Commercial

Using AI to Assist Construction Payment Claim Assessment

AI can prepare the evidence trail around a payment claim: identify claimed items, locate supporting correspondence, compare prior positions and flag omissions for review. Certification, payment scheduling and statutory compliance remain with the authorised person in the applicable jurisdiction.

Last reviewed: 23 September 2026 · General information only. Contractual, statutory, professional and safety decisions remain with the appropriate authorised people.

The construction problem

Where the work gets stuck

Claim assessment is slowed by incomplete support, inconsistent descriptions, prior variations buried in emails and the need to reconstruct what was previously assessed.

Current manual workflow

  1. 1Receive the claim and supporting documents.
  2. 2Find the contract, prior claims and directions.
  3. 3Check items, dates and evidence.
  4. 4Prepare an assessment and formal response.

AI-assisted workflow

  1. 1Classify claim documents and extract line items.
  2. 2Build a claim-to-evidence index.
  3. 3Compare current and prior claim descriptions.
  4. 4Draft an internal assessment checklist.

What a good workflow needs

Inputs, checks and useful outputs

InputsChecksOutputs
  • Payment claim
  • Contract and payment schedule requirements
  • Prior claims
  • Variation and progress evidence
  • Due date and applicable process
  • Evidence completeness
  • Duplicate or changed items
  • Authorised reviewer
  • Assessment preparation pack
  • Evidence register
  • Missing-information list
  • Draft internal summary

Human control

Only the proper authorised commercial or contract administrator can assess, certify, schedule payment or issue a statutory response.

Example

How this looks on a real job

A claim includes a variation item already discussed in three emails. The system links the emails and claimed description to an evidence row; the reviewer decides value and contractual treatment.

Related resources

Sources and further reading