Articles on: Features

What are tools and agents in ConstructChat?

ConstructChat goes beyond a simple chatbot.

It can call tools and agents to perform specialized actions on top of Taiyō’s data mesh and external sources.


1. What are tools?

A tool is a focused capability that ConstructChat can call to:

  • Query structured data (projects, entities, bids, financials, risks, etc.)
  • Search specific knowledge sources (news, ASCE, Scholar, SEC, FCA, internal reports)
  • Analyze URLs, PDFs, satellite data, and more

You can usually invoke a tool by:

  • Typing its alias followed by your request,

e.g.

CanvasSearch: list mass transit projects planned in California

  • Or by asking in natural language, and ConstructChat will decide which tool(s) to call.

Below is a guide to all current tools, grouped by category, with descriptions and example prompts.


2. Canvas Tools (Project & Market Intelligence)

These tools query Taiyō’s internal project and market data.

Alias: CanvasSearch

What it does:

Search Taiyō internal records and projects (pipeline, tenders, awards, etc.) using structured filters like geography, sector, and delivery model.

Best for:

  • Finding specific types of projects
  • Building project lists for BD, strategy, or research

Example prompts:

  • CanvasSearch: list all mass transit projects planned in California
  • CanvasSearch: show all PPP (Public-Private Partnership) road projects in Texas
  • CanvasSearch: latest procurement for EV charging tenders in Michigan


2.2 Canvas market breakdown

Alias: CanvasMarketBreakdown

What it does:

Get market breakdown and analysis based on Taiyō’s project and entity data (market share, key players, agencies, etc.).

Best for:

  • Market entry research
  • Competitive and client intelligence

Example prompts:

  • CanvasMarketBreakdown: search for top EPCs in LATAM mass transit projects
  • CanvasMarketBreakdown: list top 10 contractors by market share in Middle East transport projects
  • CanvasMarketBreakdown: map main government agencies responsible for energy procurement in India


Alias: FinfraSearch

What it does:

Get data about financial transactions related to infrastructure, especially M&A and deals.

Best for:

  • Tracking deals and consolidations
  • Understanding investor and sponsor activity

Example prompts:

  • FinfraSearch: recent M&A in renewable energy infrastructure by public companies


2.4 Canvas bid tabs

Alias: CanvasBidTabs

What it does:

Get data about US bid tabulations (who bid what, and who won).

Best for:

  • Competitor pricing / win patterns
  • Understanding DOT contractor performance

Example prompts:

  • CanvasBidTabs: top contractors by awarded road projects in Ohio 2024
  • CanvasBidTabs: DOT contractor bid wins in Florida since Jan 2024


3. Search Tools (News & Technical Knowledge)

These tools search external sources (news, web, ASCE, Scholar).

3.1 Search news

Alias: SearchNews

What it does:

Retrieve and analyze the latest news, regulatory changes, project announcements, deal flow, and other developments globally, nationally, or locally.

Best for:

  • Real-time updates not yet in structured databases
  • Policy, regulation, and market news

Example prompts:

  • SearchNews: latest news on U.S. federal infrastructure allocations Q4 2025
  • SearchNews: partner conflicts in NEOM Saudi giga-project
  • SearchNews: recent infrastructure policy updates affecting construction companies


3.2 Search web

Alias: SearchWeb

What it does:

Search the open web for general information.

Best for:

  • Broader context or background
  • Capturing information beyond infrastructure data

Example prompts:

  • SearchWeb: summarize top concerns raised in community consultations for hydropower projects in Southeast Asia
  • SearchWeb: summarize top 10 recent AI/digital tech adoptions in infrastructure projects globally
  • SearchWeb: summarize notable cases of human error leading to megaproject delays


3.3 Search ASCE

Alias: SearchASCE

What it does:

Search American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) articles, conference proceedings, and technical papers.

Best for:

  • Peer-reviewed engineering and design guidance
  • Civil / structural / geotechnical / environmental reference

Example prompts:

  • SearchASCE: get articles from ASCE on bridge design for seismic risk
  • SearchASCE: best practices in water supply network upgrades


3.4 Search scholar

Alias: SearchScholar

What it does:

Search academic papers and scholarly articles (general scholarly search).

