Buildots for Construction Progress Tracking and Schedule Analytics

In-Depth Review

Buildots addresses the same underlying problem as schedule-based project controls have always tried to solve: the gap between what the plan says is happening and what is actually happening on the floor. The gap persists because most construction projects collect progress data from the people doing the work — superintendents, subcontractor PMs — who have limited time and some incentive to report optimistically. By the time a real delay surfaces through normal reporting channels, the corrective window is often already past.

The platform’s answer is to derive progress from physical evidence. A 360-degree camera clips to a worker’s hard hat. As they walk the site — a walk that was already going to happen — the camera records continuously. Buildots processes that footage using computer vision against the uploaded BIM model and project schedule, then reports what has been installed, what is behind, and where installed work diverges from design intent.

What Buildots Does on a Real Project

The capture workflow is the operational foundation. Buildots does not require autonomous robots, dedicated documentation walks, or workers stopping to photograph specific locations. The camera goes on the hard hat and the existing site walk produces the data. This matters because documentation tools that require new behavior from site teams rarely get used consistently. When the capture step happens passively, the data gaps that undermine other tools are much less likely.

AI progress detection compares footage to the BIM model to determine installation status by element, zone, and trade. The output is percentage complete by work package, derived from what the camera saw rather than from what a PM typed into a report. The distinction is practical: AI-detected progress does not reflect whoever filled out the daily report that day, or a superintendent’s optimism about work that started but is not yet complete.

Schedule variance reporting overlays detected progress against the project schedule. When a specific subcontractor’s installation rate falls behind their planned milestone, the platform generates an alert while there is still time to act. Most traditional schedule updates catch the same problem at a monthly coordination meeting, when dependent trades are already affected and the cost to recover is higher.

Deviation detection is a quality control feature that identifies locations where installed work differs from what the BIM model shows. On MEP-intensive floors, this catches routing changes and installation errors before wall or ceiling closures. The value of catching a deviation at rough-in versus finding it during punch list is the difference between a rerouting labor cost and a demolition and rerouting cost.

Automated report generation assembles trade-level progress data, deviation photos, and schedule variance summaries into a formatted report without manual compilation. For project engineers spending several hours each week building owner progress reports from superintendent notes and daily logs, this represents real time back.

Pricing Reality

Buildots does not publish pricing. Enterprise contracts are structured around project scale, walk frequency, and contract duration. Get a written quote early if evaluating against OpenSpace or Doxel, both of which also require sales conversations. Before comparing platforms on price alone, clarify what hardware costs are included or separate in each quote.

One Specific Thing to Test Before Committing

Before signing a contract, run a pilot scan on an active floor and compare the AI’s progress detection against your own superintendent’s assessment for that same floor on the same day. If the AI reports 68% complete for mechanical rough-in on Level 4 and your superintendent independently says 72%, that variance is within acceptable range. If they diverge by 20 or more points, investigate whether the BIM model is current and whether the walk covered the full floor. The pilot test calibrates expectations on your specific project type and model quality before you commit to an annual contract.

Who This Is For

General contractors and construction managers on commercial, institutional, or infrastructure projects above $30M get the most from Buildots. The financial case rests on early schedule correction: detecting a trade falling behind in week three rather than week six has measurable cost value when liquidated damages exposure is real or when trade sequencing leaves little float. Owners managing large capital projects who want independent progress verification alongside payment applications are a second clear use case. Projects without a maintained BIM model, teams that cannot ensure consistent walk coverage, or smaller projects where enterprise pricing is hard to absorb will find the value proposition weaker.