What can AI agents take over in Engineering & construction operations?

tacitrun ships 35 Engineering & construction process blueprints — Bid / ITB intake & qualification, Vendor & subcontractor quote normalization, Technical compliance check against specification and Estimate preparation and more — each stating its inputs, outputs, KPIs and the points where a person stays in the loop. They are the starting point: the domain agents themselves are built by reading your own procedure, and every write they make waits for your approval.

How do I give an agent a reference document (e.g. a sample template) to use at runtime?

Two places, both drag-and-drop: (1) for ONE agent, open it → Knowledge tab → drop the file on “Documents it can look up”; (2) for the WHOLE process (available to every agent in it), the process page has a “Documents for this process” card — drop it there. For example, drop a sample proposal template for a Proposal Generator. Whatever the format — PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, HTML, text, OR a screenshot/image (PNG, JPG, etc.) — we handle it: documents convert to clean markdown (tables and headings preserved, not a flattened blob), and images/screenshots are read by vision (Claude) which transcribes all the text and describes what’s in them (e.g. a screenshot of an invoice becomes a markdown table of its line items). Then we cap it to a sensible size for efficient token use, chunk and embed it so retrieval is sharp. It’s added immediately (no IT approval needed, nothing hardcoded) and shows in the document list. From then on the agent searches it live every run and uses it as a reference — e.g. it drafts new proposals in the shape of your template. To have it ALWAYS apply a rule instead of just look it up, use “Teach it” on the same tab (or the Rules tab for enforceable policies).

What is the Salesforce Data Hygiene blueprint, and how do I use it?

It’s a pre-built end-to-end process (a "crew" of 5 domain agents) that replaces the manual job of cleaning up messy CRM data and re-importing it. In the Catalog it shows as a Blueprint with the problem it solves, the outcomes it delivers, and the process mapped to each domain agent: (1) Data Quality Auditor profiles the object and reports duplicates/blanks/malformed/stale records; (2) Duplicate Finder & Merger proposes human-approved merges; (3) Field Standardizer normalizes phone/state/country/titles/casing; (4) Data Re-import Loader picks up a cleaned file (SFTP/SharePoint/Drive) and UPSERTS each row by external ID — so re-runs update the same record instead of creating duplicates; (5) Import Reconciliation Auditor verifies the load matched the source. Adopt each step from the blueprint; we build a private copy in your workspace that you can adapt, connected to your own Salesforce. Every write goes through human approval until you trust it.

What’s a Skill vs a Blueprint?

A Blueprint is a starter process template. A Skill is a reusable knowledge pack a domain agent loads on demand at runtime.

Do you have blueprints for private equity / deal teams?

Yes. Pick "Private equity" in Blueprints to get the full deal lifecycle (origination → diligence → execution & close with IC + signing gates → value creation → exit), plus the cross-portfolio value-creation playbook as standardized levers (working capital, FP&A, pricing/margin, spend analytics, JML access) that deploy identically across every portfolio company. Human-approval gates are built into the deal-close and IC steps. On Ingest, choosing "Private equity" also offers starter templates — Deal Sourcing & Screening, DD Red-Flag Log, IC Memo & Approval, and 100-Day & Value-Creation Plan.

AI agents for Engineering & construction operations

Estimating & bid

Bid / ITB intake & qualification

Capture an invitation to bid — scope, site, schedule, spec references, bond and insurance requirements — and decide whether to pursue it.

Inputs: Invitation to bid · Drawings & specifications · Prequalification requirements
Outputs: Structured bid record · Bid / no-bid recommendation with reasons
KPIs it moves: Bid response time · Bid / no-bid accuracy · Win rate
Systems it usually runs on: Estimating system · Document store · CRM
Where a person stays in the loop: Bid / no-bid decision

Vendor & subcontractor quote normalization

Turn unstructured vendor and subcontractor quotes into one comparable cost matrix, line by line across equipment, material, labor, freight and contingency, and name the scope each quote excludes.

Inputs: Vendor & subcontractor quotes · Bid package scope
Outputs: Normalized cost matrix · Scope gaps and exclusions
KPIs it moves: Quotes normalized per bid · Scope-gap detection rate · Analyst hours per bid
Systems it usually runs on: Estimating system · Document store · Email
Where a person stays in the loop: Scope-gap interpretation

Technical compliance check against specification

Cross-reference quoted items against the governing engineering specification and flag deviations in material grade, tolerance, pressure rating or code compliance.

