Custom software and AI tools for subcontractors

Keep estimates, crew plans, T&M tickets and pay apps connected, so extras get documented, billing goes out on time and retention doesn’t slip through the cracks.

Fixed price, and you own what we build.

Book a CallSee subcontractor workflows
  • Verified Procore Private App Developer

What construction clients say

DesCor Builders
“Build Lean is very professional and detail-oriented.”
Brandon Schroer, VP & CFO, DesCor Builders · General contractorSee the project

Explore what we can build around your trade

From estimating and crew planning to field documentation and billing, these examples show how custom software and AI can support your operation. Start with one challenge or explore a broader solution built around your team and existing tools.

Billing and Cash FlowTrack pay applications, outstanding balances, retention, and unbilled work.Bid and EstimatingOrganize bid invitations, build estimates, and prepare proposals.Crews and ProductionPlan crew assignments, review capacity, and track job progress.Field and CloseoutDocument extra work and organize records for closeout and billing.
Billing and Cash Flow

Progress Billing, Receivables and Retention

See what is billable, outstanding, or held.

The problem

Field records, change approvals, pay applications, and accounting balances often move through separate processes, making the next billing action harder to identify.

Bring approved work, billing requirements, outstanding receivables, and retention into a shared view. Help your office identify unbilled extras, missing documentation, approaching deadlines, and balances requiring follow-up.

What we can build

  • Prepare progress-billing drafts against your schedule of values, approved changes, and reviewed job information
  • Track submitted, approved, rejected, and paid applications
  • Monitor retention by job and customer
  • Connect T&M records and approved changes to billing preparation
  • Track required lien waivers and review status
  • Reconcile billing activity with accounting records
How this workflow runs
Information Used
Accounting balances, pay applications, retention, approved changes, and billing documents
What the System Does
Combines balances and status by job, and flags missing documents and approaching deadlines
What Your Team Reviews
Release requirements, unbilled changes, and follow-ups by customer
Resulting Output
A pay app draft against the schedule of values, with retention applied and open items flagged
Explore Technical Details
Illustrative example · Pay app draftReview Required

Pay app #5 for Lincoln Tower comes to $117,000 due after 10% retention, with one signed T&M ticket still unpriced.

Source
Schedule of values, approved change orders, and field progress
Result
Pay app #5 drafted: $117,000 due after retention
Review Required
PM prices T&M ticket T-204 before the pay app goes out
Bid and Estimating

Subcontractor Bidding and Estimating

Carry estimating assumptions into the job.

The problem

Bid invitations arrive through different channels, estimates take time to prepare, and important assumptions can get lost between award and mobilization.

Organize bid invitations, takeoff information, assemblies, labor assumptions, and proposal revisions in a connected workflow. Help estimators prioritize opportunities, prepare consistent proposals, and carry reviewed estimate details into the job budget.

What we can build

  • Organize bid invitations, deadlines, addenda, and site walks
  • Build estimates using reviewed quantities, assemblies, and unit costs
  • Track labor assumptions, exclusions, alternates, and scope letters
  • Prepare proposal drafts from approved estimating information
  • Transfer awarded estimate details into job budgets and cost codes
  • Review bid outcomes by customer, project type, and trade scope
How this workflow runs
Information Used
Bid invitations, addenda, takeoff quantities, assemblies, and your recorded bid history
What the System Does
Organizes invitations and deadlines, and compares each opportunity with past win rates and margins
What Your Team Reviews
Which bids to pursue, estimate assumptions, exclusions, and proposal drafts
Resulting Output
A prioritized bid list and reviewed proposals that carry into the job budget
Explore Technical Details
Illustrative example · Bid prioritizationReview Required

Four invitations from two GCs match your strongest recorded win rates and margins.

Source
Bid invitations, bid history, and completed-job margins
Result
A prioritized list of invitations for estimator review
Review Required
Estimator confirms fit and scope before pursuing
Crews and Production

Crew Scheduling and Production Tracking

Plan crews around capacity and job readiness.

The problem

A crew assignment only works when the right people, materials, equipment, and work area are available.

Bring crew availability, required skills, job milestones, and readiness constraints into one planning view. Connect field updates to the office so your team can review staffing conflicts, track production, and adjust upcoming work with current information.

What we can build

  • Plan crew assignments across active jobs
  • Review available labor hours and required skills
  • Track material, equipment, and work-area readiness
  • Connect short-term plans with GC milestones
  • Capture installed quantities and labor hours by job or cost code
  • Compare production progress with estimating assumptions
How this workflow runs
Information Used
Crew rosters, skills, available hours, job milestones, and material and site readiness
What the System Does
Compares assignments with available hours, skills, and readiness, and flags conflicts
What Your Team Reviews
Proposed reassignments, labor requirements, and GC coordination
Resulting Output
A reviewed crew plan with conflicts and open questions flagged
Explore Technical Details
Illustrative example · Crew scheduling conflictsReview Required

Crew 3 is double-assigned Wednesday and Thursday; Crew 1 has partial availability Friday.

