Callum Cryans on Making Contract Review Accessible to Subcontractors
In a feature published by ConsultANZ Recruitment, Callum Cryans set out a case for how artificial intelligence can widen access to a corner of construction that has long been the preserve of larger…
In a feature published by ConsultANZ Recruitment, Callum Cryans set out a case for how artificial intelligence can widen access to a corner of construction that has long been the preserve of larger contractors: expert contract review and risk identification.
Callum is the Director and founder of CMC Contracts, an Australian commercial construction services business he established in May 2025 to provide senior-level commercial management to civil infrastructure and building contractors without the overhead of an in-house team. His perspective is grounded in a career that began in South Africa, where he qualified as a Quantity Surveyor after obtaining a BTech in Quantity Surveying and worked for eight years. After moving to Australia in 2017, he joined the NorthConnex tunnelling project in Sydney as a Contract Administrator, later working across roads, rail, building and water infrastructure projects with Tier 1 contractors.
In the piece, Callum describes contract administrators and quantity surveyors as essentially the financial and legal gatekeepers on a construction site, distinguishing the office-based CA role from the more site-based QS role. That distinction sits at the heart of his argument. He believes AI-powered contract review makes the kind of expert contract analysis and risk identification that smaller subcontractors traditionally could not access far more attainable.
Callum advocates a hybrid model that combines AI with senior commercial expertise, and he argues this pairing could improve the financial health of subcontractors across the industry. The approach reflects the tools he has built in practice, including CAAi, an AI-native platform that productises commercial management workflows such as drafting notices, tracking variations and preparing payment claims.
The ConsultANZ feature positions Callum's thinking within a clear focus: helping smaller players in Australian construction manage the contractual risk that can determine whether a project leaves them better or worse off. It is an opportunity he frames around access, putting senior-level commercial judgement within reach of businesses that have historically had to go without it.