinic construction projects—a role that demanded both systems thinking and executive communication at scale. At VCI/Hard Rock Hotels, she served as the critical link between the internationally regulated Hard Rock brand design team and local architects, contractors, and procurement teams across multiple properties—a role that required fluency in brand standards, design intent, and construction realities simultaneously.
Now based in Miami, she has expanded her practice internationally, navigating US permitting, municipal processes, and multifamily construction on an O1B visa, which is a designation that itself recognizes her as a professional of extraordinary ability.
“Her career trajectory—from healthcare to hospitality to luxury residential to coliving—is itself a model of professional adaptability. She has proven that deep expertise in one typology, combined with systems-level thinking, is transferable across sectors. This cross-sector fluency is increasingly essential as the built environment becomes more complex and specialized.”
Nick is helping raise the bar for high-performance construction by proving that sustainability and execution go hand in hand. As Director of Construction at Thrive Collaborative, he led the delivery of Veridian at County Farm, one of the nation's most innovative net-zero energy mixed-use communities, while coordinating the complex teams and processes required to meet ambitious performance goals.
Rather than treating energy efficiency as a final checkpoint, Nick embedded it into every stage of construction. He implemented milestone-based quality inspections, pre-installation coordination meetings, and ongoing performance testing, including blower door and duct leakage testing, to verify that critical building systems met design intent before work progressed. This proactive approach reduced rework, improved coordination across trade partners, and helped establish a repeatable framework for delivering high-performance buildings. Through his leadership, Nick is demonstrating how thoughtful planning, data-driven decision-making, and collaborative execution can transform the future of sustainable construction.
“Through Veridian, Nick has helped redefine what is possible in residential and mixed-use construction, contributing to meaningful reductions in environmental impact while delivering high-quality, forward-thinking housing. His work reflects the future of the construction industry—where performance, sustainability, and execution all meet.”
Luís has shown time and time again that innovation succeeds when it's woven into everyday engineering practice. He built the TPF’s Innovation Center from the ground up, growing it from a two-person team into a multidisciplinary group that helps engineers, architects, BIM specialists, and data scientists solve real project challenges through digital delivery.
One of Luís' most impactful initiatives was leading the development of an integrated platform for managing mining facilities that combines geotechnical data, drone-based reality capture, geospatial mapping, and analytics into a single decision-support system. By replacing fragmented spreadsheets and files with a centralized data environment, his team improved collaboration, accelerated engineering analysis, and gave project teams earlier visibility into potential risks.
Beyond delivering innovative solutions, Luís has helped raise BIM adoption across TPF, contributed to Portugal's BIM standards, and teaches the next generation of professionals, extending his influence well beyond his own organization.
“Luís strengthened how teams approach problem-solving by promoting a multidisciplinary, innovation-driven culture where engineers, architects, and data specialists co-design solutions that are both efficient and scalable. By embedding digital skills, enabling continuous learning, and creating conditions for teams to adopt advanced tools with confidence, he is helping shape a new generation of AEC professionals ready to deliver in a rapidly evolving industry.”
Omkar has built a reputation for helping owners make smarter decisions on some of the country's largest and most complex capital projects. With experience spanning advanced manufacturing, energy, aviation, and infrastructure, he combines deep expertise in project controls with a practical approach to digital transformation that delivers measurable results.
One of Omkar's most significant contributions came at Ford's BlueOval City campus in Tennessee, where he developed a BIM-integrated cost-control framework that linked design changes directly to their cost impacts. Using Autodesk BIM 360 to streamline drawing comparisons and change management, he helped reduce review cycles from weeks to days while his team contributing to millions in documented client savings. Beyond project delivery, Omkar is advancing the profession through his leadership with AACE International, industry presentations on AI in construction, and efforts to build the next generation of digitally fluent project controls professionals.
“Omkar exemplifies what Autodesk recognizes in its 40 Under 40 honorees: a practitioner who translates deep technical expertise into decisive, enterprise-level impact. Over eight years spanning infrastructure, energy, aviation, and advanced manufacturing, he has built a career that is both significantly broad and measurable.”
When Vankirk Electric set out to transition to Autodesk Forma, David saw an opportunity to do more than migrate software. He reimagined the entire process. As Senior Technology Integrations Manager, he developed an AI-assisted migration approach that transformed what is typically a costly, labor-intensive effort into a faster, more scalable workflow.
David's solution automated the transfer of legacy project data, eliminated many of the manual steps that traditionally slow migrations, and saved the company significant third-party migration costs. He complemented the rollout with a centralized training hub that provides employees with easy access to documentation, onboarding resources, and best practices, helping teams adopt new tools with confidence.
He combines AI, cloud technology, and practical change management and shows how thoughtful technology integration can create lasting operational improvements across the construction industry.
“David’s leadership goes beyond implementation. He aligns cross-functional teams across field, project management, and operations, ensuring technology decisions translate into real business outcomes. His ability to drive adoption, influence stakeholders, and deliver measurable impact positions him as a next-generation leader shaping how construction teams operate in a digital-first environment.”
Andrew knows full well that the strongest projects begin long before construction starts. As Preconstruction Manager at VCM Construction, he has modernized the company's estimating and planning processes by replacing disconnected, manual workflows with a fully integrated digital ecosystem that helps his team make faster, more informed decisions.
Andrew led the implementation of Autodesk Forma, BuildingConnected, and ProEst, creating a connected environment where takeoffs, estimates, subcontractor bids, and project documentation are managed through an integrated workflow. By establishing a scalable digital preconstruction platform, he has positioned VCM to support future growth, standardize decision-making, and enable AI-powered workflows across the organization.
The transformation has shortened estimating timelines, improved forecasting accuracy, increased bid capacity, and strengthened collaboration between preconstruction, operations, and trade partners. Beyond introducing new technology, Andrew has focused on standardizing workflows, mentoring colleagues, and building a data-driven culture that lays the foundation for VCM's next generation of AI-powered preconstruction.
“Andrew has consistently demonstrated leadership in early-stage planning, developing accurate estimates, building detailed schedules, and aligning stakeholders to ensure projects are set up for success before construction begins. His expertise in managing complex phasing, critical path scheduling, and multi-stakeholder coordination has been instrumental in delivering projects on time and with minimized risk, particularly in operationally sensitive environments such as schools, municipal facilities, and active industrial sites.”
Joseph believes digital transformation only succeeds when it improves the way people work on site. As Corporate BIM Manager at Wee Hur Construction, he has led the company's enterprise-wide adoption of Autodesk Forma, turning BIM and Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) into practical tools that support engineers, supervisors, and project managers throughout the construction process.
Under Joseph's leadership, Wee Hur standardized digital workflows for RFIs, inspections, model coordination, and document management. By establishing this unified data foundation, he has not only reduced manual processes and improved collaboration, but has strategically positioned the company for the practical adoption of Agentic AI enabling smart workflow automation, automated reporting, and predictive data insights directly from the site.
Just as importantly, he has invested in people by developing a flexible, self-paced training program leveraging AI-driven learning tools to help both seasoned professionals and emerging talent build confidence with digital systems. Through his work with industry organizations and the broader Autodesk community, Joseph continues to advance digital construction practices across Singapore while helping shape a more connected, AI-ready workforce.
"His leadership is defined by mentorship and enablement. Joseph recognized early on that a structured Autodesk data foundation is the essential prerequisite for Agentic AI capability on site. By pairing clean data flows with a Training-At-Your-Pace upskilling approach, he ensures digital maturity is achieved across generations. His influence extends beyond titles—he shapes behaviors, workflows, and mindsets that support long-term industry transformation."
The 2026 Champions of Construction show that the future of the industry isn't being defined by technology alone. It's being shaped by the people who are finding better ways to collaborate, solve problems, and move projects forward. Whether they're advancing AI, improving jobsite safety, modernizing workflows, or mentoring the next generation, each honoree is helping raise the standard for what construction can achieve.
Of course, these 40 individuals represent just a small snapshot of the incredible talent driving the industry forward. Across every company and every jobsite, there are countless professionals making a meaningful difference through their leadership, creativity, and commitment to excellence. We encourage you to celebrate those people, too.
To this year's Champions of Construction, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. We can't wait to see what you'll build next!
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There's a popular saying that goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
That simple idea sits at the heart of one of the most unique collaborations in the construction industry. While contractors don't usually have a reputation for sharing notes with their competitors, a group of industry leaders in the Netherlands recognized that some challenges are simply too big to solve on their own.
