AI Agents in Construction Finance: What Actually Works (and Where They Break)

AI Agents in Construction Finance: What Actually Works (and Where They Break)

Everyone says AI agents are about to run your back office unattended. The research — and a day in the life of a construction finance software founder — says something more useful and a lot more specific. In this solo episode of Finance at the Jobsite, host Rishi Srivastava (founder of Beiing Human) gives the honest version of where AI agents genuinely help in construction accounting and where they fall on their face. No slideware — these are tools he runs every day, backed by two pieces of research: Meta's GAIA-2 benchmark and CFAgentBench https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.22000 [https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.22000] , a new paper from his team testing agents on CFO-grade work. What you'll learn: Why the best AI agent completes only ~42% of everyday tasks start-to-finish — and why "on a clock" is where they fail hardest. The plan-act-observe-feedback loop that makes an agent auditable and trustworthy. Live look at two workflows that work today: creating a Viewpoint Vista job from an award email, and automating a dreaded ERP data migration. Why reliability collapses from ~66% (one try) to ~38% (five times in a row) — and why you should demand the "five in a row" number, not the demo number. How MCP ("USB-C for AI") is dissolving vendor lock-in and turning your finance systems into places agents can act, not just read. Why human-in-the-loop isn't a weakness — it's the architecture that survives an audit. Real questions from CFOs, controllers, and ERP partners throughout, plus where this is all headed in the next year. Whether you're running the numbers, leading the team, or designing the systems that keep projects moving — this is your place to learn what's working, what's broken, and what's next in construction finance. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or Audible, or watch on YouTube — just search Finance at the Jobsite.

Building a Modern Construction Finance Stack — with Rory Carlson, CCIFP (Adjustable Concrete Construction)

What does a modern construction finance stack actually look like — and in what order should you build it? Rishi Srivastava sits down with Rory Carlson, CCIFP, VP of Accounting & Finance at Adjustable Concrete Construction (and a CFMA 2022 Rising Star), for a practical walk through 15+ years of construction finance. Rory shares the lessons behind two successful expense-management implementations, why ERP integration and construction focus are non-negotiable when vetting AP tools, and how to actually weigh credit card rebates (Corpay) against zero-cost expense apps (Finvari) using a simple Excel ROI model. He also gets candid on the ACH-vs-outsourced-payments tradeoff (control vs. risk vs. automation), how he once turned payments into a six-figure profit center, and why FP&A is the next frontier — but only after payroll, expense, and AP are automated and the books close on time. If you're a controller trying to convince an owner in the $5–25M range that expense and AP automation is worth it, this one's for you. In this episode: * The biggest shifts in jobsite finance over 15 years * GC vs. subcontractor: how the finance function differs * Why expense management is the easiest first win * Finvari vs. Corpay: rebates, per-user cost, and real ROI * Coding expenses at the point of purchase vs. chasing receipts * ACH vs. outsourced payments: control, risk, and liability * The three things that actually matter in an AP automation tool * FP&A: budget vs. actual, 13-week cash forecasting, and scenario planning * The exact order of operations for building a finance stack from scratch Finance at the Jobsite is brought to you by Beiing Human. Hashtags #FinanceAtTheJobsite #ConstructionFinance #ConstructionAccounting #CFMA #CCIFP #APAutomation #ExpenseManagement #ConstructionTech #FPandA #Controller #CFO #Subcontractor #GeneralContractor #CashForecasting #ConstructionIndustry #BeiingHuman #AccountsPayable #ERP #Viewpoint #ConstructionPodcast

Fixing Healthcare: A CFO's Playbook for Reclaiming $1,000–$4,000 Per Employee — with Donovan Pyle