Inputs: Normalized cost matrix · Engineering specifications · Applicable codes & standards
Outputs: Compliance-checked matrix · Deviation list with spec citations
KPIs it moves: Deviations caught before award · Spec citation coverage
Systems it usually runs on: Document store · Engineering specification library
Where a person stays in the loop: Deviation acceptance

Estimate preparation

Build the estimate from scope: labor hours and crew mix by discipline, material take-off, equipment, subcontract and indirects, priced to cost codes.

Inputs: Scope & drawings · Historical productivity rates · Labor rates · Material pricing
Outputs: Priced estimate by cost code · Assumptions & exclusions register
KPIs it moves: Estimate cycle time · Estimate accuracy vs final cost · Margin at bid
Systems it usually runs on: Estimating system · ERP / job cost
Where a person stays in the loop: Final pricing and margin approval

Project controls

Change-order identification & pricing

Detect scope changes from field reports, RFIs and correspondence, price them against contract rates, and prepare the change order for submission.

Inputs: Daily field reports · RFIs · Contract rates & terms · Original scope
Outputs: Change-order package with backup · Unbilled-scope exposure
KPIs it moves: Change orders captured vs absorbed · Days from change to submission · Approval rate
Systems it usually runs on: Project management system · ERP / job cost
Where a person stays in the loop: Change-order submission to the client

Estimate vs actual variance by cost code

Compare booked hours and cost against the estimate at cost-code level, identify whether the driver is scope, productivity or coding, and say so plainly when no driver is established.

Inputs: Estimate by cost code · Actual labor & cost postings · Installed quantities
Outputs: Variance report with narrative · Drivers classified or marked unexplained
KPIs it moves: Cost-code variance · Hours per unit installed · Share of variance explained
Systems it usually runs on: ERP / job cost · Estimating system
Where a person stays in the loop: Rate changes carried into future estimates

Progress measurement & forecast at completion

Roll up installed quantities and earned progress into percent complete by cost code and produce a forecast at completion, stating what changed since the last forecast.

Inputs: Installed quantities · Budget by cost code · Committed and incurred cost
Outputs: Percent complete by cost code · Forecast at completion with movement
KPIs it moves: Forecast accuracy · Schedule variance · Cost variance
Systems it usually runs on: ERP / job cost · Scheduling system
Where a person stays in the loop: Forecast issued to the client or to management

Progress billing & backup assembly

Prepare the periodic progress application from measured progress and approved change orders, and assemble the backup the contract requires.

Inputs: Percent complete · Approved change orders · Contract billing terms
Outputs: Draft progress application with backup · Unbilled exposure
KPIs it moves: Days to submit · Rejection / resubmission rate · Unbilled balance
Systems it usually runs on: ERP / job cost · Project management system
Where a person stays in the loop: Application submitted to the client

Engineering & document control

Drawing & submittal intake

Take in drawings, data sheets and submittals, register them with revision and status, and extract the tags, line items and quantities the downstream processes need.

Inputs: Drawings & data sheets (text-extractable) · Transmittals · Revision register
Outputs: Registered documents with revision status · Extracted tags & quantities
KPIs it moves: Intake turnaround · Superseded-revision incidents · Extraction coverage
Systems it usually runs on: Document store · Project management system
Where a person stays in the loop: Acceptance of an extraction with low confidence

Bill of materials generation & standardization

Turn extracted drawing content into a standardized bill of materials with consistent units, descriptions and part identifiers.

Inputs: Extracted drawing content · Parts & materials standards
Outputs: Standardized bill of materials · Items needing clarification
KPIs it moves: Items standardized without rework · Clarification rate
Systems it usually runs on: Document store · ERP
Where a person stays in the loop: Resolution of an ambiguous or unmatched item

Request for information (RFI) management

Draft, route and track RFIs to the engineer or client, chase the ones that are ageing, and connect the answer back to the scope and cost it affects.

