The questions owners wish someone had asked them sooner.
Chief Construction Agent is built on 20+ years of Florida commercial construction knowledge and real project data. Describe your project in plain English. You get a written answer: the bottom line, why it matters, what to check next, and who should confirm it.
First 3 questions free. Then $99/month. Cancel anytime.
Built on real project data
We add new project data every month, so these numbers keep growing.
Ask in plain English. Get it back in writing.
An on-call advisor that answers in writing, any time.
- 01
Type your issue
Describe the project or the problem in plain English: a site you're looking at, a proposal you don't understand, a budget that feels light.
- 02
Upload a photo or plan (Plus)
On Plus, attach photos, plan sheets, contracts, and change orders for more specific guidance. Typed questions work on Basic.
- 03
Get a written answer. No meetings.
You get the bottom line, why it matters, what to check next, who should confirm it, and the questions to ask, all in writing.
Your first 3 questions are free. Then $99/month for Basic, or $199/month for Plus with uploads of photos, plans, contracts, change orders, and submittals. Cancel anytime.
See plans & pricingOwners can be the biggest driver of change costs.
On some projects, owners have been responsible for over 50% of the changes.
Locking decisions early helps prevent them.
Lock in a clear vision, pick finishes and equipment before construction, confirm the budget, and bring a builder in early (GC early involvement). This bot helps you spot and lock those decisions before they turn into change orders.
What owners run into before and during construction.
Owners can lose money before the build even starts, just trying to find out whether the project works. These are patterns that show up across real project data, and what helps.
- Early planning (Phase 1)
Too many hands in the pot.
Broker, lender, architect, engineers, consultants, contractors, city staff. Each sees one piece, and nobody owns the whole picture for you.
- Early planning (Phase 1)
Cash and time just to learn if it works.
Owners pay for design before they know the building fits, the parking works, or an easement nobody checked kills the plan.
- Permitting
Permitting takes longer than planned.
Permitting often runs 4 to 6 months, and it varies by jurisdiction. Schedules and loans that assume less get squeezed.
- Budget
Bring the GC in early.
Your architect draws what you want. But no one prices it until bids come back, and by then, changes are expensive. A builder with current market pricing, involved early, keeps design and budget moving together.
- Budget
Value engineering saves less than delay costs.
Design it, bid it, find out it's over budget, then redesign. That loop costs months. Value engineering typically saves 5–8%, and rent, interest, insurance, and taxes keep running while you redesign and re-permit. Early cost input and clear priorities help avoid it.
- Bidding
Rebidding uses the same subs.
Rebidding with a new general contractor (GC) rarely changes the number, because GCs in the same area draw from the same sub base. A much lower number from someone new usually means missing scope that returns as change orders.
- Contracts
A guaranteed maximum price only covers what's drawn.
A guaranteed maximum price caps the scope shown in the contract documents. Work that's only inferred, unforeseen conditions, and owner-added scope can still raise your cost.
- Program management
Run scope, budget, and schedule as one plan.
Change costs and delays usually come from poor program management: scope, budget, and schedule not managed as one plan.
Why not just ask a general AI?
A general AI chatbot gives decent textbook answers. It can explain what an easement is or list questions to ask an architect. Where it falls short is the part that costs you money: local numbers, local permitting, and judgment grounded in real project data.
| General AI chatbot | Chief Construction Agent |
|---|---|
| National averagesCost and schedule figures pulled from the internet, with no telling where, when, or what scope they came from. | Local cost and schedule rangesBuilt on 20+ years of construction knowledge and real Florida commercial project data. |
| Textbook answersWhat the books say should happen. | Practical construction judgmentGrounded in real project outcomes, like switching from bar joist to hollowcore plank to finish months sooner. |
| Generic permitting guessesOne-size-fits-all timelines that don't know your jurisdiction. | Florida permitting knowledgeGrounded in real Florida commercial project data and Florida law. |
| Confident guesses, nobody accountableIf the answer is wrong, there's no one behind it. | Accountable, written adviceAdvice is grounded in real commercial project data, and answers come in writing you can take to your team. In-depth document reviews are a separate, quoted custom review. |
Your project gets practical construction judgment, not a generic guess.
Early planning (Phase 1 feasibility).