How does a professional drummer who toured with Heart and mixed for U2 end up becoming the Validation Institute's 2025 Benefits Advisor of the Year? In this episode, Rishi sits down with Donovan Pyle — CEO of Health Compass Consulting and author of Fixing Healthcare — to expose why healthcare has become the fastest-growing financial risk on construction P&Ls, and what CFOs can actually do about it. US employers spent $1.3 trillion on healthcare in 2024 — and roughly 25% of it, about $4,000 per employee per year, was pure waste. For a 100-person contractor running 2–3% net margins, that waste eats jobs. Donovan breaks down the hidden machinery: why legacy brokers get paid more when your costs go up, why most PBM contracts say the vendor has no obligation to act in your interest, and why "healthcare just goes up every year" is a story the industry tells to keep you out of the room. Inside the conversation: * The structural conflict of interest baked into the broker model (and why it's technically a prohibited transaction under federal law) * The Johnson & Johnson case: a $10,000/month drug that cost $78 in cash * How a teachers union saved $3.6M by replacing one PBM — and how Blue Wave turned a 34% increase into a cost reduction * The fiduciary storm under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, and the personal liability CFOs don't know they carry * The Rosen Hotels playbook: $500M+ saved since 1991 with zero-deductible, value-based plan design * A Monday-morning action plan: pull your contracts, demand 408 compensation disclosures, and build a strategy instead of buying a plan Whether you're a construction CFO, HR leader, or any executive tired of watching your second-largest expense erode your margin, this is a roadmap for taking back control. Learn more about Donovan's work at healthcompassconsulting.com and fixinghealthcare.com. #FixingHealthcare #ConstructionCFO #EmployeeBenefits #HealthcareCosts #FiduciaryDuty #CFMA #FinanceAtTheJobsite

Hidden Profit Centers in Cost-Plus GMP, Delay Claims, and the Owner's Seat: Ryan Heeth

Liens, delay claims, and the quiet margin levers most contractors leave on the table. In this episode of Finance at the Jobsite, Rishi Srivastava sits down with Ryan Heeth — a construction attorney whose career runs from purchasing agent at Gilbane, to in-house counsel for major New York City builders, to his current seat as Director of Development & Construction at Pratt & Co Capital in the Cayman Islands. Ryan explains why a clean contract is just a risk-allocation document the moment construction starts, and what it actually takes to build a million-dollar extra-cost claim without crossing into a willfully exaggerated lien. He breaks down why liens and claims are two different animals, why you bring in an independent scheduling consultant before accounting prices a delay, and the precise moment an operational problem quietly becomes a legal one. Then he opens up the playbook CFOs and controllers rarely hear out loud: how cost-plus GMP general conditions become hidden profit centers — agreed labor rates, insurance markups, contingency control, shared savings, and change-order markups. He also flips to the owner's seat, watching schedules of values for front-loading on a $100M build, weighing design-build against cost-plus, financing through private credit instead of US-style construction banks, and turning CCIPs into a profit center. Plus the change-order trap that can waive your delay-claim rights before you even know they exist. Chapters: contracts and job-site reality · liens vs. claims · delay claims and critical path · where law meets finance · hidden profit centers in cost-plus GMP · switching to the owner's seat · building in the Cayman Islands · financing, insurance, and career lessons. #FinanceAtTheJobsite #ConstructionFinance #ConstructionLaw #CFO #Controller #ConstructionAccounting #CostPlus #GMP #DelayClaims #ConstructionClaims #Liens #ChangeOrders #ContractNegotiation #ConstructionManagement #GeneralContractor #RealEstateDevelopment #CCIP #ConstructionInsurance #PrivateCredit #ConstructionIndustry #BuildingTheFuture #JobsiteFinance #ConstructionCFO #CaymanIslands #AECindustry

ERP Migrations in Construction: Why They Fail and How to Get Them Right — with Cathy Wendt

Most contractors stay on the same ERP for 10–20 years — and when they finally switch, the technology is rarely the hardest part. The people are. In this episode, Rishi Srivastava sits down with Cathy Wendt, who has spent nearly 30 years helping construction companies select, implement, and migrate accounting systems. Cathy breaks down the entire ERP journey: how to know if you've actually outgrown your system (hint: revenue size isn't the indicator), why QuickBooks falls short for contractors, and what really happens during a migration from systems like Sage 100 Contractor to Acumatica. In this episode: * Warning signs you've outgrown your ERP — and when it's just a training problem * Single-entry vs. double-entry accounting, and why banks and bonding companies care * The leadership mistakes that doom ERP selection before it starts * Realistic migration timelines: from 6-week emergencies to 6-month builds * Data migration pitfalls: dirty vendor records, duplicate entries, and job history * Why cost code structures spark more debate than the chart of accounts * The human side of change: managing experts who suddenly become novices * Cathy's advice for anyone planning a migration in the next two years Connect with Cathy Wendt: syscon-inc.com (newsletter: syson University) #ConstructionFinance #ConstructionAccounting #ERP #ERPMigration #ConstructionTech #ConstructionERP #Sage100Contractor #Acumatica #QuickBooks #JobCosting #CostCodes #ChangeManagement #ConstructionManagement #CFMA #ContractorLife #ConstructionPodcast #FinancePodcast #ConTech