“A single contract letter would typically take around four hours to draft, review and check. With CAAi, that same process now takes around 30 minutes — and we have confidence that all relevant contractual requirements have been covered.”
In Sam's words.
What made you decide to look for a better way to manage contract administration?
Delivering projects for Tier 1 contractors, we've found that contracts over $3 million become significantly more demanding from a contractual perspective. Maintaining all the required correspondence, notices and contractual obligations manually would have required us to employ a full-time senior Contract Administrator, which wasn't a cost-effective solution.
How much time were you spending each week on contract administration before CAAi?
It's difficult to put an exact figure on it, but CAAi has dramatically reduced the time spent preparing contractual correspondence. A single contract letter would typically take around four hours to draft, review and check, with no certainty that every contractual clause had been addressed.
With CAAi, that same process now takes around 30 minutes, and we have confidence that all relevant contractual requirements have been covered.
Have you recovered money and/or time by using CAAi's variations or notices module? What happened?
CAAi has completely changed our approach to Notices of Delay (NODs) and variations. We're now proactive instead of reactive.
Since implementing CAAi, we've had three separate clients invite us in for what I'd call a "let's work together" discussion. They know we're staying on top of our contractual obligations and that they have very little opportunity to dispute our position because our notices are timely, accurate and contractually compliant.
Since using CAAi, what's changed about the way your team handles contracts and payment claims?
Although our project delivery team doesn't prepare contract letters or variations themselves, we give them access to CAAi so they can quickly review contract requirements whenever a client raises an issue. It gives them the confidence to respond with facts rather than assumptions, helping protect the business from unnecessary commercial risk.
Payment claims have also become much more straightforward. We've eliminated spreadsheet errors and manual checking, and our claims are produced in a legally compliant format aligned with the Security of Payment Act (SOPA). Overall, we've reduced the time required to prepare payment claims by around 50%.
How long did it take your team to get up and running with CAAi, and what did that process look like?
We had the system operational within a day. It then took around three weeks of practical use to fully understand all of its capabilities and integrate it into our processes.
What were you most sceptical about before you started using CAAi, and has that changed?
Initially, I was sceptical about whether it could genuinely interpret contracts and answer contract-specific questions accurately. General AI tools tend to provide generic responses based on information from the internet, whereas CAAi is tailored to the actual contract you're working with. That's been one of the biggest differences and one of the features we've come to rely on most.
What would you say to another construction company that's still managing contract administration manually?
As Managing Director, I'm probably the biggest user of CAAi because it gives me clarity across all of our projects while freeing up valuable mental capacity to focus on growing the business instead of constantly worrying about contractual risk. It gives me confidence that we're protecting the company commercially and not leaving ourselves exposed.
In Anthony's words.
What made you decide to look for a better way to manage contract administration?
For us, the need for a better system became clear as we continued to see the same contract administration challenges arise across multiple projects. As the business grew, and as we dealt with more contracts, clients and time-sensitive obligations, relying on spreadsheets, emails and individual follow up was no longer the right approach. A missed notice or poorly captured variation can have a real commercial impact, so we needed a more structured and reliable way to keep those risks visible and under control.
How much time were you spending each week on contract administration before CAAi?
We were spending a significant amount of time on contract administration, and much of that time was taken up checking and rechecking information rather than dealing with the underlying commercial issue. Project teams were maintaining registers, reviewing correspondence, searching through emails, confirming whether notices had been issued, and making sure everything aligned with the relevant contract requirements. Across a growing portfolio of projects, that time and effort added up quickly.
Have you recovered money and/or time by using CAAi's variations or notices module? What happened?
Yes. The key benefit has been the ability to capture potential entitlements early and manage them through a structured, defensible process. In subcontracting, timing and records are critical. CAAi has helped us issue notices in the correct form, keep supporting information together, and reduce the risk of an upstream client later arguing that a step was missed or a notice was out of time. That has improved both the quality of our claims and the confidence behind them.
Since using CAAi, what's changed about the way your team handles contracts and payment claims?
The biggest change has been consistency and control. Rather than each person managing contract administration in their own way, the team now works within a common workflow, with a clear record of what has been issued, what remains outstanding and what requires attention. From a management perspective, that visibility is extremely valuable because it allows commercial issues to be identified earlier and managed more effectively.
How long did it take you/your team to get up and running with CAAi, and what did that process look like?
The rollout was straightforward and practical. Once the team saw how closely the system aligned with the way contracts are administered on live projects, adoption became much easier. It was not a case of learning an entirely new process; it was more about putting structure, consistency and visibility around the contract administration tasks we were already managing day to day.
What were you most sceptical about before you started using CAAi and has that changed?
My main concern was whether the platform would genuinely be adopted by project teams, or whether it would become another system sitting alongside existing processes. That concern changed once we started using it. It is clear that CAAi has been built by people with genuine industry experience, who understand the administration burden and commercial risk subcontractors face when dealing with upstream clients. The platform reflects those real pressure points, which has made it much easier for the team to engage with and rely on.
What would you say to another construction company who's still doing contract administration manually?
Manual contract administration may be manageable for a period of time, but it becomes increasingly difficult to justify as the number and complexity of projects increases. The risk is not only the time spent on administration; it is the risk of missing something that affects entitlement. A purpose built system like CAAi helps protect contractual rights, improve commercial discipline and create a stronger record if a matter is later disputed.
“What stands out about CAAi is that it does not feel like a generic software product adapted for construction. It is evident that the owners have extensive industry experience in administering contracts and understand the practical risks subcontractors face when dealing with upstream clients. That experience is clearly reflected in the way the software has been built, with workflows that support how contract administration needs to be managed in practice.”
Want results like these?
See CAAi run against your own contracts in a 15-minute demo. Australian-built, made by contract administrators.