What AI does
Copilot in Word drafts project updates and short report sections in your template, using only the project files you point it to. An engineer checks every technical statement.
Practical AI for small and medium businesses
How an engineering consultancy could save about $115,000 a year in staff time with AI
At a glance
The short version
What it costs
About $17,000 to set up and $635 a month to run with AI automation.
What it saves
Pays for itself in about 4 months, then about $115,047 a year in staff time, after running costs.
This is an illustrative example, not a past client project. It uses AI features the vendors document today and our cost model. Your own figures depend on your workload and costs.
What would it be worth for your team? Enter your team size and hours for a quick estimate.
Try the AI Savings and ROI calculatorStep by step
How AI helps
Today: A consultancy with 25–35 staff and $4m–$8m in fees, producing about 200 short project updates and report sections a week, with paid document and project support. Writing routine updates and sections from notes takes about 24 minutes each, often by paid document or project-support staff.
What AI does
- Staff save verified notes, site records and earlier sections in the project’s SharePoint folder.
- In the firm’s Word template, Copilot drafts the update from up to 20 referenced files, keeping the template’s structure.
- Copilot only uses content the user already has permission to see, and keeps each prompt and its sources in your Microsoft 365 records.
- Staff add a sources table and check every number, unit and standard reference.
Your team still
- An engineer reviews and signs off every technical statement.
- Calculations, design decisions and certification stay with your engineers.
- Keep SharePoint files and permissions organised.
Tools: Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word. Practice-management systems such as Deltek summarise project data but do not draft technical text. Microsoft’s target for processing Copilot requests inside Australia is the end of 2026.
Two ways to do it
AI automation or an AI agent?
| AI automation | AI agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word | ChatGPT dots (new, pilot first) |
| Set-up cost | $17,000 | $10,000 |
| Running cost a month | $635 | $930 |
| Pays for itself in | about 4 months | about 4 months |
| Value of time saved each year after that | $115,047 | $104,147 |
Our view: Good fit for scheduled weekly updates. Check that client contracts allow project files to be processed by ChatGPT.
AI automation
Pros
- Copilot in Word drafts from your own SharePoint files
- Respects file permissions and keeps a record
- The bigger saving of the two options
Cons
- SharePoint permissions need tidying first
- Microsoft’s processing inside Australia is targeted for the end of 2026
AI agent
Pros
- Weekly updates prepared on a schedule
- Cheaper to set up
Cons
- Project files are processed by ChatGPT, so client contracts must allow it
- ChatGPT Business does not store data in Australia
How an AI agent would do it
- Each week the dot checks project folders in SharePoint or Google Drive for new verified notes.
- It drafts the project update in your template from those notes and saves it next to them.
- It sends each project engineer a list of drafts to review.
Not sure which option suits your engineering consultancy? We can help you choose and plan a pilot.
Request a consultationBefore you decide
If the saving is smaller
If AI saves 25% less time than we assume, AI automation pays for itself in about 5 months and saves about $84,380 a year. These figures value every hour saved at the hourly cost, because your team can put the time into other work, such as more clients or fewer extra hours.
What we check first
- Your weekly count of short sections and current time per section.
- SharePoint permissions cleaned up, because Copilot shows anything a user can view.
- Client contracts and your insurer’s position on AI use.
- What your team will do with the time saved, such as more client work or fewer extra hours.
Not included: Engineering calculations, design recommendations, certification and sign-off.
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