AI Receptionist for construction project managers
Construction project management leads are rare and high-value. Answer every one.
Ava is the AI receptionist for construction project managers that captures every scheme enquiry and books the scoping meeting — 24/7.
Miss two PM appointment enquiries per month and you risk losing £2,000,000+ in annual fee income — each a 3–8% management fee on schemes worth £500,000 to £5,000,000.
The short answer
- 3–8% of contract value is the typical PM fee on a residential scheme — miss two scoping meeting enquiries per month and you risk losing £2,000,000+ in annual fee income.
- 3 client types captured — developers, architects, and housing associations — with scheme type, contract value, and procurement route logged and routed to the correct senior PM.
- 5 data points captured in every PM call — scheme type, contract value, procurement route, programme timeline, and planning status — before the scoping meeting is confirmed.
- £0 wasted on unqualified scoping meetings — procurement, contract selection, and building regulation questions are routed to the meeting rather than attempted on the call.
- 48 hours is the typical go-live time — Ava is UK GDPR compliant, ICO registered, and backed by a signed Data Processing Agreement before any client data is handled.
The problem
A developer rings to discuss appointing a project manager for a £1.5 million mixed-use scheme. You're on the phone with a contractor at the same time. The developer leaves no message. By the time you notice the missed call and ring back, they've had a meeting with your competitor and are in conversations.
What Ava does
Ava answers every project management enquiry, captures the scheme type, contract value, programme timeline, and procurement route, and books the initial brief or scoping meeting — so high-value PM appointments are never lost to a busy signal from the PM who's managing six live projects.
A construction project management fee runs 3–8% of contract value. On a £1.5 million scheme, that is £45,000–£120,000. Missing two PM appointment enquiries a month can cost £2,000,000+ in annual fee income.
How does Ava handle a construction project management enquiry?
Ava answers immediately, identifies the client type and scheme, captures contract value, procurement route, programme timeline, and planning status, then books the scoping or appointment meeting with the senior PM. The lead lands in your job management software with a full project brief before your PM has finished the call they were already on.
Construction PM enquiries carry technical context that shapes the meeting. Whether the client is using JCT or NEC, whether they're in pre-planning or post-approval, and whether they want a full RIBA-stage service or just employer's agent cover all determine which team member attends the scoping meeting and how they prepare. Ava captures these details in the first conversation.
Professional referrals require particular handling. An architect referring a developer client wants the referral tracked and their relationship to the project noted. Ava captures the referring practice and flags it to your senior PM so the first meeting acknowledges the referral appropriately.
Developer clients comparing PM firms are making a decision over days, not weeks. The firm that gets the scoping meeting first often builds enough trust to win the instruction. Ava books that meeting in the same call, not in a callback queue.
What does a missed PM appointment enquiry cost?
A construction PM fee runs 3–8% of contract value. On a £2,000,000 residential scheme, that is £60,000–£160,000. Miss two appointment enquiries per month and you forgo £1,440,000–£3,840,000 in annual fee income — each one a scheme you were qualified to manage but not present to win.
Project management appointments are not high-frequency events. A developer commissions a PM firm perhaps twice a year on new schemes. Each appointment is therefore significant. Missing one is not a statistical inconvenience — it is a material loss of fee income that may not be replaced by another opportunity for six months.
The reputational cost compounds the financial one. In the construction PM market, developers and their professional teams remember who responded promptly and who didn't. A missed call from a developer at an early stage can affect whether you're invited to tender on the next scheme.
Ava removes the gap between 'PM is on a live project call' and 'developer enquiry is captured'. The developer gets a professional response, the scoping meeting is booked, and the opportunity stays available for you to win on the merits of your team.
Can Ava handle the full range of PM service enquiries without overstepping?
Yes. Ava is trained on the range of construction PM services, from RIBA-stage project management to employer's agent and cost management, and captures which service the caller needs. She routes all technical questions about procurement, contract selection, building regulations, and structural matters to the scoping meeting.
Developer clients often use specific procurement terminology: JCT, NEC, D&B, management contracting, two-stage tender. Ava understands this language, captures the procurement route, and passes it to the briefing for your senior PM. The meeting starts with the PM already knowing the contract framework.
Programme and cost management enquiries sometimes involve questions about construction programme timelines, prelim costs, or buildability. Ava captures the programme context and routes technical discussion to the scoping meeting. She does not advise on programme logic, cost planning, or construction methodology.
Employer's agent enquiries have a specific scope in JCT Design and Build contracts. Ava identifies the EA role as distinct from full PM and captures it correctly, so the right professional attends the scoping meeting rather than a PM who arrives expecting a different brief.
What should construction PM firms look for in a call handling service?