Inputs: Field question or discrepancy · Drawings & specifications · Contract correspondence terms
Outputs: Drafted RFI · Ageing / overdue RFI list · Answer linked to affected scope
KPIs it moves: RFI response time · Open RFIs ageing past terms · RFIs leading to change orders
Systems it usually runs on: Project management system · Document store · Email
Where a person stays in the loop: RFI issued to the engineer or client

Submittal & transmittal tracking

Track submittals through review and approval against the schedule, and flag the ones whose approval date puts procurement or fabrication at risk.

Inputs: Submittal register · Review status · Project schedule
Outputs: Submittal status view · Approvals at risk of delaying work
KPIs it moves: Submittal cycle time · Rejections requiring resubmission · Approvals late against need date
Systems it usually runs on: Project management system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: Escalation of an approval that will delay work

Procurement & materials

Material reconciliation & requisition

Reconcile required materials against stock and commitments, flag long-lead items against the schedule, and prepare purchase requisitions for the shortfall.

Inputs: Bill of materials · Inventory on hand · Open commitments · Lead times & schedule
Outputs: Reconciliation matrix · Draft purchase requisitions · Long-lead exposure
KPIs it moves: Shortfalls found before work starts · Long-lead items flagged in time · Requisition cycle time
Systems it usually runs on: ERP · Inventory / warehouse system
Where a person stays in the loop: Purchase requisition release

Expediting & delivery tracking

Track purchase orders against their promised dates, chase the ones that threaten a work front, and give the field a straight answer on when material lands.

Inputs: Open purchase orders · Promised & confirmed dates · Work-front need dates
Outputs: Expediting list ranked by impact · Revised delivery outlook
KPIs it moves: On-time delivery rate · Work fronts delayed by material · Days recovered by expediting
Systems it usually runs on: ERP · Vendor portals · Email
Where a person stays in the loop: Commitment made to a vendor or to the field

Receiving & material verification

Verify received material against the purchase order and the specification, capture heat numbers and certificates at receipt, and record shortages or damage before the material is used.

Inputs: Purchase order · Packing list · Specification · Material certificates
Outputs: Receipt record with certificate linkage · Shortage / damage / non-conformance report
KPIs it moves: Receipts verified before issue · Certificates captured at receipt · Non-conformances found at receipt
Systems it usually runs on: ERP · Inventory / warehouse system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: Acceptance of material with a discrepancy

Subcontract administration & compliance

Keep subcontractor agreements, insurance certificates and compliance evidence current, and reconcile subcontractor invoices against the work actually performed.

Inputs: Subcontract agreements · Insurance certificates · Subcontractor invoices · Field records of work performed
Outputs: Compliance status by subcontractor · Invoice reconciliation with exceptions
KPIs it moves: Subcontractors compliant at time of work · Expiring evidence · Invoice exceptions found
Systems it usually runs on: ERP · Document store · Compliance tracking
Where a person stays in the loop: Approval of a subcontractor invoice or a compliance exception

Field operations

Daily field report capture & rollup

Capture the daily report from each crew — work performed, quantities, manpower, equipment, weather, delays and visitors — and roll it into a project view that flags what needs a decision.

Inputs: Crew daily reports · Installed quantities · Site conditions
Outputs: Consolidated daily report · Delays and issues needing a decision
KPIs it moves: Reports submitted on time · Quantities captured daily · Delay events documented
Systems it usually runs on: Field mobile app · Project management system
Where a person stays in the loop: Delay or disruption notice sent to the client

Work order intake, dispatch & completion

Take a work request from the client or the field, scope it, dispatch it to a crew with the right craft and certifications, and close it out with the records the contract requires.

Inputs: Work request · Crew availability & certifications · Site access requirements
Outputs: Dispatched work order · Completion record with evidence
KPIs it moves: Time to dispatch · First-visit completion rate · Backlog age
Systems it usually runs on: Work management system · Scheduling system · Field mobile app
Where a person stays in the loop: Dispatch of work requiring a permit or client access

Field material request & issue

Take material requests from the field, check them against what is issued and available, and route the shortfall to procurement without stopping the work front.

Inputs: Field material request · Issued material records · Inventory on hand
Outputs: Issue instruction or shortfall routed to procurement · Work-front impact
KPIs it moves: Requests fulfilled from stock · Work fronts idled for material · Request turnaround
Systems it usually runs on: Inventory / warehouse system · ERP · Field mobile app
Where a person stays in the loop: Substitution of a specified material

Workforce, time & labor integrity

Field time capture & approval

Collect crew hours from the field against project and cost code, validate them against the schedule and approve them into payroll and job cost.

