Example map · illustrative construction recruitment agency
From site request to paid worker, every step mapped.
This is an illustrative map of a UK construction recruitment agency placing around 200 workers on site, with a small office team. It is built from the work we have done in the sector, and does not show any one client’s results. Every step from a site manager’s request to a worker being paid is valued and given a route, then grouped into phases.
Hours a week that AI could give back, by stage, in the order the work happens.
Vacancy intake · 4
7.0 h
Sourcing · 4
13.0 h
Registration · 3
9.0 h
Vetting and compliance · 7
17.0 h
Matching and deployment · 4
8.5 h
Site arrival · 2
4.0 h
Timesheets · 3
8.0 h
Payroll · 4
12.5 h
Invoicing and credit control · 3
7.5 h
Clients and growth · 3
5.0 h
Management · 2
4.0 h
AutomateAssist
Phases
What gets built, in what order, and what it is worth.
Vetting comes first because it limits how fast the agency can grow. Each phase builds on one record per worker, and a person approves every right-to-work, tax and safety decision before anything is automated further.
Phase 1Months 1 to 2
Vetting, request form and worker record
Vacancy intake, Registration, Vetting and compliance · 14 processes
A short request form for site managers, approved by the surveyor in one click
One record per worker, with every document and its expiry date
Tax, card and ticket checks prepared for a person to approve
What it looks like
A new carpenter registers on their phone. By the time a recruiter looks, the documents have been read, the checks prepared and anything missing requested. The recruiter approves in minutes.
33 ha week back
~£33ka year
35%of the total, by the end of this phase
Phase 2Months 3 to 4
Sourcing and matching
Sourcing, Matching and deployment, Site arrival · 10 processes
Roles posted and CVs pulled in from the job boards
Vetted workers near the site messaged first, and their replies collected
Check-in on arrival, with the location logged in case of disputes
What it looks like
Two carpenters are needed in Wembley tomorrow. The system finds vetted carpenters nearby, messages them, and puts the shortlist in front of a recruiter to sign off.
26 ha week back
~£26ka year
61%of the total, by the end of this phase
Phase 3Months 5 to 6
Timesheets, invoices and payroll
Timesheets, Payroll, Invoicing and credit control · 10 processes
Hours approved by the surveyor become an invoice automatically
Weekly payroll and CIS certificates prepared for the accountant
Pay queries answered from each worker’s own record
What it looks like
On Friday the surveyor approves the week’s hours. The invoices go out that afternoon, and payroll is ready for the accountant to check.
28 ha week back
~£28ka year
91%of the total, by the end of this phase
Phase 4Month 7 onwards
Learning loop and reporting
Clients and growth, Management · 5 processes
Every approval and rejection improves the matching
Worker ratings after each job
One screen of KPIs for each business, against last year
What it looks like
On Monday the director opens one screen: fill rate, time to place, margin per worker and overdue invoices, each against last quarter.
9 ha week back
~£9ka year
100%of the total, by the end of this phase
Every process
All 39, valued and routed.
23 to automate, 13 where AI assists a person, and 3 that stay fully with people.
Vacancy intake4 PROCESSES · 7.0 H A WEEK · £7,056 A YEAR
Taking site requests by phone and emailAutomate3.0 h£3,024
Two-level sign-off of each requestAutomate1.0 h£1,008
Confirming rates and start times with the clientAssist1.5 h£1,512
Tracking open requests and fill statusAutomate1.5 h£1,512
Sourcing4 PROCESSES · 13.0 H A WEEK · £13,104 A YEAR
Posting roles to job boardsAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Searching job boards and WhatsApp groupsAutomate5.0 h£5,040
Shortlisting CVs against each requestAssist4.0 h£4,032
Keeping the candidate database currentAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Registration3 PROCESSES · 9.0 H A WEEK · £9,072 A YEAR
Registration calls with new workersAssist4.0 h£4,032
Collecting documents from workersAutomate3.0 h£3,024
Setting up the worker recordAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Vetting and compliance7 PROCESSES · 17.0 H A WEEK · £17,136 A YEAR
The system reads and prepares every check. A person approves right to work, tax status, safety tickets and anything sensitive before a worker is placed.
Tax and National Insurance checksAssist4.0 h£4,032
CSCS card and trade ticket checksAutomate3.0 h£3,024
Right to work and proof of addressAssist3.0 h£3,024
DBS checks for schools and hospitalsAssist1.5 h£1,512
Reference calls and emailsAssist3.0 h£3,024
Document expiry monitoringAutomate2.5 h£2,520
Checking spoken English for safe workingKeep human0.0 h£0
Matching and deployment4 PROCESSES · 8.5 H A WEEK · £8,568 A YEAR
Matching workers to requests by trade and locationAutomate4.0 h£4,032
Messaging nearby workers and collecting repliesAutomate3.0 h£3,024
Final shortlist sign-offKeep human0.0 h£0
Sending worker details to site managersAutomate1.5 h£1,512
Site arrival2 PROCESSES · 4.0 H A WEEK · £4,032 A YEAR
Check-in on arrival, with location loggedAutomate2.0 h£2,016
No-shows and replacementsAssist2.0 h£2,016
Timesheets3 PROCESSES · 8.0 H A WEEK · £8,064 A YEAR
Collecting hours from site managersAutomate5.0 h£5,040
Surveyor approval of hoursAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Disputes over hoursAssist1.0 h£1,008
Payroll4 PROCESSES · 12.5 H A WEEK · £12,600 A YEAR
Weekly payroll runAssist6.0 h£6,048
CIS deductions and monthly certificatesAutomate3.0 h£3,024
PAYE workersAssist1.5 h£1,512
Answering worker pay queriesAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Invoicing and credit control3 PROCESSES · 7.5 H A WEEK · £7,560 A YEAR
Invoices from approved timesheetsAutomate4.0 h£4,032
Chasing overdue invoicesAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Client account reconciliationAssist1.5 h£1,512
Clients and growth3 PROCESSES · 5.0 H A WEEK · £5,040 A YEAR
Client updates and reportingAutomate2.0 h£2,016
Tender and bid packsAssist3.0 h£3,024
Winning new clientsKeep human0.0 h£0
Management2 PROCESSES · 4.0 H A WEEK · £4,032 A YEAR
Weekly KPI pack across the groupAutomate2.5 h£2,520
Worker ratings and learning from each decisionAutomate1.5 h£1,512
How it was made
How the map was made, and what the numbers mean.
Short interviews
Each person in the office described how their part of the process works, from the first call with a site manager to the weekly payroll run.
Every process rated
Automate: high volume, rule-based and easy to undo. Assist: AI prepares, a person decides. Keep human: judgement, or costly to get wrong.
Valued simply
Hours are estimates for an agency of this size, valued at £21 an hour (a £30,000 salary with on-costs) over 48 weeks. They are illustrations, not measured savings.
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