The questions to answer before you commit to full design.
Does the building fit the site
Building, parking, stormwater, and fire access on the buildable area.
Is your use allowed (zoning)
Approvals, hearings, and entitlement steps if needed.
Parking
Required counts, accessible and loading spaces, and tenant or lender expectations.
Rights across the land (easements & title)
What's recorded against the property, and does any of it run under your building?
Utilities
Availability, capacity, distance to connection, and fees.
Soils & site history (geotech & environmental)
Soils, groundwater, Phase I environmental check, wetlands, and demolition hazards.
Access & setbacks
Driveways, road authority, traffic studies, buffers, and height limits.
Approval path (permitting)
Which agencies, in what order, and a realistic timeline.
Schedule
The date that drives the project, long-lead items, and loan or funding deadlines.
Who to hire, and when
Who to bring on now vs. later, and one clear lead on your side.
Picking an architect
A clear early-planning (Phase 1) scope, and how to keep them driving.
How you hire the builder & budget
Common delivery methods (design-bid-build, CM at risk / CMAR, design-build), plus the costs owners forget.
Four rules every owner should answer.
Four plain questions the advice is built on.
- Rule 1
Do you understand your vision?
Markets change fast. A local builder (GC) helps you pick the right construction method for today's market, not last year's. On one real project, switching from steel bar joist to hollowcore plank cost more, but the job finished months sooner and saved on job overhead (general conditions) and fee.
- Rule 2
Is your financing in place, or are you ready to put it in place?
Stalled financing or equity partners cause long delays. Have the money lined up, or a clear path to it, before the clock starts.
- Rule 3
What do you expect for occupancy?
Design and permitting can take as long as construction. Permitting alone can take 4 to 6 months. Work back from your move-in date and be honest about it.
- Rule 4
Bring a builder in early (GC early involvement).
Bid it to 4 or 5 builders (GCs), come in over budget, then cut scope with the low bidder (value engineering)? That stalls approvals and delays completion. Bring a builder in early so design and budget move together.
Built on 20+ years of construction knowledge.
Chief Construction Agent is built on 20+ years of commercial construction knowledge from government and private projects across Florida.
That knowledge spans a wide range of Florida commercial project types. That's where the questions in this tool come from: the ones owners wish someone had asked them sooner.
- A degree in building construction management from a top-ranked program
- 20+ years on public and private commercial projects
- Active in community and foundation leadership
What we won't claim
We won't inflate project counts, quote invented statistics, or pretend an AI can replace your architect, engineer, or attorney. The bot gives practical advice and tells you which licensed professional should confirm what. When it doesn't know something about your jurisdiction, it says so.
A straight answer costs less than one more mistake.
Your first 3 questions are free. After that, Basic is $99/month and Plus is $199/month. Cancel anytime.
Pick your plan
Start with 3 free questions. Choose a plan when you're ready to keep going.
Basic
Cancel anytime.
Best for owners who can describe the problem in words. Budgets, schedules, contracts, permits, change orders, and disputes.
- Typed questions
- High-volume use (fair-use limits apply)
- Plain-language answers from 20+ years of Florida commercial experience
- The bottom line, what to check next, and who should confirm it, all in writing
- Uploads (photos, plans, contracts, change orders) are on Plus
Plus
Most specific answersCancel anytime.
Best for owners, architects, engineers, and contractors who need the advisor to see the problem: a field condition, a plan sheet, the contract, a stack of change orders, or a submittal.
- Everything in Basic
- Upload photos, plan sheets, contracts, and change orders for more specific guidance
- Submittal review support: check submittals, shop drawings, and specs against your contract documents and see what to confirm
- Review support, not approval. Your architect or engineer of record has the final say.
Already a Plus member? Open Plus (uploads)
- 3 questions freeTry it on your real problem first.
- Cancel anytimeBasic and Plus are month to month.
- In writing, on your scheduleNo meetings or calls.
- IndependentNever recommends or steers work to any contractor.
Need a full contract or drawing review? Plus covers submittal and document review support one upload at a time. A full review of a contract set, a drawing set, or a specific issue is a separate service. It has a fixed scope, is quoted separately, and is delivered in writing.
What one mistake costs
Example math only. Put in your own numbers.