Inputs: Crew timesheets · Project & cost-code structure · Shift schedule
Outputs: Approved time by project and cost code · Coding corrections
KPIs it moves: Time submitted on schedule · Correction rate · Payroll rework hours
Systems it usually runs on: Time capture app · ERP / job cost · Payroll
Where a person stays in the loop: Timesheet approval · Cost-code reassignment

Labor time exception & integrity review

Review submitted time for exceptions that indicate error or abuse — overlapping entries, hours inconsistent with site presence, repeated round-number entries, cost-code drift, duplicate submissions, and hours booked against scope already complete — and route each exception to a supervisor with its evidence.

Inputs: Submitted timesheets · Site presence / badge data · Cost-code structure · Progress by scope
Outputs: Ranked exception queue with evidence · Supervisor decisions and dispositions
KPIs it moves: Exceptions per thousand hours · Confirmed-exception rate · Recovered labor cost · False-positive rate
Systems it usually runs on: Time capture app · ERP / job cost · Access control / badge system
Where a person stays in the loop: Every exception disposition — an exception is a question for a supervisor, never an accusation

Certification & hours-of-service compliance

Track craft certifications and required training against upcoming assignments, and verify hours-of-service limits before a worker is scheduled.

Inputs: Worker certifications & expiry dates · Assignment schedule · Hours worked
Outputs: Expiring-certification alerts · Assignment eligibility decisions
KPIs it moves: Expired-certification incidents · Assignments blocked for eligibility · Renewal lead time
Systems it usually runs on: HR system · Training records · Scheduling system
Where a person stays in the loop: Assignment of a worker with a lapsed or pending certification

Crew scheduling & dispatch

Assign crews to projects and shifts by craft, certification and availability, and escalate the coverage gaps rather than forcing a fill.

Inputs: Project labor demand · Crew availability · Certification status · Site requirements
Outputs: Dispatch plan · Coverage gaps escalated
KPIs it moves: Coverage rate · Unfilled shifts · Travel & per-diem cost
Systems it usually runs on: Scheduling system · HR system
Where a person stays in the loop: Dispatch publication · Overtime authorization

Labor utilisation & productivity reporting

Roll up hours, utilisation and installed quantities into a productivity view by project, crew and cost code, and narrate what moved.

Inputs: Approved time · Installed quantities · Estimate rates
Outputs: Productivity report with narrative · Underperforming cost codes
KPIs it moves: Hours per unit installed · Utilisation rate · Overtime share
Systems it usually runs on: ERP / job cost · Reporting
Where a person stays in the loop: External or client-facing distribution

Safety & HSE

Safe-work policy grounding

Answer field questions about safe work practice strictly from the company HSE manual and the applicable regulation, citing the passage — and say plainly when the policy does not cover the case rather than inventing a procedure.

Inputs: HSE policy manual · Applicable regulations & standards · Field question
Outputs: Cited answer · Gap flagged where policy is silent
KPIs it moves: Citation coverage · Unanswered / escalated rate · Policy gaps identified
Systems it usually runs on: Document store · HSE policy library
Where a person stays in the loop: Any answer that would change or extend written policy

Job safety analysis & pre-task plan review

Review submitted JSAs and pre-task plans against the task, the site hazards and the governing standard, and return the gaps to the field lead before work starts.

Inputs: Submitted JSA / pre-task plan · Task & site description · Hazard standards
Outputs: Review with gaps and required controls · Approved plan
KPIs it moves: JSAs reviewed before task start · Gap rate · Review turnaround time
Systems it usually runs on: Field mobile app · HSE policy library
Where a person stays in the loop: Approval to proceed with the task

Permit-to-work & isolation verification

Verify that the permit, lockout/tagout isolation and hot-work requirements for a task are complete, current and signed before work is released.

Inputs: Permit request · Isolation / LOTO records · Task & equipment detail
Outputs: Verification result with missing items · Released permit
KPIs it moves: Permits verified before release · Missing-item rate · Permit cycle time
Systems it usually runs on: Permit system · Field mobile app
Where a person stays in the loop: Permit release

Incident & near-miss intake and reporting

Take an incident or near-miss report from the field, assemble the facts, assess recordability against the regulation, and draft the report and corrective actions for HSE review.

