The best AI consulting firms for UK construction in 2026: an honest comparison

Who wrote this, and how

Logica HQ wrote this. We’re a UK AI engineering firm, and we appear in the fourth category below, marked as ours. We haven’t ranked ourselves, or anyone else, first. The right choice depends on what you’re trying to fix, and for some of the problems below a large consultancy or a construction-only AI firm is the better fit. We say so where that’s true.

Every company fact and price comes from that company’s own website, and every figure about the industry comes from the body that published it: the ONS, RICS, RIBA or legislation.gov.uk. All of them were checked on 1 October 2026 and are listed in the sources at the end. Where a company doesn’t publish a price, we say “price not published” rather than guess. We haven’t checked anyone’s client claims, and we haven’t used statistics from vendors’ own marketing.

Where UK construction is with AI

Construction is one of the slowest UK industries to use AI. The ONS’s Business Insights and Conditions Survey found that 13% of construction businesses with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in June 2026. Across all industries the figure was around 35%, up from around 12% in September 2023, and in information and communication it was close to three in five.

The same ONS release found that construction businesses that do use AI are more likely to get it by buying external software or ready-to-use services than by building it themselves. That matches what the market sells, and it’s why the first category below is software.

The professional bodies show the gap closing. The RICS AI in commercial property and construction report 2026, published in August, surveyed 1,883 construction professionals worldwide. Regular use of AI in specific processes rose from 12% to 19% in a year, and organisations reporting no AI use fell by more than a third. A lack of skilled people was again the most-cited barrier, privacy and security concerns rose from 22% to 30%, and almost two-thirds said their organisation was not prepared or only minimally prepared. RIBA’s AI Report 2026 found that 74% of architecture practices use AI, up from 59% the year before.

Two rules matter when you buy. RICS’s professional standard on the responsible use of AI in surveying practice took effect on 9 March 2026 for all RICS members and regulated firms. It asks for a written policy, a risk register, due diligence before buying AI tools, disclosure to clients and human judgement over every output. RICS’s own report found 43% of construction respondents were not yet aligned with it. And on higher-risk buildings, section 88 of the Building Safety Act 2022 requires the accountable person to keep prescribed information up to date: the golden thread. Any AI system that touches those records has to keep them accurate and traceable.

Four kinds of provider

Most of what gets sold as “AI consulting for construction” falls into one of four groups. The table gives the short version; each group has its own section below with the firms in it.

1. Construction software with AI built in

If you already run projects on one of these platforms, check what its AI does before you pay anyone else. Most of the vendors below have added AI to the product you may already license, sometimes one tier up.

• Procore

  Project management for contractors and owners. Its AI includes agents for searching specs, drawings, RFIs and submittals with citations, reviewing submittals against specs, drafting RFIs, turning site photos, emails and voice notes into site diaries, and reviewing contracts against drawings. Price not published: its UK pricing page says it charges an upfront annual fee per product, based on the value of construction work you run through it.

• Autodesk Construction Cloud (now part of Autodesk Forma)

  Autodesk has moved Construction Cloud into its Forma platform. Its AI includes Autodesk Assistant for questions across project data and specifications, Construction IQ for flagging design, quality and safety risks, automatic submittal logs from specs, symbol detection that counts matches on drawings, and data extraction from drawings and PDF financial statements. Price not published on its AI pages.

• Causeway

  A UK software company whose CausewayOne Estimating is sold to contractors and subcontractors. Causeway says AI is built into its pre-construction tools, from creating estimates and taking in bills of quantities to trade mark-up and supplier selection, and the estimating product includes a CAD and BIM measuring tool. Price not published.

• Bluebeam

  PDF mark-up and drawing software, priced per user per year on its UK site at £264 (Basics), £330 (Core), £438 (Complete) and £588 (Max, an introductory price), including tax. The AI features sit on Max: AI drawing reviews that check for missing sheets, missing tags and gridline consistency, and AI comparisons between drawing sets.

• Kreo

  Take-off and estimating software that detects, measures and counts elements on drawings, with an AI agent, Caddie, that runs measurements from drawings. UK prices per user a month, billed annually: £25 (Lite), £50 (Plus) and £125 (Pro), with Enterprise priced to order and a seven-day trial.

