The Data Driven Builder

George Watts, Director of Project Management - Central Region, SLS Consultants

George Watts, Director of Project Management – Central Region at SLS Consultants, brings decades of leadership across construction, consulting, and program management. A CCM and LEED AP, he drives efficiency, margin protection, and client success through technology‑integrated, data‑driven project delivery.

In an exclusive interview with Construction Tech Review, he shared invaluable insights on how integrated digital platforms, predictive analytics, and real time data are transforming project delivery, protecting margins, and redefining the future of construction efficiency.

From Primitive Luxury to Necessary Asset

AECO industry data proves that technology is paying off. Project teams who leverage technology can deliver projects faster, safer, with superior results. The question is, “How much are you losing by not implementing technology on your projects?”

About seven years ago, my article in Construction Tech Review posed the question: “Is Preconstruction Technology Paying Off?” In that era, digital tools were viewed by some as an experimental luxury rather than a structural necessity. We were measuring impacts in a nascent stage, often struggling to justify the leap from reliable (albeit clunky) spreadsheets to integrated digital workflows.

Returning to this conversation today, the adverbial condition “if only” has been supplanted by a resounding “how it can be done.” Our industry’s historic slowness to evolve, what many have lamented as a “tech literacy deficit” has turned the corner. Today, the divide between analog-heavy “business as usual” firms and their tech-savvy competitors is no longer a matter of preference. Business leaders understand it is a matter of survival, business growth, and margin protection.

The Project Continuum: From Prediction to Production

In my previous article, I focused on preconstruction technology as a critical lever for project success. While that remains true, the evolution of technology has also begun to erode walls between design, cost management, constructability analysis and field implementation.

Aside from “prefab” projects, teams are tasked with delivering complex built environments for the first time, every time. There is much at stake when solving difficult problems for owners whose unique projects are often in remote locations. High-performing teams are moving toward a project continuum where data flows seamlessly from the first conceptual estimate through project completion and turnover to the owner.

“Construction’s future belongs to data‑driven builders who leverage integrated technology, delivering faster, safer projects with stronger margins while analog competitors risk inefficiency and costly setbacks.”

Designers and contractors aren’t just using software to complete the same old tasks faster. They are leveraging early cost certainty and achieving predictable construction outcomes. No longer must we wait until late-stage design to discover a project is over budget. Modern technology and predictive analytics enable us to run thousands of permutations based on early design against real-time cost data before investing time and money to create a full set of biddable documents.

The results are quantifiable. Teams utilizing 3D renders and integrated modeling experience capacity increases up to 27 percent over those still anchored to 2D methods. Once a project is mobilized, tech platforms return instantaneous data that is used to improve safety, productivity and quality, while reducing job costs.

The ROI Gap: Analog vs. Digital

The most compelling argument for this “sequel” to tech adoption is the hard data on performance. While critics argue the high cost of software outweighs the benefits for small to mid-sized firms, the numbers suggest otherwise.

Research from firms like McKinsey and Autodesk highlights that tech-forward companies are seeing Return on Investment (ROI) ratios as high as 5:1. This isn’t just “soft” value like better communication; it’s real monetized savings, to wit:

• AI-Powered Contract Protection: Platforms such as Document Crunch and Luminance provide customizable contract generation and negotiation tools that automate the process and protect counterparties against undue risks while saving 90% of contract review time, without incurring legal fees.

• Reduced Rework: Integrated BIM and VR coordination can catch design flaws in a “digital twin”, reducing field rework by up to 30 percent.

• Schedule Acceleration: AI-powered progress tracking, such as Buildots, can flag potential delays weeks in advance, reducing project durations by up to 50 percent in some pilot cases.

• Labor Efficiency: Given chronic labor shortages, tech acts as a force multiplier. Drones for site surveying can save up to $50,000 in annual labor costs while providing more accurate data than manual methods.

Platforms like Site Traxx now serve as common environments to manage field activities. Goal-oriented AI agents allow users to interact and resolve issues by interpreting intent and self-correcting along the way. Conversely, those clinging to spreadsheets are not just slower; they are inherently riskier. Decisions based on “stale” data, manually reconciled after the fact, cannot compete with real-time dashboards that enable proactive mitigation rather than reactive firefighting.

Shifting from Point Solutions to Platforms

The “primitive” era was characterized by fragmented point solutions, one platform for change management, a spreadsheet for estimating, and a different software for scheduling. None of them talked to one another.

While software compatibility issues persist, we have now entered the Platform Era. Integrated systems such as Autodesk Construction Cloud, Hexagon, and Buildxact can enable plan changes to automatically update the project schedule and cost forecast. This is just the beginning. When information is democratized across the design studio, the field and corporate offices, disputes occur less frequently and client transparency increases. This connectivity is the “secret sauce” that allows tech-adopting firms to outperform their analog competitors.

Conclusion: The Future of the High-Tech Builder

The evolving story of construction technology is no longer about the novelty of the tools. The theme has shifted to the power of data and the integrated workflows they provide. My message to contractors and consultants still waiting for the “right time” to digitize: that time passed long ago.

The conclusion is clear. Teams who invest in a tech-integrated continuum deliver projects faster and safer, with significantly healthier margins. The “primitive” days are over; the era of the data-driven builder is here. For those of us who have long advocated for this shift, the question is no longer “Is it paying off?” It is “How much are you losing by standing still?”