Impact at a Glance
- 1–2 weeks saved per review cycle
- Next-day comments that fit clients’ schedules
- High-impact issues surfaced early, before bid or GMP
- Reduced change-order risk through consistent cross-discipline checks
- More bandwidth for PX and Ops teams
The Challenge
The customer is one of the Northeast’s leading builders of schools and public facilities. Preconstruction moves fast. From the moment architects deliver an estimate set, the team has limited time to perform document review, coordinate with design partners, and build the estimate.
That timeline creates constant pressure. Manual review couldn’t keep up with the depth and volume of details required.
The pain points were clear:
- PX teams managing live construction projects struggled to carve out time for deep document review
- Manual cross-checking across architecture, MEP, and specs was slow and inconsistent
- Coordination issues often surfaced after price-setting milestones
- Design teams received feedback too late to make meaningful updates
“I never feel like we have enough time. There’s so much that needs to get done quickly.” — VP of Preconstruction
Why LightTable
The customer evaluated other third-party review options, but their long turnaround times didn’t fit the customer’s schedule.
When they met LightTable, the value was immediate.
- Next-day comments aligned with real pre-con timelines
- Cross-discipline coordination checks (architecture ↔ plumbing ↔ mechanical)
- Spec-to-drawing comparisons, a historically time-intensive step
- A team with AEC backgrounds, not generic AI technicians
- Flexible multi-set reviews across 60%, 90%, and final deliverables
“LightTable gives us back the time to focus on areas that usually take a back seat. That has been huge.” — VP of Preconstruction
The Process
Today, LightTable fits directly into the customer’s preconstruction workflow without adding friction or new burdens on the team.
Here’s how the process feels from their side:
- Fast, focused reviews. Drawing sets come back with clear, structured comments in a couple of days. -** Better preparation for designers**. PX and pre-con can quickly filter, validate, and package comments before sending them to architects.
- Less repetitive scanning. The AI handles the tedious cross-checking—teams spend their time on decisions, not document hunting.
- Earlier, more actionable collaboration. Feedback lands while design is still moving, not after deadlines tighten.
- A safety net for human error. The team reviews documents with more context and fewer blind spots.
“LightTable gives us back the time to focus on areas that usually take a back seat. That has been huge.” — VP of Preconstruction
Results
1. Meaningful time savings across the team
LightTable saves the pre-con team a week or two per project, time they reinvest into estimates, value engineering, and client communication.
2. Fewer preventable coordination misses
LightTable consistently catches issues such as:
- Missing plumbing at architectural fixtures
- Uncoordinated assemblies
- Missed or contradictory spec references
- Discipline misalignments that typically appear as change orders
3. Higher team efficiency without losing human judgment
The pre-con team still reviews drawings, but LightTable removes the repetitive scanning that consumes hours of expert time. The result:
- More familiarity with documents, not less
- Better tracking of updates from one set to the next
- Greater focus on high-impact design topics
Impact at a glance
6x more issues surfaced vs. traditional reviews
15x faster from upload to finding
Coordination errors eliminated before they become RFIs and change orders
Optional Expert Double Checks: field-tested professionals add scope-specific insights across 15+ domains when extra assurance is needed.
Why it matters
Most overruns are preventable. Two things change the equation: catching issues early and making it easy for every stakeholder to close the loop quickly. LightTable delivers both with construction-specific AI, structured reporting, and collaboration built in. That is how teams reduce RFIs, avoid change orders, and keep momentum.
