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Construction · India & UAE

AI and automation for construction companies and contractors in India

Azerlia helps builders and contractors with 3 to 15 live sites run them from one screen instead of a hundred phone calls: site engineers report by WhatsApp photo, material requests get approved and matched to invoices, subcontractor bills are checked against measurements, and the owner sees cost and cash per project every week. It is for villa and apartment builders, civil and MEP subcontractors and interior fit-out firms in Kerala, South India and the UAE that run on Tally or Zoho Books, Excel and WhatsApp groups. We start with a free AI Opportunity Audit, then a Discovery Sprint (₹1–3 lakh, $1,200–3,500) that follows one project from enquiry to final bill, then a 4–8 week pilot (₹3–10 lakh, $3,500–12,000) on the leak that costs you most, usually materials or site reporting. Most single use cases below sit between ₹2 lakh and ₹6 lakh ($2,400–7,000).

Updated 14 October 2026 · Written by Azerlia Research

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Who this guide is for

  • Builders delivering 5–30 villas or apartment units a year in Kerala, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu.
  • Civil, electrical, plumbing, HVAC or interior fit-out contractors working as subcontractors on commercial and residential jobs.
  • Infrastructure subcontractors on roads, drainage or small bridges who live by measurement books and RA bills.
  • Firms with 3–15 live sites where site engineers report by phone call and WhatsApp photo.
  • Owners who personally sign every material purchase and every subcontractor payment.
  • UAE fit-out and MEP contractors with a Kerala back office handling VAT invoices and WPS payroll.

Where the hours go in construction

Daily site reporting is a phone call at 7 pm
Each site engineer phones the owner with labour count and work done. Photos go into a WhatsApp group and scroll away. There is no record to show a client or an auditor a month later.
Material requests and purchases are untracked
A site asks for cement, steel or tiles on WhatsApp. The purchase manager orders. Nobody matches the delivery challan to the PO and the invoice, so short delivery and leakage go unnoticed until stock-take.
Subcontractor bills are checked by hand
Measurement sheets, rate contracts, retention and advances are reconciled in Excel over days. Bills sit for weeks, subcontractors walk off, and disputes land on the owner's desk.
Client changes are agreed on site and never billed
A client asks for a bigger kitchen or a different tile while walking the site. The engineer agrees. The change is never written down, priced or added to the final bill.
Project profit is unknown until the project ends
Retention money, mobilisation advances and late RA bill payments make cash flow a surprise. The owner knows the bank balance, not which site is losing money this month.
Compliance paperwork stacks up per site
BOCW cess, labour licences, PF and ESI for site labour, GST on works contracts and e-way bills for material movement each need their own register and are usually done late.

Workflows we automate in construction

Each workflow is a few weeks of work on top of the tools you already run. Costs are bands in ₹ and $; outcomes are what we expect and write into the pilot agreement, not past-client claims.

01Daily site progress report from WhatsApp photos and voice notes

₹2–4 lakh / $2,400–4,800 · 4–6 weeks

The problem

Site engineers phone in or drop photos into a group. Nothing is structured, nothing is searchable, and the owner cannot show a client or a bank what happened on which date.

What we build

Each site engineer sends photos and a short voice note to one WhatsApp Business number. AI turns them into a structured daily report per site: labour count by trade, work done, materials received, issues. The owner gets one summary at 7 pm.

Expected outcome

Typically replaces the evening call round with one summary and gives you a dated, photographed record for every site; in our audits we look for how many sites go unreported each week today.

How it works

  1. The site engineer sends 3–5 photos and a 30-second voice note in Malayalam, Tamil or English to the company's WhatsApp Business number by 5 pm.
  2. n8n passes the voice note through speech-to-text and an AI step that fills a fixed template: labour by trade, work completed, materials received, delays, safety notes.
  3. Photos are filed in Google Drive by site and date; the report is written to a Google Sheet per project.
  4. If a site has not reported by 5:30 pm, the engineer gets an automatic reminder and the project manager is copied.
  5. At 7 pm the owner and project manager receive one WhatsApp summary covering every site, with flags for sites that reported delays or zero labour.
  6. Weekly, the project manager exports the report pack as a PDF for the client or the bank's site inspection.