• Togal.AI

  Automated take-off with unlimited take-offs, chat prompts and symbol searches on its Growth plan, at $299 per user a month billed yearly, in US dollars. A Business plan for four or more users is priced to order.

• nPlan

  A London company that forecasts schedule and cost risk on construction programmes, using a model trained on past project schedules. The clients named on its site include Network Rail, HS2 and Laing O’Rourke. Price not published. It is built for large programmes, not for a single job.

• Buildots

  AI progress tracking that compares what’s been built against the plan and flags risks to the programme. The logos on its site include Wates and Kier. Price not published.

• OpenSpace

  Site capture from 360° cameras, drones and phones, turned into a searchable visual record, with AI agents and progress tracking powered by Disperse. Price not published.

The limit of this category: the AI works on what’s inside the platform. It assumes your drawings, models and project records are already there and in order. None of these will read your shared inbox, know your own rates, or chase a quote you sent from Outlook. Costs rise per seat, and new AI features arrive on the vendor’s timetable, often on a higher plan.

2. Major consultancies and engineering firms with AI practices

These firms run or advise on large programmes, and AI is now part of how they deliver. Here is what each says about construction AI on its own site. None publishes a price; fees are set per engagement.

• Accenture

  Accenture Construct is its global capital projects business, launched in 2026 for project owners. It combines advisory, engineering, programme and construction management with what Accenture calls AI-enabled intelligence, across data centres, utilities, transport and advanced manufacturing. Price not published.

• Mace

  Mace now operates as two independent businesses: Mace Construct, and Mace Consult, which was carved out on 5 March 2026. Mace Construct says it is building AI and data into its core delivery processes, including predictive planning and automated progress tracking, and has tied a productivity target to digital automation by 2030. Price not published.

• Turner & Townsend

  A programme, cost and project management firm with more than 23,000 people in 63 countries. Its digital service covers digital strategy, data management, technology sourcing, governance and platform development, built around The Hive, its own platform for comparing forecasts against what similar projects actually achieved. Price not published.

• AtkinsRéalis

  An engineering firm whose digital products include an Advanced Analytics Control Center, Construction Data Intelligence for project risk, a Design Production Management suite and digital twins, across transport, nuclear, water, power and defence. Price not published.

• Arcadis

  In 2026 Arcadis invested in Nomic, an AI platform for architecture, engineering and construction, and is putting Nomic’s agents into tools its teams already use, including Autodesk Forma and Bentley ProjectWise, for drawing reviews, code compliance checks, document analysis and BIM coordination. Price not published.

The limit of this category: the AI mostly sits inside their own delivery, so you get it by hiring them to run or advise on a programme. Their work is set up for clients with large programmes and the budgets that go with them. Most contractors won’t get an engagement scoped around a quoting inbox or a single estimating team.

When they are the better fit: you’re a client or developer with a capital programme, a public body that needs governance and assurance at scale, or a tier-one contractor building a company-wide data strategy. For that work, hire one of these firms, not a build shop like us.

3. Specialist AI and automation firms for construction

These firms build AI systems for construction businesses rather than selling one product. All four below say on their own sites that they serve UK construction. We’ve described what each publishes; we haven’t checked their client claims.

• Built Logic

  A London firm that works only with construction and the built environment: contractors, housebuilders, developers, consultancies and merchants. It publishes its prices. The AI Feasibility Study is £2,000 + VAT over four weeks, including a day on site, a working demo and a company AI policy, and the fee comes off your first month’s invoice if you go ahead within 30 days. Training starts from £2,000 + VAT. Custom-built systems run from £4,000 to £16,000 + VAT, built on your own accounts, which you own. Its AI Partnership starts from £5,000 a month + VAT with a six-month minimum, then 30 days’ notice.

• Aucta AI

  A Kent consultancy, based in Dover, that calls itself a fractional AI department for construction, trades, renewables and other sectors. For construction it lists tender monitoring, subcontractor communication and compliance tracking, AI-assisted quoting with follow-ups, email sorting and custom CRMs. It offers fixed-price delivery and a pilot first. Price not published.

• Softomate Solutions

  A software house in Stanmore, north-west London, with a broad range of services. Its construction page covers tender monitoring and PQQ drafting, CDM documentation, subcontractor coordination, site reporting, and RFI and variation tracking. It quotes £4,000 to £9,000 for tender and bid automation, up to £16,000 to £22,000 for a full platform, plus £250 to £600 a month for maintenance.