In this episode of Digital Builder, I sit down with Arnoud van der Heijden, Project Manager Digital at BAM Netherlands, and Jelle Schweigmann, BIM Manager at Royal Heijmans, to discuss the NL5, a coalition of the five largest construction companies in the Netherlands. We explore how their firms are working together to tackle shared challenges around digital transformation, sustainability, standardization, and the future of construction technology.
We discuss:
The NL5 brings together the five largest construction companies in the Netherlands to tackle industry-wide challenges. The group serves as a forum for sharing knowledge and working through common issues around technology, sustainability, and standardization.
It makes sense because many of the challenges facing construction today extend beyond any one company. As Arnoud explains, "Together we have a bigger voice."
The NL5 traces its roots back to Autodesk University, where leaders from several Dutch construction firms realized they were facing many of the same challenges. According to Jelle, the conversations started around "obstacles in the way they want to work" and questions about "what could be done."
Rather than approaching Autodesk separately, they decided to come together as a group.
The impact was immediate. "We got more attention," he says. The group gained more visibility into Autodesk's roadmap and found it easier to have productive conversations about shared priorities.
For Arnoud, the value of the NL5 goes beyond vendor relationships. "In the Netherlands, we are pretty big as a company, but when you zoom in, you're just one company in one country in Europe. It's really small."
By coming together, the group can address challenges that no single organization could solve as effectively on its own.
According to Arnoud, the group primarily exists to share knowledge, discuss common pain points, and collaborate on industry-wide challenges.
To keep things moving, the NL5 operates with both a core leadership group and topic-specific working groups. Jelle explains that members meet every two months to review progress and align on priorities.
For deeper discussions, each company assigns representatives to focus on specific topics and "really go in a deep dive." That structure is intentional. As Jelle puts it, "You don't want it to be a talk group. You want to have results and be really specific."
One of the biggest challenges facing the NL5 is deciding what deserves attention in the first place. Each member company has thousands of employees, countless priorities, and no shortage of ideas. Arnoud explains that the group has to gather those priorities internally, then "prioritize with other companies" to identify the issues that matter most across the industry.
Sustainability and industry standards
One major focus area is sustainability. Dutch contractors are required to provide environmental calculations to government agencies and clients, but many of the tools they use are built around American or other international databases. According to Arnoud, that creates challenges because the Netherlands has its own standards and databases.
To address the issue, the NL5 has been working with Autodesk to explore API connections between Autodesk solutions and Dutch sustainability databases.
Influencing product development
The group also works closely with technology vendors to improve the tools construction teams rely on every day. During the industry's transition from BIM 360 to Autodesk Construction Cloud, members identified several gaps that were creating significant process challenges.
Doing so helped the group accelerate change. Arnoud recalls that several issues the NL5 raised were addressed within "two or three months" instead of taking a year or more. "That's the biggest plus that we had in this collaboration."
For Jelle, one of the most interesting outcomes is how these efforts often create momentum beyond the original problem. The sustainability initiative, for example, helped bring together other industry efforts around standards and data. "It does more, and it connects more than just a sustainability tool," he says.
Balancing collaboration with competition
At first glance, it might seem unusual for competing contractors to work this closely together. But according to Jelle, the group stays focused by concentrating on "the problems we all face" and leaving project-specific discussions at the door.
"We don't talk about projects," he says. "We're not going to change anything about that." Instead, the NL5 focuses on shared challenges where collaboration can drive meaningful progress for everyone involved.
Jelle also believes the people in the room matter just as much as the topics being discussed. "You need to have people who want to collaborate," he explains. The group includes a mix of leaders, practitioners, and professionals involved in broader standardization efforts across the Netherlands. That balance helps ensure the conversations are tied to real-world challenges while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
One of the biggest advantages of the NL5 is that it gives both vendors and customers a clearer picture of what the industry actually needs. Instead of five companies raising similar concerns separately, the group can come together around shared priorities and have more focused conversations.
Jelle points to a recent Autodesk University meeting as an example. During discussions around ACC, the group was able to connect with teams from across Autodesk, including people responsible for Docs, Build, Model Coordination, and other products. "Usually you talk to one or the other. You don't know what the bigger picture is," he says.
That broader view helped the NL5 better understand how Autodesk operates and what it takes to drive change across a global platform. It also gave Autodesk a more complete view of the challenges its customers are facing. "That helps both ways,” Jelle remarks.
For those interested in creating their own version of the NL5, both Arnoud and Jelle stress the importance of focusing on shared challenges rather than competitive interests.
"Focus on similarities" and "common interests," says Arnoud. Just as importantly, "avoid topics around contracts and commercials." In his view, those are separate conversations. To make collaboration work, companies need to focus on technical challenges and industry-wide opportunities where everyone stands to benefit.
Jelle believes success also depends on having the right people involved. "You need people who are open to discussions and open to new ways of working." Bringing together individuals who are already active in industry groups, standards initiatives, and digital transformation efforts can help create momentum and ensure the group is focused on meaningful outcomes.
Finally, Arnoud encourages firms to involve their technology partners. Vendors often have a unique perspective because they see the same challenges across multiple organizations. In fact, he argues that companies sometimes "underestimate the power of vendors."
By listening to those broader industry insights, firms can uncover common challenges faster and identify new opportunities to collaborate.
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
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Reminder: Autodesk Construction Cloud has joined the Autodesk Forma industry cloud and has taken on the Forma brand. As part of this evolution, additional Autodesk Construction Cloud product names have also been updated to align with the Forma brand. You will see these updates reflected throughout this blog.
This month, Autodesk Forma introduces over 70 construction product updates to support more efficient, connected project delivery. These releases strengthen how teams manage access, information, and change across projects.
Dig in by Topics:
Bridge | Repeat Sharing Across Projects | Sheets Tool
Repeat sharing will become available in the Sheets tool, extending the share again workflow previously released in Bridge. After sharing to one project, users can choose to share again and select another target project and folder while keeping the same selected sheets, title, and message—helping share project information across multiple projects with fewer repeated steps.
Dashboards | Bookmarks Card on Project Home
Keep project links in one place with Bookmarks Card on Project Home. Project members can save external website URLs and open project data and applications from the project dashboard. Coming to Build
Dashboards | "Assigned to me" on Project Home
Prioritize assigned action items by due date with "Assigned to me" on Project Home. Project members can review upcoming work from the project dashboard instead of relying on status counts. Coming to Build
Data Transitions | BIM 360 Data Transitions [BETA]
BIM 360 Data Transitions is now available in public beta, with support for both BIM 360 Field and BIM 360 Next Gen. Hub Admins can import supported project information from closed, completed, inactive, and archived projects into read-only storage in Autodesk Forma, review the results, and transition the imported information into a Forma Data Management project when needed, while leaving the source project unchanged.
Data Transitions | PlanGrid Data Transitions
PlanGrid Data Transitions is now generally available through Hub Admin in Autodesk Forma. Hub Admins can import supported information from completed, closed, inactive, and archived PlanGrid projects into read-only storage, review and download the results, and create a Forma Data Management project from the stored copy when needed. This provides an in-product way to bring historical PlanGrid project information into Autodesk Forma, where teams can preserve, review, and access it when needed.
Handover | Photos Supported in Handover
Handover packages now include project photos. Photos are exported alongside other project records such as forms, sheets, RFIs, submittals, files, and more, helping teams deliver more complete handover packages for owners and operations teams.
Handover | Multi-ZIP Handover Exports
Large exports will be broken into multiple zip files when appropriate. Additional ZIP files can be downloaded individually or together and include instructions for combining the exported files into a complete handover package, making large exports more reliable.
Handover | Handover Export History
Handover now gives project administrators a centralized history of exports for each project. Admins can review package contents and status, then download completed or partially completed packages directly in Handover—making the documentation needed for project closeout or stakeholder sharing easier to find and access.
Issues | Visibility by Type
Limit issue access by audience with Visibility by Type. Project administrators can control which issue types are visible to specific project members, roles, or companies, reducing clutter and protecting sensitive information.
Location | Rooms and Area Detection Powered by Autodesk AI [Public BETA]
Set up location areas without drawing every polygon using Locations' Rooms and area detection powered by Autodesk AI. Project administrators can review polygons identified in AI Mode and assign them to corresponding Location Breakdown Structure nodes.
