AI in tendering: how tender teams can return to strategic thinking

Tendering is a necessary evil for many construction companies. The process is time-consuming, complex, and full of repetitive tasks. Hours spent scrolling through documents, copying text, checking information—all under intense time pressure. Fedor Klinkenberg knows this world from the inside. He gained his experience at a software company, where he saw how knowledge was lost and mistakes kept recurring. That’s when he decided things had to change.

Fedor Klinkenberg – CEO of Brainial – is driven by solving complex problems and creating smart, practical solutions. For years, he worked in tender processes himself and experienced how repetitive, fragmented, and time-consuming the work could be. That experience laid the foundation for his ambition: to develop a tool that supports the entire process without taking control away from the people who truly understand tendering.

Together with Taco Hiddink, who has years of experience in AI and Big Data, Klinkenberg set out to create a platform that not only improves efficiency but also enhances the quality of decision-making. “Our goal is for tender teams to focus on strategy and creativity,” says Klinkenberg.

What was the moment you thought: this really needs to change?

“It wasn’t one specific moment, but a buildup of frustrations. Tender teams were losing an enormous amount of time digging through documents and copying old texts, while it’s their strategic insight and experience that actually add value. At first, I thought: this is just part of the job, this is how construction works.

But when I saw how much knowledge was being rebuilt over and over again—only to disappear again—it started to bother me. Tender after tender, we went through largely the same mountain of questions and themes, and each time we had to start from scratch. That felt like a system error.

So I started talking to people in my network and conducted interviews with over 100 tender and bid managers across the Netherlands. Everyone struggled with the same issue. That was the confirmation: it’s not the people, it’s the way of working. And there has to be a smarter way to organize this process.”

How did you transition to artificial intelligence?

“During our exploration of the tender process, I met Taco Hiddink, a data scientist with decades of experience in machine learning. He immediately understood what I meant: we have a goldmine of knowledge, but in construction it’s fragmented and locked away.

Until then, computers could read documents, but not interpret them. AI fundamentally changed that. With natural language processing, Brainial can analyze texts the way humans do: recognizing meaning, identifying relationships, and understanding priorities. That finally made it possible to structurally improve the tendering process.

We trained the system by developing generic models, fed with public tender documents so AI could understand the structure and logic of tenders. Then we built industry-specific models for construction, including examples of UAV-GC contracts, administrative conditions, and other sector-specific documents.

Students helped with data annotation: labeling documents, grouping passages, and processing examples of project plans. This taught the system what information is important, how to weigh it, and how to connect insights across documents.

On top of that, clients add their own historical data, allowing Brainial to fully adapt to their way of working. This ensures information stays secure within client environments and is never shared with others.”

“Many companies try to add AI to existing systems afterward. That often results in complex integrations and limited value. From day one, we designed our processes, models, and user experience with AI at the core. That allows the system to directly interpret large volumes of documents, structure information, and provide relevant insights. It’s the foundation everything is built on.”

Some people are hesitant about AI. How does Brainial handle that? Does AI take control?

“I completely understand that hesitation. Construction is a sector where reliability, safety, and control are essential. A ‘black box’ that produces results without explanation doesn’t fit that context.

That’s why we designed Brainial as a transparent system. Every AI analysis is traceable to its source. If you click on a summary or conclusion, you can see exactly which document and paragraph it comes from.

So AI doesn’t make decisions for you. It helps you make better ones. Brainial removes the administrative burden so teams can focus on strategy, quality, and differentiation. The software does the groundwork. In that sense, AI actually makes tendering more human—it brings order to document chaos.”

How does this work in practice? What does Brainial actually do?

“When a construction company receives a tender package—often hundreds of pages—it is uploaded into Brainial. The software automatically recognizes themes such as safety, planning, sustainability, and contract conditions, and groups them accordingly.

AI then analyzes risks, inconsistencies, and missing information. Everything is visualized clearly, so a tender team can immediately see where attention is needed.

It also supports writing the project plan. Brainial identifies relevant passages from previous successful tenders of the same company. This allows teams to reuse proven quality, adapted to the new context.”

The construction industry faces major sustainability challenges. Can Brainial play a role?

“Absolutely. Tenders increasingly include sustainability criteria. Brainial automatically identifies and structures these.

Our writing assistant also helps teams be more specific. If someone writes ‘we build circular,’ AI will ask: how exactly are materials reused, and how is that ensured during execution? This pushes teams to be more precise, which increases the chances of a strong evaluation.

We see that clients score better on qualitative aspects of tenders. That’s a win—not just commercially, but socially.”

Can you give examples of time savings?

“Some companies used to take two days for a tender analysis and now complete it in two hours. Others can structure all tender documents and identify risks within 15 minutes.

But more importantly: they make fewer mistakes and don’t miss requirements anymore. That significantly improves quality. Some users say Brainial feels like a colleague who never gets tired and remembers everything.”

Can you give an example of cost reduction?

“You see this in projects that require many certifications and qualifications. Normally, teams check these manually—who is certified for what, are documents up to date, is anything missing? It’s time-consuming and error-prone.

With Brainial, all certifications are automatically analyzed and linked to the right employees and tasks. You instantly see what’s missing and prevent delays or penalties.

The system also uses past project data to identify risks. If certain employees repeatedly renew certifications late or suppliers cause delays, Brainial flags this early. That allows contractors to adjust in time.

The result is a significant reduction in failure costs because critical information is no longer missed. Decisions become faster and more reliable.”

How large is your user base now?

“We have 130 clients, more than 75 of which are in construction and infrastructure. These include mid-sized contractors as well as large construction groups.

We also serve other sectors like cleaning, facility services, and staffing. But construction remains our core focus. That’s where our heart lies and where the need for innovation is greatest.”

Is Brainial only for large companies?

“Definitely not. Mid-sized and smaller contractors benefit greatly from the time savings and knowledge retention. They often don’t have dedicated tender teams and have to manage tenders alongside other work.

For them, Brainial provides the same level of quality and structure as large companies—without heavy investments in staff or IT.

We also see that SMEs often focus even more on efficiency. If a small team has to handle multiple tenders per year, a system that structures and reuses information makes the difference between participating and truly competing.”

What about affordability?

“We’ve deliberately kept the financial threshold low. We use scalable license models tailored to company size and needs. Smaller companies don’t pay for features they don’t use.

Our goal is to make tender technology accessible to everyone.”

Where do you want to be in five years?

“In five years, we want to be a trusted digital colleague for everyone involved in construction projects—not just tender teams, but also project managers, planners, and site managers.

We also hope to contribute to a broader shift in how the sector handles knowledge and collaboration. If we can prepare projects more intelligently and use information more effectively, we reduce failure costs, accelerate processes, and improve quality.

That benefits not just companies, but society as a whole: less waste, fewer errors, and faster, more sustainable projects.”

And beyond that?

“I believe we’re moving toward a construction industry where data, knowledge, and people are much better connected. Where less time is lost on administration and more space is created for innovation.

AI will play a major role, but it must remain in service of people. That’s the core: technology only succeeds if it helps us work better together.”

What is your personal motivation?

“I love building, in the broadest sense. Creating something that didn’t exist before. Brainial is also a construction project—only here we build knowledge, structure, and trust.

What drives me is the belief that technology can empower people. That we don’t have to choose between humanity and efficiency. When used correctly, AI brings back clarity, overview, and even enjoyment in work. And that might be the biggest win of all.”

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