• Crunch-IS

  A software engineering company with an office in London and others in the US, Poland, Ukraine, Cyprus and Brazil. Construction is one of the industries it lists, with project tracking, workflow, document management and site monitoring software. Price not published. It suits larger custom software builds more than a single automation.

The limit of this category: there is little independent evidence about any of these firms, us included. You are buying people as well as code, so ask to see something running, find out who looks after it when your portals and software change, and get the scope in writing.

When Built Logic is the better fit: you want a partner that works only in construction, with on-site discovery, team training and an AI policy as well as the build, and you’re happy with a monthly programme over six months. It is the more complete consultancy package of the firms in this group.

4. Logica HQ (this is us)

We’re a UK AI engineering firm. We build custom AI agents and automations on the systems a contractor already uses: shared mailboxes, PDF drawings, rate cards, job software and accounts. The engineering is ours, and we build on your accounts.

Three systems we’ve built for construction work:

• Mailbox-to-jobs tracker

  An AI system that reads a contractor’s mailboxes and files every enquiry, quote and job into a tracked pipeline. Anything it isn’t sure about goes to a human review queue instead of being filed silently. See the mailbox-to-jobs AI tracker.

• Quote Desk

  Quoting from a contractor’s own rate card: the enquiry is read and a quote drafted at their prices, for a person to check and send. See AI quoting.

• Take-off for electrical drawings

  A tool that counts electrical symbols on PDF drawings using fixed rules read from the drawing’s own legend, so every count is marked on the sheet and can be checked by hand. A language model never produces a quantity. It is early work, and we treat it as a tool for an estimator to check, not a replacement for one.

Published prices: custom agents from £3,450 + £249 a month (simple), £8,950 + £449 a month (multi-step) and £18,500 + £995 a month (complex, after a £1,250 discovery sprint that is credited against the build). Automations start from £295 + £79 a month, and quote follow-up is £995 + £89 a month. Monthly plans have no minimum term. The full list is on our pricing page, and how we build agents is on our custom agents page.

Our limit: we’re not an enterprise consultancy for capital programmes, and we don’t offer programme assurance, digital twins or company-wide transformation. We suit contractors and subcontractors who want a specific system built on their inboxes, drawings and job software. We also can’t show you a long record of construction work yet, so judge us on what you can check: published prices, no minimum terms, and the build write-up linked above. More on our construction page.

For subcontractors and trade contractors

Most guides to AI in construction are written for main contractors and clients. Electrical, mechanical and electrical (M&E), fit-out, drylining and other trade contractors work differently, and most of the tools above weren’t built around them.

A subcontractor’s work mostly arrives by email. Tender invitations come from several main contractors at once, each with a portal link or a PDF drawing pack and a return date. Enquiries, RFIs, variations and payment applications come in the same inboxes. The price comes from the firm’s own rates and the estimator’s count off the drawings. And the project platform, if there is one, often belongs to the main contractor, who invites you onto it on their terms.

So the expensive problems for a subcontractor sit in four places: the inbox, the drawings, the quote, and the chasing afterwards. Here is what fits each.

1. The inbox

   Tender invitations and enquiries get missed or answered late because they’re mixed in with everything else. Project platforms don’t read your shared mailbox, so this is usually a build: something that reads every message, files it against the right main contractor and job, logs the return date, and sends anything unclear to a person.

2. The drawings

   Take-off software such as Kreo, Togal.AI, Bluebeam and Causeway’s estimating tools is the first place to look, and you can try several on your own drawings. Whatever you use, insist that every count is marked on the sheet so an estimator can check it. Be wary of any tool that reads a PDF and types a quantity back without showing where each item is.

3. The quote

   Your rates, your labour assumptions and your exclusions are particular to your firm. A quoting system should price from your rate card, not a generic database, and a person should approve every quote before it goes out.

4. The chasing

   Quotes and tenders that go out by email and never get a reply are lost work. A follow-up that knows which quotes are still open, and stops when someone answers, is a small build or a feature of your job software if you send quotes from it.

Plenty of trade contractors don’t need a consultant at all. If your job software already sends quotes and chases them, switch that on first. If you don’t run job software yet, choose that before automating anything. Our guide for trades compares the job software and call-answering products that smaller firms use, and our API index shows which UK business software can be connected to at all.