Templates | Share Project Templates Across Hubs
Hub Admins can now share an active project template with another hub they manage in the same data center. A new template is created in the destination hub with the same supported product and tool configurations and settings, reducing repetitive setup and making established standards easier to apply across divisions, subsidiaries, or client hubs.
User Administration | Remove Yourself from a Project
Project members and Project Admins can now leave projects they did not create directly from the Projects list. From the More menu, users can select Leave project, making it easier to keep project access current without asking another administrator to remove them.
User Administration | Project Image and Hub Logo
Hub Admins can now upload an image, such as a company logo, that appears in the hub picker. Admins can also add a client logo, site photo, or other project image next to the project name in the project list, making hubs and projects easier for everyone with access to identify at a glance.
User Administration | Hub Activity Log
Hub Admin now includes an Activity Log for selected hub-level actions, such as project creation, adding or removing hub members, and assigning or removing Hub Admin permissions. Hub Admins can see who performed each action and when, giving them a clearer record of activity across the hub.
User Administration | Discover and Manage Betas in Forma
Hub Admin Settings now includes a Betas tab where Hub Admins can discover beta features available to their hub, review details and terms, and opt their hub in or out. Opt-ins apply across the hub, and feedback can be submitted directly in Forma, creating a direct path for teams to try new functionality and share input before broader release.
User Administration | Bulk License Assignment Management
Hub Admins can now manage subscription assignments for multiple members at once. From the Subscriptions tool, admins can see current assignments and assign or remove subscriptions for hub members, making it easier to update access across larger teams.
User Administration | Buy and Assign Desktop Licenses
Hub Admins can now purchase and assign eligible Autodesk desktop subscriptions through Forma, including AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit. Managing these subscriptions within a Forma hub makes it easier to provide teams with the Autodesk products they need as access requirements change.
Files | Large Dropdown List Custom Attribute Type
Files now includes a new drop-down list custom attribute type that supports up to 2,000 values, compared with the 400-value limit for standard drop-down lists. Teams can import longer option lists and search for the right value when editing file attributes, making complex naming standards, classification codes, and other structured information easier to apply at scale. Coming to Data Management
Files | Add Folder Bread Crumb to Files on Mobile
Files on mobile now displays a breadcrumb for the folder currently being viewed in the Files list and new file picker. The visible folder path stays in view as users browse, making it easier to stay oriented and find information within complex project folder structures. Coming to Data Management
Reviews | Workflow Setting Flexibility
Project Admins can now configure workflows to allow approvers to update approver candidates and prevent review creators from claiming tasks associated with their own submissions. These controls give teams more flexibility to adjust approver participation while supporting review processes that require separation between submission and approval. Coming to Data Management
Reviews | "Approved by" in the Reviews List and Summary Report
End users can see the actually approved by user name directly in the review list view, as well as the report. Coming to Data Management
Reviews | Archive Reviews Affected by the Workflow Service Transition
Following the previously communicated Reviews workflow service transition, Project Admins can now find and batch archive affected reviews that can no longer progress. A banner and filter surface these records, making it easier to keep the Reviews list and active review reporting focused on current work. Coming to Data Management
Coordination | Search Sets in Forma Data Management
Search Sets are now available in Forma Data Management, extending reusable, property-based queries beyond Model Coordination. Search Sets created in either experience is available across the project, helping teams consistently find, organize, and manage model objects without recreating queries for different workflows. Coming to Data Management Forma Data Management
Coordination | Clash Display Settings
Customize how clashes are displayed to create a more consistent review experience. Saved display preferences help teams reach the right clash context more quickly, reduce navigation, and streamline coordination and issue review workflows. Coming to Model Coordination
Coordination, Viewing | Civil Tools - Select Alignment from Canvas
Civil Tools now includes a dedicated selection mode that lets you select your desired alignment geometry directly from the 3D view. When selection mode is enabled, relevant geometries are highlighted while other tools are temporarily disabled, making it easier to start the review workflow. Selecting geometries from the panel dropdown remains fully supported and works as before. Coming to Data Management and Model Coordination
Correspondence | Permissions by Correspondence Type
Admins can control Correspondence permissions at an even more granular level, with the ability to grant permissions for individual correspondence types. Type-level permissions can be granted by member, role, or company, and determine who can see, create and archive correspondence based on type. Coming to Build, Design Collaboration, and Model Coordination
Cost Management | Auto-Setup Date Range Resource Dates from Cost & Time
Optional AI-powered feature that reduces the number of clicks required to set up Date Range Resources while also keeping resource timing aligned with your cost and schedule data. Coming to Build and BIM 360 Cost
Cost Management | Customizable System Budget Columns
System budget columns will be customizable to allow teams to tailor the standard columns rather than having to copy them then edit the formula. And retaining the audit trail for COs and Actual Costs. Coming to Build and BIM 360 Cost
Forms | Start Forms from a Job-site QR Code
Begin field forms from a linked template with Start forms from a job-site QR code. Crews can scan a physical QR code on mobile to create the form. Coming to Build and Build Essentials
Forms | Saved Filters
Return to common form views with Saved Filters. Project members can save filter criteria on web and reuse them when managing forms. Coming to Build and Build Essentials
Meeting Minutes | Calendar View
Meetings Calendar View gives teams a new way to visualize and manage project meetings. Users can view all meetings in a calendar layout, complete with meeting series colors, status, and meeting IDs, making it easier to see what's happening across the project at a glance. From the calendar, users can also create new meetings or schedule follow-up meetings directly from any day without manually selecting a date. Coming to Build, Design Collaboration, and Model Coordination
Photos | Bulk Edit Photo Details Including Bulk Tagging
Multiple photos can be selected and photo details can be edited for all of them. This includes adding tags to a selection of photos. This feature will be available on the web and mobile app, and applies to both the upload flow and to photos that are already uploaded. Coming to Forma Build and Forma Build Essentials
Photos | Photos in the Project Template
Update details across multiple photos with Bulk Edit Tags and Bulk Tagging. Project members can select several photos to edit shared details or add tags during upload or after the photos are stored. Coming to Build and Build Essentials
Photos | Inherit Location in Photos Referenced by Other Tools
Keep referenced photos aligned with their source context through Inherit Location in Photos Referenced by other tools. Project members can add a photo as a reference or sheet photo markup and retain the location assigned in the related tool. Coming to Build and Build Essentials
RFIs | Saved Filters
RFIs now support saving filtered views in the list view, helping teams work faster by saving and reusing commonly used filters and search criteria. Instead of repeatedly configuring the same views, users can quickly return to the RFIs that they need to see, whether they’re tracking pending actions, reviews, or responsibilities. Coming to Build
RFIs | Optional Reviewers
RFIs now support Optional Reviewers, letting RFI managers add roles or companies as non-blocking reviewers in the RFI workflow. Each optional reviewer appears as a separate review line in the reviewers table and can submit a formal response without delaying workflow progression. As part of this update, the existing Co-Reviewer field is renamed Optional Reviewer and enhanced to support full responses. Coming to Build
Sheets | Project-Wide Automatic Hyperlinks
Sheets now includes an optional setting that allows automatic callouts to link related sheets across collections. Members with Create + Upload permission can enable it for projects organized by work package, building, or phase, making it easier for teams to navigate related drawings without reorganizing collections or relying on manual workarounds. Automatic callouts continue to resolve within the same collection by default.. Coming to Build and Build Essentials
Specifications | Assign Pages When Publishing
Unassigned spec pages can now be quickly assigned during the specifications publishing workflows. This helps streamline the process, saving time and ensuring that all pages are correctly allocated for review and approval. Coming to Build, Data Management, and Takeoff.
