About

I'm Malcolm McCance. I help construction companies find the costly errors killing their margins—and understand exactly why they're winning or losing specific bids.

Most contractors and estimators I work with are highly capable professionals who know their trade inside out. But competitive bid analysis that used to require days of manual work—comparing line items, checking scope interpretation, analyzing pricing patterns—can now be done in minutes with AI-powered tools.

Example: During a workshop, a CEO realized he could compare his bids to competitors' winning bids using public DOT records. In 5 minutes, he found $500K-$600K in errors that explained why he'd lost projects—and discovered he could run this strategic analysis on every bid to understand wins and losses.

What I actually do

I help companies discover what's possible with AI through hands-on workshops and implementation—not theoretical training, but building actual tools that solve real problems.

For construction companies specifically: I understand estimating workflows, bid document structures, specification conflicts, change order dynamics, competitive positioning, and the operational realities of running profitable projects. I know which AI tools actually work for construction vs. which ones are impressive demos that fail in production.

I completed 25+ AI implementations in 2024 across construction, professional services, and healthcare. The construction implementations focused on bid error detection, estimating acceleration, change order documentation, and proposal assembly automation.

I don't just diagnose and walk away. I design the AI solution and orchestrate specialist teams to implement it. You don't have to figure out which tools to use, how to integrate them, or how to train your team. I coordinate the entire implementation so you can stay focused on bidding work.

How I approach AI implementation for construction

Most AI consultants come from tech backgrounds and don't understand construction operations. Most construction software vendors are trying to sell you their specific tool whether it solves your problem or not.

I'm neither. I'm the architect who designs your AI system and the general contractor who coordinates specialists to build it. My job is to figure out what will actually work for YOUR operation, then orchestrate the implementation.

The process is straightforward:

1. Free Bid Error Audit (30 minutes): You bring a recent bid. I show you what errors exist and what they're costing you. Zero obligation—just clarity on whether AI makes sense for your operation.
2. AI Force Multiplier Workshop (4.5 hours): Your team builds working AI assistants using your actual bid documents. Walk away with tools configured for your workflows that catch errors automatically.
3. Full Implementation (4-8 weeks): Comprehensive AI deployment across estimating, project management, and operations. I map your systems, design the architecture, coordinate specialists, train your team, and ensure sustained adoption.

You choose the level of engagement that matches where you are. Some companies start with the free audit and stay there. Some do the workshop and implement tools themselves. Some want full implementation with ongoing support. All approaches are valid—it depends on your situation.

Track record

Over 30 years, I've worked with organizations across industries and countries to identify what's broken and design systems to fix it:

Construction & AI Implementation (2024):

• 25+ AI implementations across construction, professional services, and healthcare
• Bid error detection systems that caught $50K-$100K exposure in single project reviews
• Estimating acceleration frameworks reducing proposal time from 40 hours to 12-15 hours
• Change order documentation systems for dispute preparation and scope clarification
• Specification conflict analysis tools identifying discrepancies before they trigger costly changes

Fortune 500 & Global Enterprise:

• AIG (Hong Kong): Executive team development + organizational training systems
• PepsiCo (Asia-Pacific): Leadership transformation
• Shell (Oil Sands): Operations team alignment

Government & Public Sector:

• US Air Force Special Weapons Lab: Organizational diagnostic + real-time team intervention resolving finance/operations conflict
• US Fish & Wildlife Services: Leadership development
• Manitoba Public School District: 3,400-person presentation + superintendent team strategy

Technology & Business Scaling:

• 37 Microsoft partner organizations: Channel strategy growing collective revenue from $20M to $120M over 4 years
• 25 AI automation agencies: Market positioning and strategic focus across multiple sectors

International Consulting:

• UK school turnaround initiative: Training intervention teams for underperforming schools
• Cross-cultural delivery across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific

I've trained audiences from 1 person to 3,400 people. I've facilitated organizational interventions with military operations teams, corporate executives, and public sector leaders. I've guided hundreds of technology investment decisions across multiple industries, applying diagnostic methodology to ensure organizations invest in what they actually need—not what vendors want to sell them.

I understand systems, incentives, and how misaligned decisions compound into expensive problems. For construction companies specifically, I know how bid errors propagate through projects, how specification conflicts create change order exposure, and how estimating bottlenecks cost you competitive opportunities.

Why construction companies work with me

Three reasons:

1. I find errors you can't see. Even experienced estimators miss specification conflicts, cost miscalculations, and scope gaps. AI-powered systematic review catches what human review misses. The free bid error audit proves this in 30 minutes using your actual documents.

2. I build tools that actually work for construction. Not generic AI that requires you to figure out how to apply it. Not software that looks impressive but doesn't fit your workflows. Custom AI assistants configured for YOUR bid documents, specifications, and estimating processes.

3. I orchestrate the entire implementation. You don't have to manage multiple vendors, figure out technical integrations, or train your team on tools they won't use. I coordinate specialists, ensure tools fit your workflows, and train your estimators to use them effectively.

Who this is for

Construction companies ($10M-$100M revenue) who:

• Quote multiple projects monthly and can't afford margin-killing errors
• Experience proposal bottlenecks from manual estimating processes
• Face change order disputes from unclear scope documentation
• Lose bids because turnaround time is too slow compared to competitors
• Want to see proof AI can catch real errors in THEIR bids before investing

Also work with professional services firms (architecture, engineering, consulting) and healthcare operations experiencing similar documentation and proposal challenges.

Based in Calgary, Alberta. Serving construction companies across North America through virtual and on-site engagements. Free audit available virtually to any location.