Systems: WhatsApp Business API · n8n · Speech-to-text and AI summarisation · Google Drive · Google Sheets

02Material requests, approvals and three-way match

₹3–6 lakh / $3,500–7,000 · 5–8 weeks

The problem

Material is requested on WhatsApp, ordered by phone and received without checking. Nobody compares the PO, the delivery challan and the supplier invoice, so short supply and double billing slip through.

What we build

A simple app where the site raises a request, the owner or project manager approves on WhatsApp, a PO goes to the supplier, the site photographs the delivery challan, and the invoice is matched to both before it enters Tally.

Expected outcome

Expected: every invoice is matched to a PO and a signed challan before payment, and the owner approves purchases in seconds instead of chasing them; typically the material variance per site becomes visible for the first time.

How it works

  1. The site engineer raises a material request in the app with item, quantity, site and needed-by date; the BOQ budget for that item is shown alongside.
  2. The project manager checks it against the budget; requests above a set value go to the owner for a one-tap WhatsApp approval.
  3. The purchase manager issues the PO from the app; the supplier receives it as a PDF on WhatsApp or email.
  4. On delivery, the site engineer photographs the delivery challan and enters received quantity; the AI reads the challan and flags any shortfall against the PO.
  5. The accountant receives the supplier invoice, matches it against PO and challan in the app, and only matched invoices are posted to Tally Prime or Zoho Books.
  6. A weekly report shows material cost per site versus BOQ budget and any unmatched invoices.

Systems: Custom app or AppSheet · WhatsApp Business API · Tally Prime · Zoho Books · Google Drive

03Subcontractor measurement sheets and RA bill checking

₹3–6 lakh / $3,500–7,000 · 5–8 weeks

The problem

Subcontractor running-account bills are checked by hand against measurement sheets and rate contracts. It takes days, payments are late, and retention and advance deductions are often wrong.

What we build

Site engineers enter measurements against BOQ items from a phone. The system applies the subcontractor's rate contract, deducts retention and advances, and produces an RA bill for approval and a payment entry in Tally.

Expected outcome

Typically cuts RA bill processing from weeks to days and ends retention and advance disputes, because every number traces back to a measured, photographed item.

How it works

  1. Each subcontractor's work order is loaded with BOQ items, rates, retention percentage and any mobilisation advance.
  2. The site engineer records measurements per item from a phone, with photos of the work, as it is completed.
  3. The quantity surveyor or project manager reviews measurements and approves them in the app.
  4. The system builds the RA bill: cumulative quantity, this-bill quantity, rate, retention held, advance recovered, net payable.
  5. The owner sees a one-screen summary and approves on WhatsApp; the accountant posts the payable to Tally Prime with the right TDS and GST.
  6. A subcontractor ledger shows every bill, retention held and balance work for each contractor across sites.

Systems: Custom app · Google Sheets · Tally Prime · WhatsApp Business API

04Client progress updates and change-order log

₹2–4 lakh / $2,400–4,800 · 4–6 weeks

The problem

Clients call the owner for updates. Changes agreed on site are forgotten. The final bill becomes a fight because nobody can show when a change was asked for and what it cost.

What we build

A weekly client update built from the daily site reports, plus a change-order flow: any change is logged with a photo and a price, the client approves on WhatsApp, and it is added to the next bill.

Expected outcome

Expected: fewer client calls to the owner and no unbilled changes at handover; in our audits we ask how much of the last three projects' extra work was never invoiced.

How it works

  1. Every Saturday the system compiles the week's site reports and photos into a client-friendly WhatsApp update with percentage complete per stage.
  2. When a client asks for a change, the site engineer logs it in the app with a photo, a short description and the affected BOQ items.
  3. The estimator prices the change within the app; the owner reviews and sends it to the client as a change-order PDF on WhatsApp.
  4. The client approves with a reply; the approval is stored with timestamp against the project.
  5. Approved changes flow into the next client bill in Zoho Books or Tally Prime as separate lines.
  6. The owner's project view shows original contract value, approved changes and billed-to-date for every client.

Systems: WhatsApp Business API · Custom client portal or app · Zoho Books · Tally Prime · Google Sheets

05Project-wise cost and cash-flow dashboard

₹2–5 lakh / $2,400–6,000 · 4–6 weeks

The problem

The owner sees one bank balance for ten sites. Which project is over budget, which client is late on RA bills, and how much retention is stuck is worked out once a year by the auditor.

