buildAutomation

AI Automation for Builders & construction firms in Perth

Builders drown in RFIs, variations, supplier quotes and timesheets. We train your team to build automations that move project information without re-keying, then build the integration-heavy parts with them so your office runs leaner without adding head office staff.

~40%

of an admin worker's week can be repetitive, automatable process work

13Labs market research, 2026

Most agencies build your automations and bill you forever. We do the opposite - we train your own people to build and own them, so when we leave, the capability stays in your business.

Callum Holt, Founder, 13Labs

Last updated: 2026-06-30

Where the manual work hurts in builders & construction firms

For most building companys, the same handful of jobs eat the week - chasing RFIs and variations, comparing supplier quotes, collecting timesheets and writing progress reports. Here is where Perth builders & construction firms lose the most time and money:

1. RFIs, variations and approvals are tracked across email, spreadsheets and texts.

2. Supplier and subcontractor quotes are collected and compared by hand.

3. Site timesheets and dockets are chased and re-entered for payroll.

4. Progress reports and client updates eat hours every week.

None of these are your actual trade or service. They are the repetitive admin wrapped around it - which is exactly the work that can be automated and owned in-house.

What your team will automate

These are real flows we build with builders & construction firms - mapped to your workflows on the tools you already run (Buildxact, Procore, Xero, MYOB), not generic templates:

RFI and variation tracking. Requests are logged, assigned and chased automatically so nothing stalls a build.

Supplier quote intake. Quotes are captured into one comparison view instead of buried in inboxes.

Timesheet and docket capture. Site time and delivery dockets flow to payroll and job costing without re-entry.

Client progress updates. Weekly client updates are drafted from project data instead of written from scratch.

Compliance and insurance reminders. Licences, insurances and inductions are tracked and prompted before they expire.

We start with whichever of these is costing you the most right now, so you see something working early rather than at the end.

How the program runs

Over six to twelve weeks, shaped around your business and your heroes. Done with you, not to you.

Map and diagnose. We sit with your team and map your real workflows, then pick the automations with the best payback.

Build along, together. Weekly working sessions where your people - your contract administrator or office manager is the typical hero - build real automations on your own tools, with us beside them.

We build the hard parts. The genuinely tricky, integration-heavy or compliance-sensitive flows we build with your team so they learn by seeing it done.

Independence and handover. Your heroes run solo. We leave a documented playbook and an optional low-touch get-unstuck line. No retainer required.

Own it, do not rent it

Most Perth builders & construction firms have two options today: pay an agency a retainer that never ends, or try it themselves and watch the pilot quietly die because nobody owns it.

buildAutomation is the third way. One investment that ends, not a cost that never does. Your people make changes instantly instead of raising a ticket. The capability stays and compounds in-house instead of walking out the door with a contractor. And you finish with live automations running your business, not a slide deck of ideas.

See exactly how buildAutomation works.

Builders & construction firms in Perth

A Perth business running on a two-hour time gap from the eastern states loses real money every time an enquiry sits unanswered overnight, so owning your own automation for after-hours quote responses and follow-ups pays off faster here than almost anywhere. From Osborne Park professional services to Malaga trades and Canning Vale logistics yards, the win is keeping the system in-house once your own admin hero can run it, rather than renting it from an agency on the other side of the country. Perth's economy leans heavily on mining services and the trades that feed it, with industrial estates like Welshpool, Malaga and Wangara packed with SMEs supplying FIFO and resources clients on tight turnaround.

We run buildAutomation with builders & construction firms right across Perth - including Perth CBD, Joondalup, Osborne Park, Fremantle, Malaga, Canning Vale - in person where it helps and remotely where it does not. 13Labs is a Melbourne software studio, and the program is the same wherever in Western Australia you are: train your team, build the hard automations together, and leave the capability behind so you own it.

At a Glance

Manual job todayWhat we automateWhat you get back
RFIs, variations and approvals are tracked across email, spreadsheets and textsRFI and variation tracking: Requests are logged, assigned and chased automatically so nothing stalls a buildTime back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team
Supplier and subcontractor quotes are collected and compared by handSupplier quote intake: Quotes are captured into one comparison view instead of buried in inboxesTime back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team
Site timesheets and dockets are chased and re-entered for payrollTimesheet and docket capture: Site time and delivery dockets flow to payroll and job costing without re-entryTime back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team
Progress reports and client updates eat hours every weekClient progress updates: Weekly client updates are drafted from project data instead of written from scratchTime back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team

Frequently Asked Questions

We already use a construction platform - does this replace it?

No, it connects what you already have. Buildxact, Procore and Xero each do their job well but rarely talk to each other, so your team becomes the integration. We automate the hand-offs between them so information moves on its own.

How long before we see anything working?

We start by mapping your real workflows in the first week and build the first live automation early, usually the one causing the most re-keying. You see something working before the program is over, not a slide deck of ideas.

How much does buildAutomation cost for a building company?

It is a one-time program fee, scoped to your business and the number of heroes you want trained - not a monthly retainer. Tell us where the manual work hurts most and we will come back with a clear scope and price.

Are you based in Perth?

Yes. 13Labs is a Melbourne software studio working with businesses across Western Australia and Australia, in person where it helps and remotely where it does not.

Related Pages

Train your builders & construction firms team to own automation

Tell us where the manual work hurts most. Callum reviews every enquiry personally and will come back with a clear next step - a one-time program, not a retainer.

Enquire about buildAutomation