Best for:

  • Technical research
  • Literature review and citations

Example prompts:

  • SearchScholar: geothermal power plant design guidelines
  • SearchScholar: provide engineering research references for tunnel boring best practices
  • SearchScholar: recent advances in green building materials for data centers


4. Entity Tools (Organizations, Agencies & Networks)

These tools work with entities: companies, agencies, funds, etc.

4.1 Entity get associated contacts

Alias: EntityGetContacts

What it does:

Get contacts associated with an entity (where available).

Best for:

  • Finding relevant people to talk to at agencies or firms

Example prompts:

  • EntityGetContacts: find me contacts associated with TxDOT


4.2 Entity get details

Alias: EntityGetDetails

What it does:

Retrieve a structured profile of an entity using Taiyō’s Entity DataMesh plus sources like Wikidata, Wikipedia, Bloomberg, LinkedIn, etc.

Best for:

  • Quick deep dives on contractors, EPCs, investors, funds, government agencies

Example prompts:

  • EntityGetDetails: tell me details about Bechtel
  • EntityGetDetails: find top EPCs in EU and get me their details


4.3 Entity get associated entities

Alias: EntityGetAssociatedEntities

What it does:

Get entities linked to a given entity via projects, contracts, or relationships.

Best for:

  • Ecosystem mapping
  • Partner / competitor networks

Example prompts:

  • EntityGetAssociatedEntities: what entities has AECOM been involved with?
  • EntityGetAssociatedEntities: who are the top companies FDOT has been working with?


5. SEC Filings Tools (Financial & Regulatory Disclosures)

These tools search formal financial filings.

Alias: SecEdgarSearch

What it does:

Search filings submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) via EDGAR.

Best for:

  • Fundraising, new funds, infrastructure strategies
  • Deal disclosures and risk factors

Example prompts:

  • SecEdgarSearch: has Blackstone filed new infrastructure fund disclosures in 2024?
  • SecEdgarSearch: scan for REITs invested in logistics infrastructure Q3 2025
  • SecEdgarSearch: M&A filings for water asset privatizations in US Midwest 2024


Alias: FcaNsmSearch

What it does:

Search filings on the UK FCA NSM (Financial Conduct Authority).

Best for:

  • UK-based infrastructure funds and debt vehicles

Example prompts:

  • FcaNsmSearch: FCA filings for infrastructure debt funds in UK 2024


6. Risk Tools (Macro & Risk Indicators)

6.1 Get Taiyō risk data

Alias: GetTaiyoRiskData

What it does:

Get risk data on topics like tariffs, PPI, CPI, labor, and major events affecting infrastructure.

Best for:

  • Pricing and escalation assumptions
  • Macro risk context for projects and portfolios

Example prompts:

  • GetTaiyoRiskData: analyze PPI trend for construction materials in New York State
  • GetTaiyoRiskData: summarize recent storm events impacting Gulf Coast port assets
  • GetTaiyoRiskData: US import tariff rates for steel rebar in 2024


7. DataQnA Tools (Internal Reports & Documents)

7.1 QnA internal data

Alias: QnaInternalData

What it does:

Analyze infrastructure industry reports stored in Taiyō’s internal library (e.g., PJM, IEA, etc.).

Best for:

  • Extracting insights from long technical reports
  • Quickly understanding methodologies and key findings

Example prompts:

  • QnaInternalData: what are findings from PJM long term load forecasting report?
  • QnaInternalData: can you provide a brief overview of PJM's methodology for long-term load forecasting?
  • QnaInternalData: what are the findings from IEA for global electricity market in 2025?


8. Browsing Tools (Live Web & URL Analysis)

8.1 Browse web

Alias: BrowseWeb

What it does:

Browse the web in real time (news sites, corporate pages, etc.) and synthesize findings.