Submittals | Review Templates in Project Templates
Submittal review templates allow teams to standardize review workflows across new projects. Configure review steps once in a template at the account level and automatically apply them when creating projects, reducing setup time and ensuring consistency. Coming to Build
Submittals | Review Responses & Comments on Mobile
Keep Submittal reviews moving while on the go, with the ability to set review responses and add comments to Submittals on your mobile device. Designers and field team can complete reviews without going onto the web, keeping Submittal workflows moving without delays. Coming to Build
Workplan | Plan Templates
Plan Templates help teams standardize and reuse short-term planning workflows, reducing setup time, and improving consistency. Create reusable plan templates that include tasks, metadata, and task handoffs, and can be applied when creating a new plan to populate the plan tasks setup and structure. Centralized template management makes it easier to maintain standards, scale best practices, and streamline project planning across your organization. Coming to Build
Workplan | Ease of Use Improvements
Workplan users are getting new functionality to make their day-to-day use of the tool easier. Tasks can be bulk selected by using either the Shift+Click or Alt+Click keyboard shortcut, depending on their device. In the item list, you can right click on an item to open the quick action menu. Additionally, you can add Assets as a reference to a task. Coming to Build
Workplan | Compact Layout and Gantt Chart in Reports
When exporting plan tasks, select the new Compact layout to export only the most important planning details into Excel: Title, Dates, Company, Location, and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Turn on the new Gantt Chart toggle to include a visual of tasks in the export, with each task displayed as a Gantt bar for easy schedule review. Coming to Build
Takeoff | Quick Fill for Areas (Beta)
Use existing linework in your PDFs as boundaries to simplify quantifying irregular or complex areas. Instead of manually tracing shapes point by point, fill the area, adjust sensitivity, and let Forma Takeoff infer the boundaries from the drawing for faster, more accurate results. Coming to Takeoff
Estimating | Saved Views
Project administrators can create, save, and manage custom estimate table views at a project level using filters, grouping, and column configurations. These views are accessible to project members, reducing setup time when working with large datasets and making it easier to tailor estimate data for different stakeholders and workflows. Coming to Estimate
Builders Network | Suggested Edits in Bid Tool (Beta)
The Bid tool in Forma (Beta) will now surface suggested edits results across key bidding workflows. Some of the areas where suggested edits will be visible include invitees window, bidders list and company and user profiles, this helps teams maintain more accurate bidder information and make more informed decisions throughout the bidding process.
Builders Network | Network Welcome Flow in Bid Tool (Beta)
Get started faster with a seamless onboarding experience directly within the Bid tool. Users can create and manage their Builders Network user profile, connect with their company, and complete employment verification without leaving Forma, simplifying setup and accelerating access to network-powered workflows.
Qualification | Contact Management
Managing Qualification contacts is now easier and more reliable. Contacts will be automatically synchronized from Builders Network when managing users and do not require manual entry; listed contacts can access qualifications without manual intervention, and administrators can resend invitations directly from TradeTapp when needed. Coming to TradeTapp
Qualification | Bidder List Template Filters
TradeTapp now supports filtering qualifications by bidder list templates, providing deeper integration between bidding and qualification. Teams can more easily identify and manage frequently used subcontractors while improving qualification workflow efficiency. Coming to TradeTapp
Preconstruction teams are under more pressure than ever to deliver faster, more accurate estimates while navigating increasingly complex projects.
This is already a tall order as it is, and when you layer in scattered project data and manual workflows, everything becomes even more of an uphill battle.
The challenge isn’t the lack of data, but a lack of connected data. Information lives across spreadsheets, models, drawings, and tools, making it hard to trust what is accurate and slowing down decision-making.
The good news is that connected workflows are changing that. Forward-thinking teams are leveraging tools like Autodesk Forma to create a connected preconstruction workflow where data flows seamlessly from takeoff to estimate and beyond.
So, what does that look like in practice?
In our recent webinar on connected preconstruction, experts from Autodesk and Jacobsen Construction explore how bringing takeoff, estimating, and data management into a single workflow is helping teams reduce manual work, improve consistency, and make more confident decisions earlier in the project lifecycle.
The more disconnected the data, the harder it becomes to make confident decisions.
Nick Zeeben, Group Product Manager at Autodesk, explains it best:
"One of the core challenges that we see as projects have gotten more complex is there are more folks involved in the process, but all of our tools around preconstruction are disconnected. So those decisions remain fragmented."
The result is that estimators spend less time evaluating opportunities and more time tracking down information, validating quantities, and confirming they're working from the right version of a document.
As Nick puts it, "A lot of folks spend their day not so much focused on the decision, but focused on ensuring they have the right information to make the decision."
Disconnected tools also create version control issues and manual handoffs that introduce risk. Teams waste valuable time determining which estimate is current, which takeoffs are accurate, and whether critical context has been lost along the way.
Autodesk Forma is designed to address these challenges by bringing takeoff, estimating, and data management together in a connected environment, giving teams a single source of truth for preconstruction workflows.
Connected workflows start with connected data. Without a centralized place for project information, teams find themselves searching for documents, comparing versions, and trying to determine which information is current. That confusion slows down collaboration and increases the risk of mistakes.
That’s why having a common data environment (CDE) is important.
As Autodesk Sales Specialist Jake Carey explains, "All of our products rely on Forma Data Management, which provides a centralized common data environment for preconstruction and construction teams alike. More importantly, "Forma Data Management keeps everyone working from the same single source of truth" with version control built in.
For many teams, takeoff data is spread across multiple tools, creating extra work and increasing the likelihood of missed quantities, duplicate work, or inconsistencies between projects.
Bringing 2D and 3D takeoff into a single solution helps eliminate those gaps while giving estimators more flexibility in how they work.
3D takeoff is where "the power of BIM really shines," says Jake. Teams can "pull quantities directly from the model itself and visualize the project in 3D," making it easier to understand design intent and project complexity.
At the same time, 2D takeoff remains available when models are incomplete or traditional workflows make more sense. Combined with standardized takeoff types that can be reused across projects, teams can work faster, reduce errors, and create more consistent estimates.
One of the biggest obstacles to efficient estimating is inconsistency. When estimators use different workflows, templates, or calculations, projects take longer to set up, and new team members face a steeper learning curve.
Takeoff types help solve that problem by standardizing how quantities are measured and calculated. Teams can build reusable types, formulas, and cost-linked line items once, then apply them across future projects.
"Once you create a takeoff type, you never have to create that again," says Jake.
Moving quantities from takeoff into an estimate has traditionally been one of the most time-consuming and error-prone parts of preconstruction.
Connected workflows eliminate that step. With Forma, quantities flow directly from takeoff into estimate, where material, labor, equipment, subcontractor costs, and markups can already be linked to estimate line items.
Even the most detailed takeoff can fall short if teams are working from different pricing assumptions. A centralized cost library helps ensure everyone is building estimates from the same foundation.
With Forma Estimate, labor rates, material pricing, equipment costs, subcontractor costs, and other estimate data live in one shared location.
According to Jake, "This customizable account-level library brings all of your pricing together in one place," making it easier to standardize estimating across teams.
The benefits of connected preconstruction workflows aren’t just theoretical. Companies are already using them to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and create better visibility across teams.
One example is Jacobsen Construction, a 100% employee-owned contractor headquartered in Salt Lake City that delivers projects across healthcare, higher education, private development, hospitality, and other sectors.
Before modernizing its workflows, Jacobsen's preconstruction processes relied heavily on spreadsheets, templates, and manual data transfers.
Over time, those files had been modified by different teams for different purposes. Brian Alama, Senior Estimator at Jacobsen Construction, describes it as having "countless versions of the same sheet housed in countless locations."
The lack of connected data led to manual handoffs between preconstruction and operations and created gaps in communication.
For Jacobsen Construction, moving to connected workflows wasn't just about software implementation. It was a process transformation designed to create a stronger flow of information across the project lifecycle.
Jacobsen had already partnered with Autodesk on construction workflows, so expanding that relationship into preconstruction felt like a natural next step. According to Brian, the team knew the platform was still evolving, but they also saw the opportunity to help shape its development.
"We saw the dedication they had to building something powerful, and we wanted to help," he recalls. "So far, the partnership has been meaningful and productive."
Jacobsen started with a handful of pilot projects. Two smaller jobs helped the team test concepts and refine processes before applying the same approach to larger projects.
"The product has been proven to work, and it's heading in the right direction,” he adds.
One of the biggest changes was consolidating takeoff into a single environment.
Previously, Jacobsen relied on a combination of OST, Bluebeam, Assemble, and SketchUp. While each tool served a purpose, they also created separate information silos that made collaboration and knowledge sharing more difficult.
"Takeoff has been a game changer for us since it combines both 2D and 3D takeoff into one place," Brian says.
The team also began using custom takeoff types and assemblies that could be shared across projects. These included standard estimate line items, formulas, and calculations.
"The biggest benefit has been copying takeoff types," Alama explained. "This has reduced the amount of time teams have spent creating conditions, performing takeoff, transferring quantities to a spreadsheet, and then writing the necessary formulas."