What we build

Tally cost centres per project plus the material, subcontractor and billing data from the apps above feed a dashboard showing cost versus budget, billed versus collected, retention and cash forecast per site.

Expected outcome

Typically shows project margin monthly instead of at completion and surfaces stuck retention and overdue RA bills, which is usually the first cash the owner recovers.

How it works

  1. Each project is set up as a cost centre in Tally Prime; the accountant tags every purchase, subcontractor bill and client invoice to it.
  2. Budgets per project are loaded from the BOQ into a Google Sheet by the estimator.
  3. Daily, n8n pulls Tally data and the app data into a reporting sheet or database.
  4. Looker Studio or Power BI shows per project: cost to date versus budget, client billed versus collected, retention held by client and by subcontractor, and a 90-day cash forecast.
  5. Alerts go to the owner on WhatsApp when a project's cost crosses 90% of budget or a client RA bill is 30 days overdue.
  6. The monthly review meeting uses one dashboard page per project instead of a stack of Excel files.

Systems: Tally Prime · Google Sheets · n8n · Looker Studio or Power BI · WhatsApp Business API

06Site labour attendance, wage sheets and compliance registers

₹2–5 lakh / $2,400–6,000 · 4–6 weeks

The problem

Labour attendance is on paper per site. Weekly wages are paid from memory and cash. PF, ESI, BOCW and labour-licence registers are reconstructed when an inspector arrives.

What we build

Daily attendance captured on a phone per site and per contractor, feeding wage sheets, PF and ESI data, and the BOCW and labour registers automatically.

Expected outcome

Expected: wage sheets ready in minutes, compliance registers that already exist when an inspector visits, and labour cost per site visible weekly.

How it works

  1. Each worker is registered once with name, trade, contractor, ID and bank or UPI details, and linked to a site.
  2. The site supervisor marks attendance on a phone each morning with a site photo; the daily count feeds the site report.
  3. Weekly, the system prepares the wage sheet per contractor and per site at the agreed rates and sends it to the accountant for approval.
  4. Monthly, PF and ESI contribution files are generated for upload by the accountant or payroll provider, and the labour registers are updated.
  5. BOCW cess is tracked as a line item per project at 1% of construction cost, with the payment status visible to the owner.
  6. A compliance calendar sends WhatsApp reminders for labour-licence renewals, cess payments and return due dates.

Systems: Custom app or AppSheet · Google Sheets · Tally Prime · Payroll software (e.g. greytHR) · WhatsApp Business API

Regulatory note

Under the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996, the employer pays a cess on the cost of construction; the Act allows 1–2% and the notified rate is 1%. It applies per project, so our project cost dashboards carry it as a standing line item rather than a year-end surprise. Individuals building their own home at a cost of ₹10 lakh or less are outside the Act. Source

Related services

Guides for construction owners

Construction: questions owners ask

Can site engineers really use this? They are on site all day, not at a desk.

Yes, because every site step is a WhatsApp message or a two-tap phone screen, not a desktop form. The daily report is photos plus a voice note; attendance is a tick list; a material request is four fields. We build the first version with one site engineer during the pilot and only roll out when that engineer is using it without reminders.

What does this cost for a builder with 8 live sites?

A first pilot such as site reporting or the material three-way match is ₹3–10 lakh ($3,500–12,000) over 4–8 weeks, and single use cases above are priced at ₹2–6 lakh ($2,400–7,000). We recommend starting with a Discovery Sprint of ₹1–3 lakh ($1,200–3,500) that follows one project end to end, because the biggest leak is different for every builder. The free AI Opportunity Audit comes first.

Do we have to replace Tally or Zoho Books?

No. Your accounts package stays the book of record, and we set up project cost centres inside it. The apps sit around it for site work, approvals and matching, and post clean, tagged entries into it.

Our sites have patchy mobile network. Will the apps work?

They are built to work offline and sync later, and WhatsApp itself already handles weak signal by queuing messages. Reports and attendance can be entered at the site and will upload when the engineer reaches signal. We test this on your worst site during the pilot.

How does this reduce material leakage on site?

By making every delivery match a PO and a photographed challan before the invoice is paid, and by showing material used per site against the BOQ every week. Leakage usually shows up as a site that consistently consumes more than its budget for one item. That report is the first thing we look at in a pilot.

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