How AI Helps Architects Do Better Due Diligence: Inside the Product Options Report
Architects spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to make sense of building products, sorting what is compliant from what is questionable, what is genuinely suitable from what is merely well marketed. It is an unavoidable part of practice, but it is also one of the most fragmented and risk laden components of our workflow. And in a regulatory environment where product compliance failures keep making news (and insurance brokers keep sending reminders), the stakes have never been higher.
This is precisely the gap the Product Options Report is designed to fill. Generated in less than five minutes by the Spec Rep Help Desk Concierge, it is a surprisingly practical example of how AI can support architectural due diligence without overstepping into decisions that must remain firmly human.
Rather than pretending to choose a product or write a specification, the report handles the heavy lifting. It structures information, surfaces risks, clarifies the NCC context, and helps architects focus their expertise where it matters. Think of it less as AI making choices, and more as AI preventing the mistakes that happen when we are too pressed for time to ask all the right questions.
The real strength of the Product Options Report is not its speed, but its discipline. It follows a consistent, repeatable structure, something most architectural offices attempt to achieve but rarely have the time to maintain.
Let’s break down the key components.
1. Project Context: The Starting Point of All Good Decisions
Before suggesting any product, the report restates the project fundamentals:
building class
project type
key site conditions
performance requirements
any unusual constraints
It is deceptively simple, but essential. Poor product decisions often arise not from lack of knowledge but from incomplete context. The report makes sure every product option is evaluated within the correct regulatory and environmental frame.
2. Category Overview: Getting Everyone on the Same Page
Each building product category, whether glazing, membranes, insulation, claddings or fixings, has its own NCC clauses, standards and common failure points.
The report summarises:
the relevant NCC clauses
required Australian Standards
common compliance risks
installation issues that often cause defects
For example, a roofing systems overview might highlight condensation management obligations, corrosion exposure classifications and the evidence required for wind uplift resistance. A glazing overview might highlight human impact safety requirements, minimum energy performance, frame to glass compatibility and the risks around edge clearances and installation tolerances.
The aim is not to teach architects things they do not know.
It is to ensure nothing gets overlooked when the documentation schedule becomes tight.
This is where AI’s value is clearest, not through intelligence, but through consistency.
3. Product Shortlist: Clickable, Credible, and Anchored in Evidence
This is often the part architects find most valuable.
The report compiles the products explored during your Spec Rep Help Desk session. It is not based on arbitrary AI suggestions. Each shortlisted option includes:
supplier name
a clickable link to the supplier’s website
any CodeMark certificates located during the search
a link to the supplier’s AI Spec Rep, if available
Everything you would normally spend an hour tracking down is gathered in one place. All links take you directly to primary and verifiable sources.
It does not replace due diligence.
It compresses the time required to do it properly.
4. Human Oversight Checklists: The Most Important Part
Each report ends with two checklists designed to support good architectural practice.
A. The general due diligence checklist
This covers universal responsibilities such as:
checking evidence of suitability
confirming CodeMark certificates are current
assessing installation and maintenance risks
reviewing sustainability credentials
B. The category specific checklist
This varies depending on the product type and prompts the architect to check the issues that most often cause failures for that category. These might include:
structural or load requirements
compatibility with adjacent systems
fire performance obligations
exposure or environmental constraints
installation tolerances and sequencing
acceptable variation and appearance expectations
It captures the tacit knowledge an experienced architect would normally run through, made explicit so nothing slips through the cracks.
AI is not replacing judgement here.
It is supporting it.
How to Generate a Product Options Report
(The Whole Process Takes Less Than Five Minutes)
One of the most practical aspects of the Product Options Report is how quick and simple it is to generate.
Step 1 — Use Spec Rep Help Desk to explore a product category.
Describe your project and the product type you are researching.
The concierge will clarify requirements and return a set of relevant product options.
Step 2 — Ask: “Can you prepare a Product Options Report for me?”
You will be prompted to provide an email address so the system can deliver the PDF.
Step 3 — Wait a moment.
Within five minutes, you will receive a 10 page PDF containing:
the project context
the regulatory overview
the product shortlist with clickable links
any CodeMark certificates
evidence of suitability pathways
a category specific due diligence checklist
links to any AI Spec Reps for deep dive questions
Tip:
Check your spam or junk folder the first time in case your email system flags automated attachments.
Why This Matters for Practice
The Product Options Report does not make decisions for architects.
It makes our decisions better informed, better structured, and far less risky.
Less than five minutes of input.
Hours of uncertainty avoided.
And a far stronger foundation for the specifications that follow.
If that is not a worthwhile use of AI in architecture, I am not sure what is.