The impact became even more apparent once quantities started flowing directly into estimates.
"Once the takeoffs are complete, there are no more manually transferring quantities from OST or Bluebeam into the estimate," shares Brian. "This has been a big savings in time. It's a big game changer for us."
Importantly, automation didn't come at the expense of control. Estimators still review and approve quantities before they're applied, preserving the validation process many teams rely on.
"Through this process, you don't actually have to type in the number, but you still have the opportunity to review and make sure that number is what you want."
Connected workflows don't happen overnight. Jacobsen Construction's experience highlights an important reality: success depends as much on implementation strategy and team adoption as it does on technology.
Implementing new workflows across an entire organization can feel risky, especially when established processes have been in place for years. Rather than attempting a full-scale rollout, Jacobsen started with a handful of smaller projects to test concepts, validate workflows, and identify areas for improvement.
"The smaller projects helped us prove the processes and concepts," says Brian.
That measured approach paid off. After refining workflows on projects ranging from $5 million to $10 million, the team successfully applied the same processes to a project valued at more than $100 million.
According to him, "The workflows scaled from five to ten million dollar projects to over a hundred million with little to no changes."
His advice for teams considering a similar transition is straightforward: start small and focus on solving one problem at a time. "Handle small silos one at a time. Don't try to do the entire thing all at once. It will make it very painful for all of your teams."
While connected workflows delivered clear operational benefits, Jacobsen found that the biggest implementation challenge wasn't technical.
It was people.
"The most difficult part of integrating Forma into our estimating process was people of different personalities," Brian explains.
Like many organizations, Jacobsen had team members who had spent years refining their own workflows and processes. Asking them to adopt a new way of working required patience, communication, and time.
"We've had lots of different ways of doing things over the years," he says. "Trying to help other people let go of the processes that they know and trust and move to something that is new and that they don't trust has been one of the most difficult pieces that we've overcome."
The lesson is that successful transformation requires more than software deployment. Teams need time to build trust in new systems, validate results, and understand how new workflows improve their day-to-day work.
That’s why a phased rollout, along with clear expectations and early wins, can go a long way toward building that confidence and driving adoption across the organization.
For Jacobsen, connecting takeoff and estimating is only the beginning. The company's broader goal is to create a continuous flow of information from preconstruction through operations and back again.
"Our goal was to break down these silos and create connected information, not just through preconstruction, but throughout our entire process with operations and through construction," says Brian.
Ultimately, Jacobsen envisions a connected workflow where information moves seamlessly between takeoff, estimating, bidding, contract creation, and project execution, while preserving the historical data needed to improve future estimates.
As Brian says, the goal is "a loop of information housed in one central location that can be used through all phases of construction."
Connected preconstruction is about more than integrating tools. It’s about eliminating silos, standardizing workflows, and enabling teams to move faster and more confidently.
As demonstrated by Jacobsen Construction, even incremental changes like connecting takeoff and estimating can unlock significant efficiency gains and set the foundation for a fully connected construction lifecycle.
Watch the full webinar to explore these workflows in more detail.
AU 2026: The Design & Make Conference is shaping up to be an incredible 3-days of classes, keynotes, meetups, and more. This year, we’re coming to Las Vegas on September 15-17, and we’re excited to share that our session catalog is now live!
With more than 500 learning sessions, AU 2026 will host more than 80 construction-specific classes and sessions where you’ll hear from top industry experts and thought leaders across the globe. Whether you’re looking to bolster your technical skills, gain specific product knowledge, or learn about the latest and greatest trends and processes in AEC and beyond, there are plenty of rich learning opportunities to fill your agenda.
Register for AU 2026 today and remember that classes this year will be first come, first serve!
Please note Hands-on Labs do require enrollment because seating is limited. Attendees can reserve up to three labs in advance, so it's worth signing up early. See which labs are available here.
Don’t know how to start building your schedule? We have a few recommendations below. Just start favoriting sessions that catch your eye!
Stay tuned for more sessions and agenda recommendations coming soon on our blog. Also, if you’re having trouble convincing your manager to attend, we’ve compiled a few tips recently.
Over the course of this ERP Integration Series, we've explored how Cost Management in Forma Build and Agave helps construction teams create connected financial workflows.
We've looked at the fundamentals of ERP integration, explored the core capabilities of Cost Management, and taken deep dives into integrations with Sage 300, Viewpoint Vista, and CMiC.
But technology is only part of the equation.
Successful implementations depend on people, processes, and a clear plan for bringing everything together.
In this final installment, Jim Ferguson, ERP Integrations SME at Autodesk, is joined by Principal Implementation Consultant Tyler Patton to share practical lessons learned from helping construction organizations successfully deploy Cost Management and ERP integrations.
Whether you're just beginning your implementation journey or looking to optimize an existing deployment, these best practices can help set your team up for long-term success.
Watch the video below to see Tyler share some of the implementation best practices he's seen work time and time again.
Every successful implementation begins with stakeholder alignment.
According to Tyler, one of the most important factors is involving the right people early in the process and ensuring they have visibility into key decisions.
"We want the right people to be present so that the right decisions can get made and folks have visibility into the process and the decisions that are being made.”
In most cases, that core stakeholder group falls into three categories: operations, accounting, and IT.
Operations teams understand how the business runs day-to-day, and work gets done in the field and on projects. This person should be familiar with approval workflows, contracts, change orders, forecasting, pay applications, and other processes. Just as importantly, they should be empowered to make decisions.
"As we implement, integrate, or configure the tool, we want that key stakeholder to be able to say, 'Yes, we want to set it up this way,'" Tyler explains.
The second stakeholder is someone from accounting. While they may not be focused on operational terminology or workflows, they play a critical role in ensuring financial information is structured correctly and flows appropriately into the ERP. They understand which fields matter from a financial and reporting perspective and where that information needs to land once it's synced.
Finally, Tyler recommends involving someone from IT. IT teams help support administration, governance, and long-term platform ownership. This person is often responsible for maintaining project templates, creating new projects, supporting users, and serving as an internal champion for Cost Management in Forma Build.
The size of this group can vary. In some organizations, one person may wear multiple hats. In others, the stakeholder team may include five to seven people. Either way, Tyler advises keeping the core group relatively small so teams can make decisions efficiently and keep the implementation moving forward.
The timeline and level of effort can vary from one company to the next, but according to Tyler, the overall approach stays largely the same and follows these four phases.
Phase 1: Strategy and planning
The first phase focuses on scoping the implementation and creating a plan. This is where teams identify key stakeholders, establish meeting cadences, and define the workflows they'll be managing in Cost Management.
Phase 2: Configuration and standardization
Next comes implementation, where teams get into the nuts and bolts.
This phase covers everything from budget imports and cost codes to contracts, purchase orders, and integrations with tools like DocuSign or Adobe Sign. It's also where teams standardize processes and align Cost Management with the way the business operates.
Phase 3: ERP integration and testing
Once the foundation is in place, teams begin connecting Cost Management to the ERP.
This is where data starts moving between systems through APIs and integrations. At the same time, teams test workflows, validate data, and confirm that information is landing exactly where it should.
As Tyler points out, these phases aren't strictly sequential. "These really blend into each other."
Phase 4: Go live
After testing, configuration, and validation are complete, teams begin rolling out Cost Management to live projects. This includes training end users, launching new workflows, and officially "flipping the switch" on the new system.
After helping customers implement and integrate Cost Management across a wide range of organizations, Tyler has noticed a few recurring patterns. Some practices consistently lead to successful rollouts, while others can create unnecessary delays or headaches.
Best practice: Get the right people involved
If there's one recommendation Tyler emphasizes most, it's this: make sure the right stakeholders are part of the process.
"This is by far my biggest recommendation," he says. "Let's have the right folks and stakeholders in the room."
We said it earlier, having representatives from operations, accounting, and IT helps ensure decisions can be made quickly and that different perspectives are considered throughout implementation.
Best practice: Test early and test thoroughly
According to Tyler, implementation doesn't truly come to life until people start using the system.
"It can be easy for me to say, 'Hey, this is how you do it' and show you what buttons to click, but where the learning happens and the details come out is during that testing."
The most successful teams don't just validate that workflows function correctly. They test real-world scenarios, confirm data lands where it should in the ERP, and uncover edge cases before going live.