Typical published hourly range for targeted construction consulting work (bid, budget, or dispute reviews).
One month of Basic: $99Typical published hourly range in Florida. You'll still need an attorney for legal questions. Walk in knowing what to ask.
One month of Basic: $99Example: a 2% change on a $1,000,000 project. Changes often come from scope nobody priced or defined early.
A full year of Basic: $1,188Example: rent or mortgage interest, insurance, and taxes of $15,000/month, before any lost revenue.
A full year of Plus: $2,388The value engineering trap
Value engineering typically saves 5–8%. Delay costs (rent, mortgage, insurance, taxes, lost revenue) can wipe that out. Ask before you cut.
Redesign + re-permit adds 3 months × $15,000 = $45,000 back out.
These are examples, not predictions or promises. Your numbers will differ. Hourly figures are typical ranges from current published fee guides, not quotes. The 5–8% value engineering range is typical on comparable projects, not a guarantee.
Frequently asked questions.
Does this replace a project manager or consultant?
On a large project, probably not entirely. It's built for the early, expensive, confusing stage: figuring out whether the project is viable, what to check, who to hire, and what your budget is missing. You can use it to decide when and where you need human help.
Is it a licensed architect, engineer, or attorney?
No. It gives practical construction and project advice, not legal advice, engineering judgment, or licensed design sign-off. When a question needs a licensed professional, it tells you which one and what to ask them.
Will it tell me how much my project costs?
It won't make up a number. It works toward a defensible budget by asking the right questions and walking you through every cost category, including soft costs, contingency, FF&E, and financing. Then it tells you how to get a real estimate.
What can I upload?
Plus ($199/month) lets you upload photos, plan sheets, contracts, and change orders for more specific guidance. Plus also checks submittals, shop drawings, and specs against your contract documents and shows what to confirm. It's review support, not approval; your architect or engineer of record makes the call. Uploads aren't included on Basic. Uploads get general guidance only, not a full legal or plan review, and nothing here is legal advice. For a quoted custom review of contract documents, drawings, or a specific issue, ask for that separate service.
Can it approve my submittal?
No. It checks the submittal against the documents you upload, labels each item complies, does not comply, or can't verify, and suggests what the reviewer should confirm. Approval stays with the architect, engineer of record, or contractor named in your contract. It can make mistakes and miss items.
Will there be meetings or calls?
No. Everything happens in writing, on your schedule. A quoted custom review is also delivered in writing.
Does it work for public and government projects?
Yes. It asks early whether you're a public or private owner, because procurement rules, delivery-method options, and approvals differ. Your agency's counsel and procurement office have the final word.
Is my information kept confidential?
Your documents are used to answer your questions and aren't shared with other users. See our Terms of Use for how chats are handled.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Basic and Plus can be canceled anytime. Access continues to the end of the billing period. Payments are non-refundable except as stated in our Terms of Use.
Independence
This service is independent and never recommends or steers work to any contractor.
It gives balanced pros and cons for every delivery method and contractor-selection approach so you can choose what fits your project.
Disclaimer
Chief Construction Agent offers advice based on real commercial project data and Florida law. It answers specific questions. It does not review your full project, assess its overall risk, or replace your architect, engineer, attorney, or lender. Nothing here is legal, engineering, financial, or design advice, and no professional relationship is formed by using this service. Codes, permitting, and costs vary by location, so guidance outside Florida may not apply. Cost and schedule figures are typical ranges, not quotes or guarantees, and you are responsible for verifying them with licensed professionals before acting. This service is independent and never recommends or steers work to any contractor.
Submittal and document reviews. Submittal and document reviews on Plus are a support tool to help you review faster and know what to confirm. They are not a substitute for review by the architect, engineer of record, contractor, or any other party responsible under your contract. Chief Construction Agent can make mistakes and miss items, and it can only check the documents you upload; if a spec section, drawing, addendum, or approved substitution is missing, its findings are incomplete. It does not approve, reject, stamp, or certify any submittal, and it does not provide engineering judgment, code compliance determinations, or legal advice. Every finding, and any suggested review action, must be confirmed against the contract documents by the responsible design professional before anyone acts on it.
Need more than answers?
If you want your contract documents, drawings, or a specific issue reviewed, send a request and we'll quote that as a separate service.