Prioritise construction sector literacy, scheme context capture, professional referral handling, and a service that books the scoping meeting in the same call. In a relationship-driven professional services market, the first call is the first impression of your firm's operational standard.
Construction PM is a professional services business. Callers are developers, architects, and QS firms who will judge your practice's quality from the moment someone answers. A generic answering service is immediately recognisable and immediately wrong. The service must understand the sector.
Scheme context is the briefing material for the scoping meeting. Contract value, procurement route, programme timeline, and planning status should all travel with the booking. Without them, the PM walks into the meeting uninformed and spends the first fifteen minutes catching up.
Professional referrals from architects and QS firms are often the most valuable source of PM instructions. The service must identify a referral call, capture the referring practice, and route it to the appropriate senior PM — preserving the professional relationship that generated the introduction.
3–8%
Typical construction PM fee as a percentage of contract value
UK RICS and CIOB industry guidance range
£60k–£160k
Fee income on a single £2M scheme at typical PM rates
Derived from rates in this page
24/7
Hours Ava answers construction PM enquiries
avacallai service definition
The difference
Voicemail takes a message. Ava books the appointment.
What callers ring about
Every project management call, handled.
- New PM appointment scoping calls
- Developer scheme management enquiries
- Programme and cost management consultations
- D&B or traditional contract enquiries
Hear it in action
This is what your callers hear.
- Good morning, Vantage Project Management — how can I help?
- Hi, we're a developer and we're looking for a project manager for a residential scheme — 24 units, £2.8 million contract. Planning is already approved.
- That sounds like an excellent project. Can I ask what procurement route you're considering — traditional contract or design and build — and when you're looking to start on site?
- Traditional JCT, and we want to be on site in four months.
- Good timeline to plan for. I'd like to book you a scoping meeting with our senior PM — we can cover fee proposal and programme in that session. I have Thursday morning or Friday afternoon available.
Before you choose
What to look for in an AI receptionist for project management.
Books the scoping meeting in the same call
Developer decisions over PM appointments move fast. The service must lock in the meeting during the call — a callback that arrives the next day after the developer met your competitor is too late.
Captures scheme and programme context
Contract value, procurement route, programme timeline, and planning status should all travel with the booking. Without them, your PM arrives at the scoping meeting unprepared.
Handles professional referrals correctly
Architect and QS referrals are your most valuable source of instructions. The service must identify the referral, note the referring practice, and route to the right senior PM.
Understands construction PM terminology
JCT, NEC, D&B, employer's agent, RIBA stages — the service must understand the language to capture the context correctly. Generic call handling produces generic, useless briefs.
Common questions
Everything you’re wondering.
Can Ava handle enquiries from developers looking to appoint a project manager?
Yes. Ava captures the scheme type, contract value, programme timeline, procurement route, and client type, then books the initial scoping or appointment meeting with the correct senior team member.
What information does Ava collect from a PM appointment enquiry?
Scheme type (residential, commercial, mixed-use, fit-out), approximate contract value, programme start and completion targets, procurement route (D&B, traditional, management contracting), and the client's current stage (pre-planning, planning approved, tender stage).
Does Ava give advice on procurement routes or contract forms?
No. Ava captures the nature of the project and books the site survey or consultation — she never advises on procurement strategy, JCT or NEC contract selection, or structural or planning matters.
Can Ava handle calls from architects or quantity surveyors referring a client?
Yes. Ava identifies that the caller is a professional referral, captures the referring practice name, and routes the enquiry to the appropriate senior PM with the referral context noted.
How does Ava handle a call where the developer is comparing PM firms?
Ava captures the scheme details, acknowledges they're considering multiple firms, and books the scoping meeting. Getting the developer into a meeting with your team is the conversion event — Ava secures that meeting rather than leaving it to a callback.
Can Ava handle enquiries about programme management, cost management, and employer's agent roles?
Yes. Ava is trained on the full range of construction PM services and captures the specific service the caller needs — PM, QS, employer's agent, or full RIBA-stage service — so the right team member attends the scoping meeting.
Does Ava integrate with construction project management software?
Yes. Ava logs the lead in Buildertrend, simPRO or BuildXact with scheme type, contract value, programme timeline and procurement route attached, so your senior PM is briefed before the scoping meeting.
What happens when a caller asks about planning permission or building regulations in a PM context?
Ava captures that planning or building control is a relevant project stage and routes those questions to the scoping meeting. She does not advise on planning applications, building regulations approval, or structural engineering requirements.
Pricing
Ava pays for herself on call one.
A construction project management fee runs 3–8% of contract value. On a £1.5 million scheme, that is £45,000–£120,000. Missing two PM appointment enquiries a month can cost £2,000,000+ in annual fee income. Plans from £397/mo. One recovered job a month covers it — everything else is pure upside.
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