Best practice: Take advantage of configuration options
Cost Management is designed to be flexible, so teams should take the time to tailor the platform to their business processes.
As Tyler puts it, "Let's marry those two roads together." Whether it's terminology, workflows, or approval processes, thoughtful configuration can help the system feel like a natural extension of how teams already work.
Pitfall: Rolling out too soon
One of the most common mistakes is rushing into production before testing and validation are complete.
"We want to make sure that our testing, our configuration, and the integration are complete before we start rolling this out with live projects," Tyler explains.
Teams often uncover important insights during testing, and it's much easier to address those issues before real projects and end users are involved.
Pitfall: Resisting process improvements
Implementing new software is an opportunity to improve how work gets done.
Tyler encourages teams to stay flexible and keep an open mind throughout the process. Rather than forcing old workflows into a new system, look for ways to streamline processes and take advantage of how Cost Management is designed to work.
Pitfall: Working in silos
Finally, make it a point to work together and avoid putting the task on just one person or team.
"We don't want one lone ranger to do everything," says Tyler.
Successful implementations involve collaboration. When stakeholders stay engaged and different voices are represented, teams can make better decisions, solve problems faster, and build stronger long-term adoption.
When organizations successfully adopt Cost Management in Forma Build and connect it with their ERP systems the impact extends far beyond technology.
Project managers gain greater visibility into the financial health of the project. Accounting teams spend less time reconciling data and more time supporting the business. Leadership teams gain confidence in a shared source of truth for project financial performance.
Most importantly, teams can make decisions faster, collaborate more effectively, and operate with greater confidence in their data.
Connected financial workflows become more than a goal—they become part of how the organization works every day.
This concludes our ERP Integration Series.
Throughout these six installments, we've explored how Cost Management in Forma Build and Agave help connect project and accounting workflows, reduce manual effort, improve data accuracy, and create greater visibility across the construction lifecycle.
Whether you're evaluating ERP integrations, planning a Cost Management deployment, or looking to optimize existing workflows, the goal remains the same: empowering teams with connected, reliable financial information so they can focus less on managing data and more on delivering successful projects.
Thank you for following along with the series.
If you're ready to learn more about Forma Build, ERP integrations, or implementation best practices, reach out to an Autodesk representative. We'd be happy to help you take the next step in your connected construction journey!
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
For contractors managing large, complex projects, maintaining consistency across financial systems can be a challenge.
Vendor records, budget structures, cost codes, and project financial data all need to stay aligned across teams and systems. When that information becomes disconnected, manual processes increase, visibility decreases, and teams spend valuable time reconciling data instead of managing projects.
In this installment of our ERP Integration Series, we explore how Cost Management in Forma Build and CMiC work together through Agave.
Designed to support the needs of larger contractors, CMiC often serves as the financial backbone for organizations with complex accounting processes and multi-entity operations. You'll see how Agave helps connect CMiC and Cost Management, enabling teams to maintain consistent vendor and budget data, reduce manual effort, and establish a stronger foundation for project financial management.
Watch the video below to see Cost Management and CMiC connected through Agave, including examples of vendor synchronization, budget segment mapping, and budget workflows.
Before diving into specific workflows, it's important to understand how information typically moves between CMiC and Cost Management in Forma Build.
In many organizations, CMiC serves as the system of record for core financial and master data. Information such as vendors, cost codes, categories, and budgets often originates in CMiC and flows into Cost Management.
At the same time, project teams working in Cost Management generate records that may need to flow back into the ERP. Some examples include subcontract change orders, payment applications, and other project-level financial activities.
One of the best things about Agave Sync is its flexibility. Rather than forcing all data to move in a single direction, each record type can be configured independently, so teams can align the integration with their existing processes.
Vendor synchronization is one of the foundational workflows supported by the integration.
By syncing vendors from CMiC into Cost Management in Forma Build, project teams gain access to an up-to-date list of approved vendors directly within their project environment. This helps ensure that project managers are working with vetted, pay-ready vendors without needing to reference multiple systems.
Because vendor compliance documentation, tax information, and payment records are typically managed within CMiC, many organizations have CMiC as the source of truth for vendor data.
Agave can automatically create new vendor records in Cost Management or match existing records between systems using configurable criteria such as vendor IDs, names, and other attributes. This helps prevent duplicate records and keeps vendor information consistent across platforms.
While users can manually initiate syncs when needed, most organizations prefer to automate the process.
Agave allows teams to configure synchronization schedules that run in the background, ensuring Cost Management stays aligned with CMiC without requiring manual intervention.
This automation reduces administrative effort while giving project teams access to current vendor information.
Once vendors are aligned, the next step is establishing the project cost structure.
Agave supports synchronization of key budget segments from CMiC into Cost Management in Forma Build. These segments form the foundation of project budgeting and cost tracking.
By default, the integration supports:
Many CMiC customers also use subjobs as an additional layer of financial organization. Agave supports this workflow by allowing subjobs to be configured as a separate budget segment within Cost Management.
That way, teams can mirror the structure they use in CMiC and maintain consistency between project and accounting systems.
One challenge organizations often face is managing large cost code catalogs that span many projects.
Instead of bringing every cost code into Cost Management, you can configure Agave to sync only the codes that are actually budgeted for a specific project. This helps reduce clutter and ensures project teams work with relevant information.
Because subjobs, cost codes, and categories are managed as separate record types, organizations can apply different settings, filters, and synchronization schedules to each data set.
This level of control allows teams to tailor the integration to their operational requirements.
With budget segments established, teams can begin synchronizing budget data.
In many implementations, budgets originate in CMiC and flow into Cost Management. However, Agave supports either direction, allowing organizations to configure workflows based on their preferred source of truth.
When budgets are synced, Cost Management can receive detailed information, including:
This creates a complete budget structure that project teams can immediately use for cost tracking, forecasting, commitments, and change management activities.
And since the integration is configurable, organizations can align budget workflows with their existing accounting and project management processes rather than changing processes to fit the software.
Many CMiC customers operate multiple companies, divisions, or business units within a single ERP environment.
Agave supports these multi-entity configurations through separate saved integration configurations, allowing users to move between companies while maintaining appropriate data separation and controls.
This makes it possible to support complex organizational structures without sacrificing consistency across projects and teams.
How often can data sync automatically?
Agave supports multiple synchronization cadences, including hourly, every few hours, daily, and other configurable intervals.
If information needs to be updated immediately, users can also perform a manual sync directly from Agave Sync.
Are multi-entity CMiC environments supported?
Yes. Agave supports multi-entity CMiC configurations through separate saved integration configurations, making it easy to manage multiple companies or business units.
How are subjobs handled?
Subjobs are supported through dedicated budget segments within Cost Management in Forma Build.
This allows teams to replicate the subjob structure used in CMiC and incorporate it directly into their budget coding framework.
For CMiC customers, integration is more than moving data between systems.
It's about creating a consistent financial foundation that connects project and accounting teams, improves visibility into project performance, and reduces the manual effort required to maintain information across multiple platforms.
By connecting Cost Management in Forma Build and CMiC through Agave, organizations can establish more reliable financial workflows, support complex operational structures, and create greater confidence in project financial data.
Now that we've explored integrations with Sage 300, Viewpoint Vista, and CMiC, the next and final installment of our ERP Integration Series will focus on implementation best practices.
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
In the previous installment of our ERP Integration Series, we explored how Cost Management in Forma Build integrates with Sage 300 via Agave to connect project and accounting workflows.
Now, we're turning our attention to Viewpoint Vista.
If your organization relies on Vista as its ERP system, this installment is for you.
In this video, Ryan Ward, Customer Solutions Engineer at Agave, demonstrates how Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista work together to streamline financial workflows, improve visibility into project costs, and keep field and accounting teams in sync.
Watch the video below to see how Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista connect through Agave, including live demos of data syncing in both directions.
This session walks through three key areas:
Agave enables bi-directional data syncing between Cost Management and Viewpoint Vista, giving teams flexibility in how they manage their workflows.
In most cases, core data such as vendors, customers, jobs, phase codes, and cost types originate in Vista and sync into Cost Management. Budgets, on the other hand, are often created in Cost Management and then pushed into Vista.
Because syncing can happen in both directions, teams can decide which system serves as the source of truth depending on how they operate.