Inputs: Field incident report · Witness statements · Recordability criteria · HSE policy
Outputs: Structured incident record · Draft regulatory report · Corrective actions
KPIs it moves: Time to first report · Recordability determination accuracy · Corrective actions closed on time
Systems it usually runs on: HSE / EHS system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: Recordability determination and any regulatory filing — filings are drafted, never submitted automatically

Safety observation rollup & leading indicators

Aggregate safety observations, toolbox talks and near misses into leading-indicator trends by site and crew, and surface where exposure is rising before it becomes an incident.

Inputs: Safety observations · Toolbox talk records · Near-miss reports · Hours worked
Outputs: Leading-indicator trend view · Sites and crews trending adversely
KPIs it moves: Observations per hours worked · Near-miss to incident ratio · Close-out time
Systems it usually runs on: HSE / EHS system · Reporting
Where a person stays in the loop: Client-facing or executive distribution

Contractor prequalification evidence pack

Assemble and keep current the safety and compliance evidence that client prequalification programmes require — incident rates, insurance, training records, written programmes — and flag what is expiring before it costs a bid.

Inputs: Incident rate history · Insurance certificates · Training records · Written HSE programmes
Outputs: Prequalification submission pack · Expiring-evidence alerts
KPIs it moves: Prequalification status by client · Evidence expiring within 30 days · Submission turnaround
Systems it usually runs on: Prequalification portals · HSE / EHS system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: Submission to a client or prequalification portal

Fabrication & QA/QC

Weld log & NDT reconciliation

Compile weld logs with their non-destructive testing results, reconcile them by weld identifier against welder qualifications, and surface welds that are untested, failed or missing an inspector record.

Inputs: Weld logs · NDT laboratory reports · Welder qualification records
Outputs: Reconciled weld register · Untested / failed / unsigned welds
KPIs it moves: Weld repair rate · NDT coverage · Reconciliation time per package
Systems it usually runs on: Fabrication / shop system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: Disposition of a failed or unsigned weld

Material traceability — heats to mill certificates

Match heat numbers on received and installed material to the mill test reports that certify them, check the certified properties against the specification, and flag material that cannot be traced.

Inputs: Heat numbers · Mill test reports · Material receiving records · Specification requirements
Outputs: Traceability matrix · Untraceable or non-conforming material
KPIs it moves: Traceability coverage · Untraceable material found · Time to resolve a traceability gap
Systems it usually runs on: Fabrication / shop system · Document store · ERP
Where a person stays in the loop: Acceptance of material with an incomplete certificate

Inspection, test & calibration records

Track the inspection and test plan, instrument calibration validity and commissioning sign-offs through to system acceptance, and flag records that are missing or expired.

Inputs: Inspection & test plan · Calibration certificates · Commissioning checklists
Outputs: Records status by system · Missing or expired records
KPIs it moves: Records complete at handover · Expired calibration incidents · Punch-list closure time
Systems it usually runs on: QA/QC system · Document store
Where a person stays in the loop: System acceptance sign-off

Turnover data book assembly

Assemble the client turnover package for a fabricated assembly or completed system — weld register, NDT results, material certificates, inspection and test records, calibration certificates — and report exactly what is still outstanding.

Inputs: Weld register · NDT results · Mill certificates · Inspection & test records · Calibration certificates
Outputs: Turnover data book · Outstanding-document list
KPIs it moves: Package completeness at first submission · Assembly time per package · Client rejection rate
Systems it usually runs on: Document store · Fabrication / shop system
Where a person stays in the loop: Release of the package to the client

Non-conformance & corrective action

Record a non-conformance found in the shop or the field, route the disposition decision, and track the corrective action to closure.

Inputs: Non-conformance report · Specification & procedure · Affected scope
Outputs: Disposition decision with rationale · Corrective action tracked to closure
KPIs it moves: Time to disposition · Repeat non-conformances · Corrective actions closed on time
Systems it usually runs on: QA/QC system · Fabrication / shop system
Where a person stays in the loop: Disposition — repair, rework, use-as-is or scrap

What a blueprint is, and is not

A blueprint supplies the vocabulary, the typical steps, the KPIs and the approval points for a process. It is a starting point, not a pre-built agent: tacitrun builds the domain agents by reading your own procedure, tests them against cases derived from it, runs them in shadow beside your team, and holds every write for a person. Your IT connects the systems and approves before anything goes live.

