Case Study
Blueprints to Bedside
Monteith & BuildSync Power Smarter Healthcare Construction
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Overview
Company: Monteith Construction
Role: Daniel Recktenwald, Project Manager
Project Type/Size: Projects range from $5 million to $30 million in commercial construction, with a focus on healthcare
Monteith Construction needed a better way to handle submittals. The manual process was slow, risky, and error-prone, costing time, money, and relationships across project teams. By implementing BuildSync, Daniel and his team transformed their submittal review process, achieving a 70% reduction in review time and halving their failure rate.
The Challenge
Before BuildSync, Daniel described the submittal process as "very slow and cumbersome. It takes far more time than it should and is very labor-intensive when done properly."
His team manually compared each submittal against project plans and specs — a process that consumed valuable hours:
"Manually comparing all submittals to the plans and specs. Often I would spend hours reading through a submittal and specs only to find a few things off or none at all. This was time that I needed to spend doing other tasks and solving other problems."
The inefficiency left Monteith exposed to project delays and mounting frustration.
"We have always talked about how tedious the process is. With LLM AI it seemed like something that could be streamlined and I started looking for people using AI in submittal review."
Why BuildSync
Daniel discovered BuildSync through Construction Yeti's Instagram page during a live demo and immediately saw the potential. His main goal was clear:
"I was hoping to find something that could screen the submittals against plans and specs and tell me what the issues were."
After discussing it with company leadership, Daniel got the green light to try BuildSync.
The Solution: AI Submittal Reviews
Onboarding was straightforward:
"Onboarding was quick and painless. We identified a few projects that could use it and scheduled a setup and demo with Tom. After that we added it to Procore and got to work with it."
BuildSync now sits directly inside Monteith's Procore workflow:
"We have BuildSync integrated in with Procore. For all product data submittals we have it review immediately after the submitter."
The system automates the tedious manual work:
"It automates the initial review of the submittals and focuses your attention on the problem areas so that you can address those with the subcontractor. The Excel report and automatic markups help quickly send submittals back to subcontractors with clear direction on what needs to be addressed."
Results & Impact
The measurable results were immediate and significant:
• Time saved: "I spend 70% less time reviewing submittals"
• Quality improvement: "Our failure rate has dropped by around 50%"
• Team focus: "I spend 70%+ less time on submittals, which allows me to review RFI's, solve problems in the field, and manage finances much more effectively. It also speeds up my ability to get submittals approved, preventing delays."
Daniel recalled a specific example where BuildSync caught what others would have missed:
"On a grills and diffusers submittal, BuildSync caught that the fins on a grill were the wrong direction which I don't think anyone else would have caught."
The ROI Moment
Daniel knew BuildSync paid for itself on a challenging hospital renovation project:
"My current project is a large renovation of a hospital. This means I had very little time to get submittals approved for MEP items. BuildSync allowed me to stay on top of the submittals with no additional help and keep the project on schedule."
He elaborated on another major project:
"UNC 7th Floor Renovation is a large renovation project with a very fast schedule. BuildSync has allowed us to stay ahead of the vast amount of complex MEP submittals that needed a quick turnaround to stay on schedule. This would have been very difficult to do properly without BuildSync."
User Feedback
As a PM, Daniel appreciates the efficiency gain:
"As a PM I really like that I don't have to spend hours pouring over every detail of a submittal, particularly submittals with no impact to finished (ex plumbing insulation, Valves and fittings, Etc.)"
The impact on relationships has been notable:
"It has made my communication with subs on items they need to fix much faster and more concise which they appreciate. It has also improved the product we are sending to designers."
For team morale:
"It has greatly helped my personal stress level allowing me to stay on top of my submittal list."
Final Word
When recommending BuildSync to peers, Daniel is enthusiastic:
"I have told my peers in my company that this is a no brainer. It immensely improves your workload as a project manager and gives you a huge head start on the project materials delivery schedule."
He summarizes the transformation:
"Before BuildSync we were moving through submittals like quicksand often overwhelmed and missing problems. After BuildSync submittals have become something that is part of your day and not your whole week."