On the accounts payable side, project teams typically manage purchase orders, subcontracts, subcontract change orders, and cost pay applications in Cost Management. These then sync into Vista for accounting.
At the same time, job cost details captured in Vista flow back into Cost Management, ensuring that project teams always have up-to-date cost information.
On the accounts receivable side, contracts often originate in Vista and sync into Cost Management. From there, project managers manage owner change orders, pay applications, and budget transfers in Cost Management before syncing updates back to Vista.
This structure allows each team to work in the system that best fits their role while keeping data aligned across both platforms.
In the first demo, Ryan walks through how vendor records move from Vista into Cost Management in Forma Build. Since Vista is typically the system of record for vendor data, that's where information such as W-9 details, tax IDs, addresses, and contact information is maintained.
Using Agave, you can pull the latest vendor records from Vista and sync them directly into Forma. Once synced, the vendor information appears in Cost Management with the relevant details already populated, helping ensure both systems stay aligned.
Next, the walkthrough covers how budget segments such as cost codes and cost types sync from Vista into Cost Management in Forma Build.
Project-specific phase codes and cost types are fetched from Vista and pushed into Cost Management, where they become part of the project’s cost structure. These elements serve as the foundation for tracking budgets, commitments, and costs throughout the project lifecycle.
The integration also supports additional flexibility, including syncing project-level or company-level cost codes and different formats for cost types.
The workflow then shifts direction, showing how budgets move from Cost Management in Forma Build into Vista.
Budget line items created in Cost Management are pulled into Agave and pushed into Vista, where they appear with the same values in the ERP’s estimating module. Teams can choose to sync original or current budget values, along with additional data like quantities or hours, depending on how budgets are structured.
While the demo shows the process manually, Ryan notes that "the purpose of Agave is to turn on automatic syncing," allowing vendor updates to flow between systems in the background with little ongoing effort from your team.
Once configured, Agave enables automatic background syncing, reducing the need for manual intervention. This helps ensure that both systems stay aligned in real time without requiring users to manage data transfers directly.
The integration extends beyond budgets and commitments to support owner-side workflows as well.
Prime contracts can originate in either Vista or Cost Management in Forma Build, giving teams flexibility while ensuring the latest contract information stays synced across both systems.
Project managers gain visibility into contract data without having to rely on accounting teams for updates, and budget line items can automatically be associated with schedules of values based on phase codes.
For owner change orders, project managers typically manage the entire process in Cost Management, from the initial PCO through execution. Once approved, Agave syncs the change order data to Vista, generating or updating contract line items as needed. The integration also separates revenue and cost data by cost code or cost type and supports syncing attachments, helping keep financial records aligned across systems.
Accounts receivable workflows are also streamlined through the integration.
Project managers can draft and manage pay applications within Cost Management in Forma Build, using built-in approval workflows. Once approved, these are synced into Vista as AR invoices, where they reference the appropriate contract line items.
Retention values flow through during this process, and invoices can be automatically posted once synced, reducing manual processing and shortening the billing cycle.
Job cost data plays a critical role in keeping financials aligned.
All job cost details recorded in Vista can be synced into Cost Management in Forma Build, so project teams have access to current cost data. The integration also prevents duplicate records by filtering out overlapping transactions, ensuring clean, accurate data across both systems.
This session wraps with answers to common questions about the Vista integration.
Does the integration support both on-premises and cloud versions of Vista?
Yes. Agave supports both on-premises and cloud deployments of Viewpoint Vista. The team also provides guidelines for enabling access to both.
How do multiple Vista companies connect to Autodesk Forma?
Organizations with multiple Vista companies can connect them to the same Autodesk Forma hub. Agave sets up separate configurations for each company, each mapping one Vista company into the same Autodesk hub.
How do prime contracts work between Vista and Forma?
Prime contracts can originate in either Vista or Cost Management in Forma Build. The integration allows budget line items to be associated with contract items through a contract item and phase code link. This can happen in either direction.
What commitment types are supported?
The integration supports all commitment types.
How is the general ledger (GL) populated on commitments?
For commitment records, the general ledger account is populated from the ledger account associated with the cost type.
Are commitment attachments synchronized?
Yes. Commitment attachments can be synced between systems.
What counts as a job cost, and what details do you have on syncing job costs?
Any record included in Vista's job cost (JC) detail can be synced to Cost Management in Forma Build as a job cost.
How does the integration prevent duplicate job costs?
When syncing job costs from Vista, Agave automatically filters out JC detail records associated with subcontract invoices or purchase order invoices that may already exist elsewhere in the workflow.
What this means for your team
By connecting Forma Build with Viewpoint Vista, organizations can eliminate manual data entry and ensure that project and financial data stay aligned.
Project teams gain access to the financial insights they need to manage work proactively. Accounting teams maintain confidence in financial records and reporting. And leadership teams benefit from a more complete understanding of project financial health across the organization.
We've now explored how Forma Build integrates with both Sage 300 and Viewpoint Vista to support connected financial workflows.
Next up, we're turning our attention to CMiC.
If your organization relies on CMiC as its ERP platform, you won't want to miss the next installment of our ERP Integration Series. We'll take a closer look at how Forma Build and CMiC work together through Agave, highlighting the data flows, workflows, and integration capabilities that help keep project and accounting teams aligned.
Watch the full video above to see the Viewpoint Vista integration in action and follow the series for more deep dives into ERP integrations powered by Agave.
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
Situated east of Manchester, the A57 Link Road project stands as a crucial route connecting local communities and acting as a lifeline for the North of England. For decades, this route has been defined by heavy congestion, prompting the development of a bypass project designed to alleviate traffic and improve journey reliability.
The project is highly complex, with a 130m underpass being built on a challenging geotechnical fault line, where engineers must contend with artesian water pressure and ambitious carbon reduction targets, demanding innovative solutions. These physical challenges are mirrored by a significant digital obstacle: maintaining the integrity of the data that underpins every aspect of the construction process.
Commissioned by National Highways on behalf of Balfour Beatty, this project is serving as a catalyst for moving away from traditional design and engineering methods toward a high-fidelity digital model where data serves as the foundation for every decision.
Historically, engineering teams have relied on drawings and specifications that were easy to interpret but difficult to coordinate at scale. As the industry shifts toward digital twins, the reliance on data tagged within 3D models has increased exponentially. On the A57, Balfour Beatty needed to verify thousands of rows of asset data exported into spreadsheets, which presented an opportunity to optimise the process to reduce the risks of errors creeping in. Without a digital-first approach, inaccuracies can lead to significant downstream delays and procurement issues.
To resolve the complexities of manual spreadsheet reviews, Balfour Beatty is collaborating with Autodesk through a custom data validation tool and integration with Autodesk Forma, formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud. This automated system allows the team to set specific rules for every asset, ensuring that properties like length, coordinates and naming conventions are present and correctly formatted. By exporting data directly from the 3D model into the validation tool, the team is identifying missing or inaccurate information in seconds rather than days.
“We’re able to automate a process that used to take much longer,” says Chris Kennedy, Head of Engineering in Highways at Balfour Beatty. “The data validation tool enables us to maintain high standards of accuracy while ensuring the information remains fully coordinated with our procurement and costing.”
The digital strategy on the A57 extends far beyond the office. Balfour Beatty is integrating Master Data Management requirements directly into quality management checklists within Forma Build, part of Autodesk Forma. As engineers complete tasks on-site, such as installing a piling rig or a fencing section, they’re adding as-built data directly into the platform. This information is linked to specific asset codes in the model, creating a live record of progress.
“The activity is completed and the Master Data Management as-built data is collected within the checklist,” says Sara Abed, Digital Lead at Balfour Beatty. “This allows us to maintain a live, completed model throughout the delivery phase rather than spending months at the end of the project gathering fragmented information.”
By centralising all information within a common data environment, Balfour Beatty is transforming how stakeholders interact with the project. Now, 3D models serve as the primary reference points, enabling designers, contractors and National Highways to visualise clashes that would be invisible on 2D drawings. This transparency is building confidence among stakeholders and the public alike. The team is using Autodesk InfraWorks and Twinmotion to create immersive visualisations for public engagement events, helping residents see exactly how the new infrastructure will look and function within their local environment.
The shift to a standardised, digital-first approach is delivering measurable gains in both speed and accuracy. Balfour Beatty is seeing a significant reduction in requests for information caused by inaccurate data, while the time required for design assurance has been cut from weeks to a few clicks.
