🔧 Software Watch

New tools for construction, glazing & fabrication — curated for PGC
July 15, 2026
📌 This week's theme: YC Summer 2026 cohort goes deep on construction AI — FlowManual, Foreman, Rudus, PLAN0 AI, and Helonic all target back-office and preconstruction pain points. Plus: open-source ERP hits v3.0, a16z backs construction procurement, and AI takeoff tools mature.

FlowManual

Bidding / Procurement

What it does: All-in-one AI bidding and purchasing platform for general and specialty contractors. Automates the buying process during pre-construction — from plan upload to supplier quotes. Built by two engineers and Harvard dropouts. YC S26.

Legacy alt: Manual spreadsheet bidding + phone/email supplier sourcing

Differentiator: End-to-end from bid to purchase order in one platform. Built for both GCs and specialty trades.

Pricing: Not public (YC S26, seed-stage)

Glazing: High

MVP: Upload glass shop drawings, get supplier-matched quotes and POs.

Foreman

Estimating / Takeoff

What it does: Replaces spreadsheets, email chains, and Word proposals with AI-generated takeoffs, estimates, and proposals from uploaded plans. YC S26.

Legacy alt: Manual takeoff (Bluebeam + Excel) + Word proposals

Differentiator: Full pipeline from plan → takeoff → estimate → proposal in one AI-native workflow. No CAD plugin needed.

Pricing: Not public (YC S26, seed-stage)

Glazing: High

MVP: Upload glass shop drawings, get structured takeoffs and proposals.

Rudus

Estimating / Takeoff (Specialty)

What it does: AI-powered takeoff and estimation platform purpose-built for concrete contractors. Claims 70% reduction in estimation time and 3x more projects won annually. YC S26.

Legacy alt: Manual concrete takeoff + spreadsheets

Differentiator: Niche focus on concrete means deep domain accuracy. Tied to AI data center infrastructure buildout tailwind.

Pricing: Not public (YC S26, seed-stage)

Glazing: Low

MVP: Concept validation for specialty trade takeoff — watch for glazing-specific spin-off.

PLAN0 AI

Project Management / Analytics

What it does: Analytics layer for developers, investors, and GCs. Vision models analyze architectural plans to generate cost estimates and market-benchmarked analytics in minutes. Claims $20B in projects already on platform. YC S26.

Legacy alt: Manual benchmarking + historical cost databases

Differentiator: Market-benchmarked analytics at seed stage with unusually large project volume ($20B).

Pricing: Not public (YC S26, seed-stage)

Glazing: Medium

MVP: Benchmark PGC glass project costs against market data.

Helonic

CAD / BIM

What it does: Analyzes PDF construction plans to automatically detect clashes and inconsistencies across architectural, structural, and MEP drawings. Drafts RFIs automatically. Integrates with Procore and Autodesk. YC S26.

Legacy alt: Manual cross-referencing of drawing sets + manual RFI drafting

Differentiator: Catches coordination errors in preconstruction (not mid-build), preventing costs that routinely reach hundreds of thousands per project.

Pricing: Not public (YC S26, seed-stage)

Glazing: High

MVP: Upload PGC glass shop drawings against structural/MEP plans to catch clashes before fabrication.

OpenConstructionERP

ERP / Inventory

What it does: Open-source construction ERP with 71 modules including BOQ, PDF/CAD/BIM takeoff, AI cost matching. 42 regional catalogues, 21 languages. AGPL-3.0. v3.0.

Legacy alt: Sage, Viewpoint, or other commercial construction ERPs ($10k+/year)

Differentiator: Free, open-source, self-hosted. Massive module library. AI cost matching across 42 regional catalogues.

Pricing: Free (AGPL-3.0, self-hosted)

Glazing: High

MVP: pip install openconstructionerp — immediate self-hosted trial with inventory and BOQ modules.

Prolo

Procurement / Supply Chain

What it does: Modernizes construction procurement with AI-powered supplier matching, quote comparison, and purchase order management. Raised £4.2M (a16z-backed).

Legacy alt: Manual phone/email supplier sourcing + paper POs

Differentiator: a16z-backed with focus on construction-specific procurement workflows. AI matches suppliers to project needs.

Pricing: Not public (likely SaaS, per-project or subscription)

Glazing: High

MVP: Test supplier matching for glass/material procurement on a current PGC project.

OpenSpace

Field Measurement / Documentation

What it does: 360° photo capture on job sites with AI-powered visual documentation. Creates a visual timeline of construction progress. Tracks installed work against plans. "Google Street View for construction sites."

Legacy alt: Manual progress photos + daily reports

Differentiator: Automated 360° capture with AI that maps photos to BIM/plans. 1,000+ data center projects milestone.

Pricing: Per-project or subscription (established company)

Glazing: Medium

MVP: Document glass installation progress on a large project and verify against shop drawings.

Trimble AI Takeoff

Estimating / Takeoff

What it does: AI-powered takeoff tools specifically targeting the MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) estimating bottleneck. Automates quantity extraction from digital plans.

Legacy alt: Manual takeoff with Trimble's own legacy tools or Bluebeam

Differentiator: From Trimble (industry giant) — integrates with existing Trimble ecosystem. AI layer on top of proven estimating tools.

Pricing: Likely add-on to Trimble estimating products

Glazing: Medium

MVP: If PGC uses Trimble products, evaluate as a natural upgrade path.

Togal.AI

Estimating / Takeoff

What it does: AI-powered construction takeoff and estimating platform. Automatically measures areas, counts objects, and extracts quantities from construction plans.

Legacy alt: Manual takeoff with Bluebeam or PlanSwift

Differentiator: One-click takeoff from uploaded plans. Trained on construction-specific drawings. Fastest in class for speed.

Pricing: Subscription-based (per-user/month)

Glazing: High

MVP: Upload glass shop drawings for automated window counts, glass areas, and curtain wall measurements.

ConstructionBids.ai

Estimating / Project Management

What it does: AI-powered bid matching platform that saves 8+ hours/week vs. manual portal checking. Matches contractors to relevant project opportunities.

Legacy alt: Manually checking Dodge, ConstructConnect, or other bid boards

Differentiator: AI learns which projects are relevant to your specific trade and capacity. Saves hours of manual filtering.

Pricing: Likely subscription (competitors $3k–$12k/year range)

Glazing: High

MVP: Set up PGC trade profile and see if relevant glazing bids surface.

Aasaan

Project Management / AI

What it does: AI construction software platform for scheduling, cost management, and project delivery. Uses predictive analytics to forecast delays and cost overruns.

Legacy alt: MS Project + spreadsheets for scheduling and cost tracking

Differentiator: Predictive AI that learns from project data to forecast issues before they happen. Focus on ROI and cost reduction.

Pricing: Not public (likely per-project or subscription)

Glazing: Medium

MVP: Test scheduling and cost tracking on a large PGC glazing installation project.