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fall 2026 product release

Fall Product Release | 2026

Estimate Builder Agent, Production Analyst Agent, and HCSS AI Studio enter beta. Plus web-based HeavyBid for Desktop customers, field production data in your estimate, and more of your fleet in one view.

With the Fall 2026 Release, HCSS AI moves from answering questions to doing the work. Two new agents in beta can build a first-pass estimate or tell you why a job is running over budget, and HCSS AI Studio lets you shape them around how your company operates. Desktop customers can now add web-based HeavyBid, production rates can be pulled straight from the field with web-based HeavyBid, and HCSS Fleet connects with more telematics providers.

Here's what each update means for your team.

HCSS AI: From Answers to Action

Your AI assistant (formerly HCSS Copilot) is already at work for more than 3,000 users at 800+ companies. It answers questions about your jobs, estimates, and documents in plain language, and it's included in your subscription today.

Now HCSS AI moves beyond answering questions. Agents carry out multi-step work for you, like building an estimate or investigating why a budget overran, then hand the results back for your review.

hcss copilot is hcss ai
Your AI assistant (formerly Copilot) is still live today. We’re moving beyond chatbots with agents that execute.

That's a platform shift, and no one is better positioned to lead it. HCSS has been the leader for civil and infrastructure construction technology for 40 years. We've spent four decades building software alongside contractors, so we know how you bid, build, and manage work. Now we're building AI that understands your workflows the same way.

It runs on a foundation we've spent more than 15 years building: one platform where your estimating, field operations, equipment, and safety all share a single connected data model. HCSS AI works across your entire operation, from your first bid to your final cost code. That gives you a complete picture no standalone tool or newer AI competitor can replicate.

Meet the first two agents and the place where you'll manage them.

Estimate Builder Agent: A Bid That Drafts Itself

Starting a new estimate usually means a blank screen or hours spent copying from old bids. Estimate Builder Agent gives you a head start. Give it a list of pay items or your project documents, and it builds a first-pass estimate in minutes, using your historical HeavyBid estimates and HCSS libraries.

Your estimators make every final call. Every AI-generated value is clearly flagged for review, along with the data behind it. Your existing rates take precedence, and nothing becomes part of the bid until you've reviewed and finalized it.

What this means for you: Less time on setup and more time on strategy, pricing, and winning work.

etimate builder agent hcss
Import a list of pay items and watch the estimate build itself in front of your eyes, automatically, from your own estimate history and HCSS libraries.

Production Analyst Agent: Find Out Why a Job Is Over Budget

HeavyJob has always shown you which jobs and cost codes are running over budget. Production Analyst Agent tells you why. It compares the estimate against what's happening in HeavyJob and explains what's driving the variance, down to the cost code. Different equipment on the job? More labor hours than planned? You'll know in minutes (and it flags jobs running under budget too, so you can see what's working).

What this means for you: Less time digging through reports and more time fixing the problem while you can still protect your margin.

production analyst agent hcss
The agent identifies cost codes over budget and explains what’s driving the overage. Find out in minutes.

HCSS AI Studio: Shape AI Around Your Business

No two contractors bid or manage work the same way, and your AI shouldn't either. HCSS AI Studio is where you configure, monitor, and manage your agents in plain language, with a human always in charge.

Start with pre-built agents, then add the context that makes them yours: your projects, your crews, and how your business operates.

For Estimate Builder, add business instructions and estimating standards so the agent bids the way your company does. For Production Analyst, set business instructions and variance thresholds that match how your team manages jobs.

What this means for you: AI shaped around how your business works, with full control over who uses it and the chance to test prior to deployment.

hcss ai studio
HCSS AI Studio is where agents are configured, monitored, and managed in plain language, with a human always in charge.

You Stay in Control

HCSS AI was built for the numbers you bid, bill, and get paid on, so trust comes first. Your data stays isolated to your company and agents follow the same role-based access you've already set up across the HCSS platform, so if a user can't see data today, the AI can't either.

Confidence scores show you where the AI is certain and where it isn't, and you can review, guide, and override every output. Nothing finalizes without your approval.

HeavyBid: Add Web-Based HeavyBid to Your Desktop Account

HeavyBid Desktop customers can now add a web-based HeavyBid subscription. The two are fully independent. Nothing is converted or retired, and your Desktop licenses, estimates, and workflows stay exactly as they are. An admin at your company can add the subscription in HCSS Credentials, and access is available immediately with no formal implementation required.

Getting set up is quick. Export your Desktop setups, including codebooks and master estimates, into a single ZIP file, then drag and drop it into HeavyBid. HeavyBid places everything automatically, usually in 5 to 10 minutes. Your setups represent years of work, so we recommend a quick call with HCSS Support before you start. You can also copy from your Desktop estimate history inside web-based HeavyBid, so the bids you rely on come with you.

It's an easy way to give other members on your team an estimating tool without using a Desktop license, while your power estimators keep working in Desktop exactly as they do today. In-app guides and HCSS Academy videos help new users get productive fast.

What this means for you: More people on your team can build estimates from anywhere, with zero disruption to the Desktop workflows you depend on.

web subscriptions for heavybid desktop customers
Users can use HeavyBid without using Desktop licenses or needing IT installs.

HeavyBid: Bid on What Actually Happened in the Field

HeavyBid now brings real production rates from HeavyJob directly into your estimate. Instead of relying on gut feel or digging through old reports, you can check your bid assumptions against what your crews actually produced, without ever leaving the estimate.

What this means for you: More accurate bids built on your own field history, and a tighter loop between the field and the office.

HCSS Fleet: Kubota, Motive, and Verizon Equipment in One View

Most fleets run on a mix of machines and telematics providers. HCSS Fleet Telematics now integrates with Kubota, Verizon Connect, and Motive, so you can bring your Kubota machines and Motive-tracked equipment into HCSS Fleet alongside the rest of your fleet.

What this means for you: One view of every asset, no matter who made it or which provider tracks it.

kubota verizon connect motive hcss fleet integrations

The Bigger Picture

This fall's updates share a common thread: helping you make decisions on real data, not guesswork. From an AI head start on new estimates to production rates pulled straight from the field to a single view of a mixed fleet, the Fall 2026 Release is about helping you bid, build, and deliver with confidence.

It's the same commitment that has shaped HCSS software for 40 years: solutions built with the people who use them, for the way construction actually gets done.

michaela halliwell

Michaela Halliwell

Group Product Manager, Platform & Data

Michaela Halliwell is an accomplished Group Product Manager specializing in APIs, developer experience, data products, and platform architecture. With over a decade of experience in SaaS and enterprise software, she’s known for turning complex systems into scalable, user-friendly solutions. Michaela has led initiatives around API governance, reporting platforms, identity and permissions, and AI-powered product development. She’s passionate about building tools that empower both developers and decision-makers, and she’s a frequent speaker on platform strategy and documentation best practices. Outside of work, she’s a writer, mom of three, and unapologetic fan of fancy cheeses.