“The goal is to establish a system where our teams follow a structured process that naturally captures the necessary data,” concludes Chris. “Autodesk Forma gives us the ability to check data quality while ensuring we have exactly what we need for a smooth handover to the client’s asset management systems.”
Welcome back to Autodesk's ERP Integration Series, where we're exploring how Cost Management in Forma Build and Agave help construction teams connect project and financial workflows.
In the first two installments, we introduced the value of ERP integrations and explored the core capabilities of Cost Management in Forma Build. Now it's time to see those concepts in action.
In this installment, Ryan Ward, Customer Solutions Engineer at Agave, demonstrates how Forma Build and Sage 300 work together to keep project and accounting data aligned. You’ll see what setup looks like to sync information flows between these systems.
This walkthrough highlights what data flows between systems, how workflows operate in both directions, and what teams can expect in real-world scenarios.
Watch the video below to see how Autodesk Forma and Sage 300 connect through Agave, including live demos of commitment and job cost syncing.
This session explores three key areas:
Agave enables bi-directional data syncing between Cost Management and Sage 300, so both systems stay connected and there’s no double-entry.
In most cases, foundational records such as vendors, customers, jobs, and estimates can flow between systems to establish consistency across project and financial workflows. Teams can then manage information in the system that makes the most sense for a given process while maintaining alignment across both platforms.
As Ryan explains, "wherever you see the arrow in either direction, we can go both ways."
One of the biggest advantages of integration is that each team can continue working in the system best suited to their role.
Project teams often manage contracts, subcontract change orders, and pay applications workflows within Cost Management. This allows them to fully leverage built-in approval workflows.
Meanwhile, on the accounts receivable side, prime contracts are typically created in Sage 300 and pushed into Cost Management. From there, project managers handle owner change orders, pay applications, and budget transfers in before syncing those updates back to Sage 300.
Rather than forcing teams into a single system, the integration helps ensure information stays synchronized between both environments.
The result is greater efficiency, improved collaboration, and increased confidence in project financial data.
In the video, Ryan highlights two of the most common integration workflows: commitments and job costs.
For commitments, typically project teams create and manage commitment (contracts) within Cost Management, leveraging built-in approval workflows for review and approval. Once approved, the information is synchronized to Sage 300. When the commitment appears in Sage 300, all key details are included, including the schedule of values line items, budget code associations, descriptions, and retainage information.
On the job cost side, actual costs recorded in Sage 300—including payroll, equipment, and other expenses—can automatically flow into Cost Management. This gives project teams access to current financial information without waiting for manual updates or month-end reporting.
In the demo, Ryan posts a job cost for tools and equipment totaling $500. The record is pulled into Agave and then pushed to Forma, where it appears in the Job Cost module.
Together, these workflows help bridge the gap between project execution and financial management.
The integration supports more than just commitments and job costs. Agave also supports syncing for owner contracts, owner change orders, and accounts receivable invoices.
Prime contracts created in Sage 300 are pushed into Cost Management, where schedules of values mirror exactly what exists in the ERP. Project managers can then manage the full owner change order process in Forma before syncing finalized changes back into Sage 300.
Accounts receivable invoices are typically drafted in Forma, using approval workflows, and then synced into Sage 300, where they reference the appropriate contract line items. Retention values are carried over during this process.
In installment three Ryan dives into some FAQs and sheds light on the things people usually ask.
How does general ledger information sync for commitments?
General ledger accounts are defined at the line-item level in Sage 300, and these configurations determine how commitments are recorded when synced.
How often can data sync between Forma and Sage 300?
Agave supports multiple sync cadences. Common options include syncing every hour, every three hours, daily, or weekly. Sync frequency can also be configured to meet specific business needs.
Can budget line items be linked to a prime contract schedule of values after syncing?
Yes. Teams can keep the prime contract schedule of values unlocked after it syncs to Forma. This allows project teams to associate budget line items with the appropriate prime contract schedule of values and maintain flexibility in how project financials are structured.
The integration between Forma Build and Sage 300 helps connect the people, processes, and systems involved in construction financial management.
Project teams can continue managing day-to-day workflows in Cost Management within Forma Build while finance teams maintain Sage 300 as their financial system of record. Meanwhile, both groups benefit from more accurate, consistent data flowing between systems automatically.
By reducing manual effort and improving visibility across project and financial operations, organizations can spend less time managing data and more time making informed decisions.
Now that you've seen how Cost Management in Forma Build and Sage 300 work together, we'll continue exploring ERP integrations in the next installment of the series.
Next up, we'll take a closer look at the Viewpoint Vista integration, highlighting additional workflows, data synchronization scenarios, and best practices.
Watch the full video above to see the Sage 300 integration in action and follow the series for more deep dives into ERP integrations powered by Agave. To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
Welcome back to Autodesk’s ERP Integration Series, where we’re exploring how Cost Management in Forma Build and Agave helps construction teams connect project financial workflows with their ERP systems.
In Part 1, we introduced how ERP integrations help reduce manual work, improve data accuracy, and keep project and accounting teams aligned. In this second installment, we’ll take a closer look at the cost Cost Management capabilities within Forma Build.
Jim Ferguson, ERP Integrations SME at Autodesk, walks through the core capabilities teams use every day to manage budgets, approvals, commitments, payment applications, change orders, forecasting, and cash flow.
Before we dive deeper into ERP-specific demos, this walkthrough shows why Cost Management serves as the connected foundation for more effective cost control.
Watch the video below to see how Cost Management helps teams manage finances, connect cost activities, and visualize cost-related risk to protect your bottom line.
Managing construction finances requires more than tracking budgets. Teams need visibility into commitments, expenses, change orders, billing, and forecasts—and they need that information to stay connected as projects evolve.
Cost Management brings these workflows together in a centralized environment, helping project teams manage financial performance from planning through project completion.
From a single dashboard, users can quickly identify items that need attention, monitor project financial health, and take action without jumping between multiple systems.
One of the biggest challenges in construction is understanding where a project stands financially at any given moment.
Cost Management helps solve this by bringing together budgets, commitments, expenses, payment applications, and change orders in a single view. Teams can easily track financial performance, identify potential issues, and understand how decisions impact the overall project budget.
Visual dashboards and reporting tools make it easier to spot trends, monitor progress, and maintain confidence in project financial data.
Construction financial processes often involve multiple stakeholders, approvals, and handoffs.
Cost Management helps simplify these workflows by supporting configurable approval processes for contracts, expenses, change orders, and payment applications. Teams can ensure the right people review critical information while maintaining accountability and consistency throughout the process.
By centralizing these workflows, organizations can reduce administrative effort and improve collaboration across project and finance teams.
Effective cost control isn't just about understanding what's happened; it's about anticipating what comes next.
Cost Management helps teams connect financial planning with project execution through forecasting and cash flow management capabilities. By linking costs to project activities and schedules, teams gain a clearer picture of future spending and overall project performance.
This visibility helps teams identify potential cost-related risks earlier, make more informed decisions, and improve forecast accuracy throughout the life of the project.
While Cost Management delivers significant value on its own, its full potential is unlocked when connected to your ERP.
Through integrations powered by Agave, organizations can connect project financial workflows with accounting systems, helping ensure financial data remains accurate, consistent, and up to date across the business.
The result is a more connected approach to construction financial management, one that supports both project execution and financial operations.
For too long, construction financial systems were designed primarily for accounting and IT teams, leaving project and operations teams to adapt back-office tools to the realities of day-to-day work.
Forma Build helps close that gap by giving operations teams a connected, centralized, and customizable environment for managing project finances, whether they’re in the office or at the jobsite.
By bringing project management and financial workflows together, teams can improve visibility, streamline approvals, collaborate more effectively with stakeholders, and forecast with greater confidence.
And when Cost Management in Forma Build is connected to ERP systems through Agave, project and accounting teams can work from more accurate, consistent financial data—helping everyone involved make faster, more informed decisions.
Now that you've seen the foundation, it's time to see how Cost Management connects to the ERP systems construction teams rely on every day.
In the next installment, we’ll go deeper into ERP-specific integrations, starting with Sage 300, where you’ll see how Agave’s integration connects data between Forma Build and Sage 300 to help eliminate manual processes while improving visibility and accuracy across project and accounting teams.
To learn more about how our latest releases can benefit your teams, reach out and schedule a demo to learn more.