How to choose, by problem

• Tenders and take-off

  Start with take-off software and test it on your own drawings: Kreo and Bluebeam publish UK prices, Togal.AI publishes in US dollars, and Causeway quotes. Ask for counts you can check on the sheet. A build makes sense around the estimate: filing tender invitations from the inbox, logging questions and return dates, or counting symbols from your drawings’ own legends where off-the-shelf tools miss them.

• Quoting

  If quotes go out from your job or estimating software, use its templates and follow-ups. A custom quoting system earns its fee when enquiries arrive by email in many shapes and the price comes from your own rate card. See AI quoting and quote follow-up.

• Enquiry handling

  Nothing in category 1 reads a shared mailbox and turns it into a pipeline, so this is build work, from a specialist firm or from us. Ask what happens to the messages the system isn’t sure about. See the mailbox-to-jobs AI tracker.

• Project controls and site progress

  This is platform territory. Procore and Autodesk Forma cover RFIs, submittals and site diaries; Buildots and OpenSpace cover progress capture; nPlan covers schedule risk on large programmes. Buy the platform your main contractors and clients already use before you build anything.

• Capital programme strategy

  Hire a major consultancy: Accenture, Mace, Turner & Townsend, AtkinsRéalis or Arcadis. Programme assurance, governance and company-wide data strategy are what they’re built for, and a build firm is the wrong choice.

• You don’t know where to start

  A paid study is a sensible first step if you have the volume to justify it. Built Logic’s feasibility study is £2,000 + VAT and comes off a first invoice if you go ahead; our discovery sprint is £1,250 and is credited against a complex build.

Questions to ask any provider, us included

• Is our data used to train anyone’s AI, and where is it stored and processed?
• Who owns what you build, and what do we keep if we stop paying? Ask about the code, the accounts it runs on and the data.
• Is it built on our accounts and systems, or on yours?
• What does it do when it isn’t sure? Ask to see the review queue, not just the happy path.
• Can every number it produces be checked? For a take-off, that means each count marked on the drawing; for a quote, each line traced to a rate.
• If we’re RICS-regulated, how does this fit the RICS standard on responsible AI use: our policy, our risk register and what we tell clients?
• If we work on higher-risk buildings, does anything here create or change golden thread records, and how are they kept accurate?
• What will it cost each month in total, including AI usage, per-seat fees and VAT, and is there a minimum term?
• What won’t you do, and what won’t this fix?
• Can we see something you’ve built running, and who looks after it when our portals and software change?

Frequently asked questions

• What is the best AI consulting firm for construction?

  It depends on the problem. For a capital programme, a major consultancy such as Accenture, Mace, Turner & Townsend, AtkinsRéalis or Arcadis. For a construction-only partner with training and an ongoing programme, Built Logic. For take-off, project controls or site progress, the software in category 1. For a specific system built on a contractor’s or subcontractor’s inboxes, drawings and rate card, a build firm such as us.

• How much does AI consulting cost for a UK construction firm?

  On the prices published by the firms in this guide: take-off software from £25 per user a month; feasibility studies from £2,000 + VAT; custom builds from £3,450 to around £22,000 for most scopes, with monthly fees on top; ongoing partnerships from £5,000 a month. The major consultancies don’t publish prices.

• Can AI do take-off from PDF drawings?

  Take-off software can measure and count on drawings, and several products publish prices and offer trials. Check the counts on your own drawings and insist that each one is marked on the sheet. In our own work we don’t let a language model produce quantities; counting is done by fixed rules that can be checked.

• Do subcontractors need an AI consultant?

  Often not. Switch on what your job and estimating software already does first. A build firm helps when the work crosses systems: tender invitations in a shared inbox, quotes priced from your own rate card, or follow-ups on quotes sent from Outlook.

• How many UK construction firms use AI?

  The ONS found that 13% of construction businesses with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in June 2026, against around 35% across all industries.

• Does the RICS AI standard apply to us?

  It applies to RICS members and RICS-regulated firms, worldwide, from 9 March 2026. If you’re a contractor that isn’t RICS-regulated, it doesn’t bind you, but a client’s quantity surveyor may ask how your AI is governed.