Beyond Schedules: A New Integration Tackles the Root of Project Delays

ATLANTA, GA – September 14, 2026 – In the high-stakes world of construction, a project’s schedule is its heartbeat. For decades, however, that heartbeat has been monitored in isolation, disconnected from the administrative lifeblood of the project: the endless stream of Requests for Information (RFIs) and submittals. This disconnect is a primary source of "silent inefficiencies" that quietly compound into catastrophic delays and budget overruns. Today, a significant step has been taken to bridge this chasm.

Project controls platform SmartPM Technologies announced an expanded integration with Autodesk Forma Build, the construction management component of Autodesk's ambitious cloud platform. The new capability promises to do more than just track data; it aims to use AI to create a direct, intelligent link between the administrative paperwork of a project and its critical path schedule, finally giving teams the ability to understand not just that they are delayed, but precisely why.

The Staggering Cost of Disconnected Data

For anyone outside the construction industry, the talk of RFIs and submittals may seem like arcane jargon. For project managers, owners, and contractors, however, they represent a constant, high-volume flow of communication essential for clarifying plans and approving materials. When this flow is mismanaged, the consequences are severe and expensive.

Industry data paints a grim picture. A single RFI can cost a firm over $1,000 to process, and with an average of nearly 10 RFIs per million dollars of project value, these costs accumulate rapidly. The total financial drag on a single project from RFI-related issues can average over $850,000. The problem isn't just the direct cost; it's the delay. With average response times stretching over a week, and a shocking number of RFIs receiving no reply at all, these administrative bottlenecks are a leading cause of schedule slippage.

Submittal delays are equally pernicious. A single five-week delay in a material submittal approval can trigger a cascade of costs, potentially exceeding $75,000 in extended general conditions alone—the cost of keeping the site office, staff, and utilities running. This doesn't even account for procurement disruption or the immense cost of idle labor crews. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet; they are the daily reality that erodes profitability and strains relationships across the project ecosystem.

"Schedules don't exist in a vacuum," said Michael Pink, CEO of SmartPM Technologies. "Every day, RFIs, submittals, and material deliveries are moving alongside shifting sequencing and durations — and when it all hits at once, knowing which RFI, which submittal, or which delivery date to prioritize becomes a moving target."

Connecting the Dots with AI

The integration between SmartPM and Autodesk Forma Build is designed to tame this chaos. It works by creating a two-way sync between the platforms. Project teams continue to manage their RFIs and submittals within Autodesk Forma Build, their central hub for project management. SmartPM, in turn, ingests this data and feeds it into its powerful schedule analytics engine.

This is where the "security-first" mindset The Hughes Report follows evolves into a "data-first" strategy for project intelligence. SmartPM isn't merely a scheduling tool; it's an analytical layer that sits atop existing schedule data from programs like Primavera P6 or MS Project. Its proprietary AI engine crunches millions of data points to assess schedule quality, model risk, and predict delays. By adding RFI and submittal data to this mix, the AI can now draw direct correlations between administrative items and their potential impact on the schedule.

The system can identify an RFI languishing in an architect's inbox that, if left unanswered, will halt work on a critical path activity in two weeks. It can flag a submittal for long-lead-time materials that is falling behind schedule, giving the team a chance to expedite it before it derails the project timeline. This transforms the data from a simple record of what happened into a predictive tool for what will happen next. Pink calls this providing "real context instead of silent inefficiencies that quietly compound into delay.”

A Strategic Alliance for a Unified Future

This expanded partnership is more than a technical handshake; it represents a key strategic move for both companies and a bellwether for the construction technology industry. For Autodesk, it reinforces the vision for Forma as a central, open platform. Rather than trying to build every conceivable feature in-house, Autodesk is fostering a robust partner ecosystem to provide specialized, best-in-class solutions that plug into its core platform.

"Better project outcomes depend on teams connecting information across their key tools and workflows," noted James Cook, director of industry and technology partnerships at Autodesk. This integration is a prime example of that philosophy in action, enhancing the value of the data stored within Forma Build by allowing it to be leveraged for advanced schedule analytics.

For SmartPM, the alliance provides access to Autodesk's massive global user base and deepens its integration with a core system used by contractors and owners. It solidifies the company’s position not as a competitor to platforms like Autodesk, but as an essential analytical complement, a specialist that provides a depth of insight that broader platforms don't. This deepening relationship, building on a previous integration from 2023, signals a long-term commitment to unified workflows.

From Reactive Firefighting to Proactive Strategy

The ultimate goal of this integration is to fundamentally change how construction projects are managed. By surfacing the root causes of potential delays before they occur, the technology empowers project teams to shift from a constant state of reactive firefighting to one of proactive, strategic management.

The return on investment can be substantial. SmartPM users have reported saving tens of millions of dollars by catching schedule issues early, with some claiming an average savings of $150,000 per project. By automating the laborious process of schedule analysis—a task that one user noted was reduced by at least 75%—project managers are freed up to focus on solving problems rather than just identifying them.

By connecting the administrative "paperwork" to the project's critical path, this integration provides the context needed to prioritize effort where it matters most. It's no longer a guessing game of which of the fifty open RFIs is the most important. The system can now tell you which one will stop a concrete pour next week. This level of data-driven intelligence elevates the role of the project manager and provides owners with a far more reliable forecast of project outcomes, transforming the security-first mindset into a core driver of both corporate strategy and market performance.