Best for:

  • Staying current on project announcements
  • Scanning industry developments and company news

Example prompts:

  • BrowseWeb: browse global construction industry developments from major sources like ENR, Construction Week, and Infrastructure Journal
  • BrowseWeb: browse through the ‘News’ section of Larsen & Toubro, GMR, or Afcons Infrastructure corporate websites and summarize any new project announcements


8.2 Analyze URL

Alias: AnalyzeUrl

What it does:

Read and analyze the content of a specific webpage.

Best for:

  • Quickly understanding dashboards and performance pages
  • Turning website content into structured insight

Example prompts:


9.1 GEE timeseries data

Alias: GeeTimeseriesData

What it does:

Use Google Earth Engine to get satellite imagery–based time series (e.g., NDVI, flood risk).

Best for:

  • Land use change
  • Environmental / climate risk around infrastructure

Example prompts:

  • GeeTimeseriesData: Earth Engine NDVI deviation around Houston port (2010-2025)
  • GeeTimeseriesData: how has vegetation cover changed along the Delhi-Mumbai corridor in past 5 years?
  • GeeTimeseriesData: what is the flood risk trend near Jakarta's airport since 2000?


10. ConstructChat Specialized Tools (Project Deep Dives & Bonds)

These are specialized workflows built right into ConstructChat.

10.1 Project research detailed

Alias: ProjectResearchDetailed

What it does:

Conduct a detailed research report on a specific project.

Best for:

  • Board / IC memos
  • Deep-dive project assessments

Example prompts:

  • ProjectResearchDetailed: give me a detailed research report on Hudson Tunnel project
  • ProjectResearchDetailed: I want a detailed research report on K Line Northern Extension


10.2 Project research basic

Alias: ProjectResearchBasic

What it does:

Do a quick research and analysis on a project (shorter, faster than detailed).

Best for:

  • Initial screening
  • Quick internal notes

Example prompts:

  • ProjectResearchBasic: do a research about the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project


10.3 Analyze PDF

Alias: AnalyzePdf

What it does:

Analyze a PDF from a URL and summarize or extract relevant information.

Best for:

  • Long technical / policy documents hosted online
  • Turning PDF content into concise insights

Example prompts:


10.4 Get municipal bonds

Alias: GetMunicipalBonds

What it does:

Retrieve data on municipal bonds, trades, issuers, and market activity from EMMA (MSRB).

Best for:

  • Understanding muni market activity around infrastructure
  • Screening bonds by activity or recency

Example prompts:

  • GetMunicipalBonds: fetch data for the most actively traded municipal bonds
  • GetMunicipalBonds: give me latest municipal bonds from emma.msrb.org
  • GetMunicipalBonds: which municipal bonds had the highest trade volume this week?


11. What are agents?

While tools perform single, focused actions, an agent is a multi-step workflow that orchestrates several tools to deliver a richer outcome.

For example, a “Market Report Generator” agent might:

  1. Use CanvasSearch to pull relevant projects
  2. Use CanvasMarketBreakdown to compute market share
  3. Use SearchNews to add recent developments
  4. Compile all of this into a structured report (text + tables)

Similarly, a “RiskSense”-type agent might:

  • Combine GetTaiyoRiskData, SearchNews, and GeeTimeseriesData
  • Produce an integrated view of policy, macro, and climate risks for a region or sector.

As we expand the Tools & Agents Marketplace, you’ll see:

  • A catalog of available agents
  • Clear descriptions of what each agent does
  • Example prompts you can use to trigger them (or you can just describe your goal in natural language and let ConstructChat choose).


12. How to use tools and agents in practice

  • Start with plain English:“Give me a list of PPP road projects in Texas and summarize the main contractors and agencies involved.”

ConstructChat will decide which tools to use.

  • If you want more control, call a tool by alias:CanvasSearch: PPP road projects in Texas since 2020 above $50m
  • For more complex tasks (like full market reports or risk scans), describe the end result you want (e.g., “a 2-page briefing for our COO”), and ConstructChat may route through an agent that chains multiple tools behind the scenes.

If you’re ever unsure which tool to use, just ask:

“Which tools would you use to answer this question, and why?”

ConstructChat can explain which tools it plans to call and how they help.

Updated on: 25/11/2025

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