Source
Crew schedule, labor hours, and the GC look-ahead
Result
A list of conflicts with reassignment options
Review Required
Project team confirms changes before the schedule updates
Field and Closeout

T&M Documentation and Construction Closeout

Turn field documentation into billing support.

The problem

Extra work is harder to price and bill when hours, materials, photos, and customer acknowledgment are scattered or incomplete.

Capture T&M tickets, supporting photos, labor, materials, and signatures against the correct job. Route records to the office for review, track pricing and change-order status, and organize the documents needed for closeout and final billing.

What we can build

  • Record labor, materials, equipment, and photos by job
  • Track customer acknowledgment and missing signatures
  • Route completed tickets for office review and pricing
  • Link supporting records to change-order drafts
  • Track punch items, O&Ms, warranties, and required submissions
  • Identify outstanding requirements before final billing
How this workflow runs
Information Used
T&M tickets, labor, materials, equipment, photos, and customer signatures
What the System Does
Organizes field records by job and tracks signature, pricing, and change-order status separately
What Your Team Reviews
Pricing, supporting records, and change-order drafts before submission
Resulting Output
Priced change-order drafts and an organized record set for closeout and final billing
Explore Technical Details
Discuss your field and closeout workflow
Illustrative example · Mobile T&M ticketsReview Required

Two tickets await customer signatures, and one needs pricing before change-order preparation.

Source
Field tickets, photos, labor hours, and signatures
Result
Tickets grouped by signature, pricing, and submission status
Review Required
Office prices the work and approves change-order drafts
Integrations

Connect your field, office, and accounting information

We integrate with your existing stack, from estimating and accounting tools to the GC platforms your company has access to. No rip-and-replace. During scoping, we confirm which records the workflow needs, how information moves between systems, and which updates require approval.

Procore
Procore
Bluebeam
Bluebeam
Sage 300
Sage 300
QuickBooks
QuickBooks
Google Drive
Google Drive
DocuSign
DocuSign
Autodesk Build
Autodesk Build
Buildertrend
Buildertrend
CoConstruct
CoConstruct
PlanGrid
PlanGrid
Dropbox
Dropbox
Trimble
Trimble
Procore
Procore
Bluebeam
Bluebeam
Sage 300
Sage 300
QuickBooks
QuickBooks
Google Drive
Google Drive
DocuSign
DocuSign
Autodesk Build
Autodesk Build
Buildertrend
Buildertrend
CoConstruct
CoConstruct
PlanGrid
PlanGrid
Dropbox
Dropbox
Trimble
Trimble

Understand what you own and what it costs to operate

We agree on scope and a fixed price before development starts. Additional work is quoted for your approval. We also explain source-code ownership, hosting, data access, ongoing software and AI usage costs, maintenance, and support before work begins.

Ownership
You own the custom code we develop for you, with a source code handoff.
Hosting
Where the software runs and who can access it, agreed during scoping.
Ongoing costs
Hosting, AI usage and provider costs are billed directly to you at cost. We don’t mark them up.
Maintenance
Updates, dependencies, and what keeps the workflow running.
Support
Optional, scoped and quoted when you need it.

Start with one workflow that slows your team down

We review how the work moves between estimating, the field, the office, and accounting, then define a focused initial scope. Your team validates the workflow before rollout, with training built around the people using it.

  1. 1

    Discovery

    Review how the work happens today and the systems involved.

  2. 2

    Initial scope

    Define one workflow, its price, and what success looks like.

  3. 3

    User validation

    Your team tests the workflow with real work before rollout.

  4. 4

    Rollout

    Training, handoff, and support planned around the people using it.

Client project

DesCor is a general contractor, but the problem is the same one subs face: job information spread across systems that don’t talk to each other.

DesCor Builders

DesCor Builders

General contractor

The Result

260–300 manual steps eliminated per month

The problem
Business information lived in separate systems, so keeping it up to date took manual work.
The solution
An AI-powered platform connecting their systems into one source they own.
“What has impressed us most is their ability to ask the right questions, really listen to our feedback, and quickly translate that feedback into meaningful updates to the platform.”

Brandon Schroer, VP & CFO, DesCor Builders

Read the review on Clutch
From the blogClaude for Construction: 5 Use Cases from Submittals to WIP ReportingExplore five ways Claude can support construction teams, including submittal drafting, bid reviews, and WIP reporting.

Solutions

The technical capabilities behind your workflow

Explore the data connections, automations, reporting, and AI capabilities that can support your construction workflows. The right combination depends on your systems, access requirements, and operational priorities.

Not sure which approach fits? Book a 30-minute call

Not a subcontractor?

General contractorsConstruction overviewAI workshops
FAQs

Questions about custom subcontractor software

Bring one workflow you want to improve.

Marco Esquivel, founder of Build Lean

Talk with Build Lean founder Marco Esquivel about how your team works today. We’ll discuss where work gets held up, the tools you use, and a practical place to start.

30 minutes · Free · No preparation required

  1. Date
  2. Time
  3. Details

Times are shown in your time zone: GMT+00:00 (GMT+0)

Select a Date

Get an initial software estimate

Explore a preliminary price range before discussing a project.

Or email us directly at hello@buildlean.dev