Questions people ask

How do I give an agent a reference document (e.g. a sample template) to use at runtime?: Two places, both drag-and-drop: (1) for ONE agent, open it → Knowledge tab → drop the file on “Documents it can look up”; (2) for the WHOLE process (available to every agent in it), the process page has a “Documents for this process” card — drop it there. For example, drop a sample proposal template for a Proposal Generator. Whatever the format — PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, HTML, text, OR a screenshot/image (PNG, JPG, etc.) — we handle it: documents convert to clean markdown (tables and headings preserved, not a flattened blob), and images/screenshots are read by vision (Claude) which transcribes all the text and describes what’s in them (e.g. a screenshot of an invoice becomes a markdown table of its line items). Then we cap it to a sensible size for efficient token use, chunk and embed it so retrieval is sharp. It’s added immediately (no IT approval needed, nothing hardcoded) and shows in the document list. From then on the agent searches it live every run and uses it as a reference — e.g. it drafts new proposals in the shape of your template. To have it ALWAYS apply a rule instead of just look it up, use “Teach it” on the same tab (or the Rules tab for enforceable policies).
What is the Salesforce Data Hygiene blueprint, and how do I use it?: It’s a pre-built end-to-end process (a "crew" of 5 domain agents) that replaces the manual job of cleaning up messy CRM data and re-importing it. In the Catalog it shows as a Blueprint with the problem it solves, the outcomes it delivers, and the process mapped to each domain agent: (1) Data Quality Auditor profiles the object and reports duplicates/blanks/malformed/stale records; (2) Duplicate Finder & Merger proposes human-approved merges; (3) Field Standardizer normalizes phone/state/country/titles/casing; (4) Data Re-import Loader picks up a cleaned file (SFTP/SharePoint/Drive) and UPSERTS each row by external ID — so re-runs update the same record instead of creating duplicates; (5) Import Reconciliation Auditor verifies the load matched the source. Adopt each step from the blueprint; we build a private copy in your workspace that you can adapt, connected to your own Salesforce. Every write goes through human approval until you trust it.
What’s a Skill vs a Blueprint?: A Blueprint is a starter process template. A Skill is a reusable knowledge pack a domain agent loads on demand at runtime.
Do you have blueprints for private equity / deal teams?: Yes. Pick "Private equity" in Blueprints to get the full deal lifecycle (origination → diligence → execution & close with IC + signing gates → value creation → exit), plus the cross-portfolio value-creation playbook as standardized levers (working capital, FP&A, pricing/margin, spend analytics, JML access) that deploy identically across every portfolio company. Human-approval gates are built into the deal-close and IC steps. On Ingest, choosing "Private equity" also offers starter templates — Deal Sourcing & Screening, DD Red-Flag Log, IC Memo & Approval, and 100-Day & Value-Creation Plan.

Why offload this process to tacitrun’s AI operating layer

tacitrun is built for exactly this handoff: a business team describes the process it already runs, and the platform turns it into governed domain agents that work across the systems you have, under your IT’s approval, with every write waiting for a person.

Built from your procedure, not a vendor template: Describe the process in plain English or hand over the SOP. tacitrun compiles it into a process graph and composes one domain agent per step, so the agents carry your rules, your exceptions and your vocabulary.
Tested against the process before it can act: Evaluation cases are derived from the graph itself, so a passing agent is one that does what your process says. Then it runs in shadow beside your team on real work before anyone lets it act.
Every write stops for a person: The approval gate sits on the actual call to Salesforce, Shopify, SendGrid, SAP or any connected system. A person accepts, modifies or rejects; the corrected version is what executes; the trace keeps the record.
Runs across the systems you already have: Built-in connectors, your own REST APIs or MCP servers, and on the Enterprise plan your own cloud project and your own models. The systems of record stay where they are; the layer does the work between them.
IT approves, business leads: Business users build and prove; IT connects the credentials, binds the fields and approves before anything goes live. Neither side inherits the other’s risk.

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