A vendor scorecard for buying construction AI: test it on your own work, check data use and controls, and confirm economics and exit path before you sign.
Keep the complete branded version for internal review and implementation.
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Test the product against your own construction use case. Do not accept generic productivity claims as ROI evidence.
| CATHA PRACTICAL AI FOR CONSTRUCTION LIBRARY Buying Construction AI Without Getting Burned The Construction AI Procurement and Vendor Selection Guide Guide 11 |
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| Best use Use the scorecard before procurement approval and repeat key checks at renewal. |
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| Area | Core question | Score 0-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Business fit | Which exact workflow and measurable outcome does the product support? | |
| Evidence | Can the vendor show production performance, not only a scripted demo? | |
| Data use | Is customer data retained, used for training or shared with subprocessors? | |
| Security | Identity, encryption, access control, audit logs, certifications | |
| Model dependency | Which models/providers are used and can they change without notice? | |
| Integration | APIs, connectors, export, rate limits, reliability | |
| Control | Human approvals, permissions, limits, logging, rollback | |
| Economics | Seat fees, usage fees, implementation, support, overages | |
| Portability | Can data, prompts, configs and logs be exported? | |
| Support | SLA, incident response, named support, change notifications |
| Category | Weight | Score 1-5 | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business fit | |||
| Evidence | |||
| Data use | |||
| Security | |||
| Model dependency | |||
| Integration | |||
| Control | |||
| Economics | |||
| Portability | |||
| Support |
| Procurement rule Do not buy the demo. Buy the operating behavior, control model, contract, economics and exit path. |
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Practical questions construction owners ask.
How should a contractor test an AI product before buying?
Test it against your own construction use case. Do not accept generic productivity claims as ROI evidence.
What does the vendor scorecard cover?
Business fit, evidence, data use, security, model dependency, integration, control, economics, portability and support.
When should the scorecard be used?
Before procurement approval, with key checks repeated at renewal. Do not buy the demo; buy the operating behavior, control model, contract, economics and exit path.
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Use AI where it creates value. Govern it everywhere it acts.
Catha helps construction companies identify, build and manage AI workflows while keeping business authority in human hands.