PlanRadar, a leading platform for digital documentation, communication and reporting in construction and real estate projects, has highlighted key project delivery risks facing construction teams as activity across the UAE continues to grow.

PlanRadar’s Construction Survey Report 2026: Managing Project Changes in the Age of AI surveyed 1,728 construction professionals responsible for on-time and on-budget delivery across 14 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The findings were also explored in PlanRadar’s webinar, Managing Mid-Project Changes in the Age of AI.

The research comes as UAE construction output is projected to reach US$130.8 billion by 2029, up from a record US$107.2 billion in 2024, according to Knight Frank. As project volumes and stakeholder complexity increase, the ability to manage changes, approvals and project records efficiently will remain central to delivery performance.

One of the clearest concerns identified in PlanRadar’s research is the impact of delayed approvals and slow responses. These were the most common pain points reported in the management of mid-project changes, including RFIs, change orders and variation requests. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said approvals are often received after agreed timeframes, while one in four estimated that delayed approvals typically add more than a month to project timelines.

Among teams where approvals are almost always late, month-long project delays were more than twice as likely as among those where late approvals are rare.

Ibrahim Imam, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of PlanRadar, said: “In a market delivering projects at the UAE’s current pace, small delays in decision-making can quickly become much larger delivery problems. Going into 2027, companies need clearer ownership, predefined approval routes and faster access to the information decision-makers need. The aim is not to eliminate change—change is inevitable—but to ensure every change is visible, traceable and acted on before it affects programme or cost.”

PlanRadar’s findings also show the financial impact of unmanaged changes. Two in three respondents said that mid-project changes lead to budget overruns in many or most of their projects. However, the research indicates that stronger process control can improve outcomes: four in five respondents using a central digital tool to track changes reported an improved ability to control costs or protect project margins.

Information fragmentation is another challenge. Nearly eight in ten respondents said that at least half of their project documentation is spread across unconsolidated channels, including emails, messages, phone calls and verbal instructions. Among those who could easily locate documentation, 70% felt confident that their records clearly showed responsibility for delays and cost impacts—double the proportion among those who found documentation difficult to locate.

Administrative workload compounds these pressures. Nearly half of respondents reported spending 11 or more hours each week on administrative tasks. Among those using a central digital tool with integrated AI functionality, two in three said they save at least two hours per week, per project, on administration and coordination.

Andrey Belogortsev, Regional Manager for MENA and APAC at PlanRadar, said: “The immediate opportunity for construction teams is to build reliable, connected workflows around the information already being generated on site. When changes, approvals and supporting evidence are captured in one accessible record, teams can identify issues earlier, engage the right people faster and maintain accountability throughout the project lifecycle.”

“AI can add real value when it is applied to repetitive, time-consuming work within those controlled workflows. It should support professional judgement—not replace it—by giving project teams more time to focus on decisions, risks and exceptions that require their expertise.”

The survey found that 58% of respondents believe AI can reduce workload across their biggest day-to-day challenges, while 65% believe it can streamline major administrative tasks.

Building on this need, PlanRadar has introduced AI Agents, allowing customers to create agents in plain language or use ready-made options to complete defined actions. Each action is logged, attributed and limited to the permissions of the user who created the agent, enabling teams to automate routine work while retaining oversight and control.

PNY Technologies announced its participation in the Dubai AI Festival, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on October 26–27.

PNY is hosting the space alongside regional partners Infiniarc and Kerno to run its heaviest enterprise infrastructure live. The display will feature two systems configured for server and workstation environments:

1. 1. PNY NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition, integrated into a server system presented with Kerno.
2. 2. A professional AI workstation powered by NVIDIA RTX PRO GPU, presented with Infiniarc.

The showcase provides a practical view of PNY’s professional GPU technology in operation and the raw performance available for organizations building localized software.

By joining the Dubai AI Festival, PNY aims to engage directly with enterprises, technology professionals, and the wider regional ecosystem to discuss the hardware requirements needed for real-world deployment.

The PNY team, represented on-site by Abdulkader MANDO will be available throughout the two-days event to meet with visitors, discuss upcoming projects, and provide a closer look at the systems on display.

StarLink, an Infinigate Group company, a leader in the MEA distribution space as a Trusted Digital Advisor announced expansion of their IBM distribution footprint into the Levant (Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine), extending the success of an already established collaboration across key markets in Levant.

As organizations across the Levant accelerate digital transformation, modernize applications and infrastructure, and explore enterprise AI, this expansion will enable local partners to access IBM’s technology portfolio of AI, automation, data, application integration, observability, storage and hybrid infrastructure technologies alongside StarLink’s dedicated regional sales and technical expertise.

Bringing IBM innovation closer to Levant customers

IBM’s high-growth technology portfolio spans Data and Agentic AI, Automation, Application Integration, HashiCorp, Observability, Storage and Hybrid Infrastructure. These technologies can help organizations address some of their most pressing digital priorities – from modernizing applications and automating IT operations to strengthening cyber resilience, optimizing infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of AI.

The portfolio presents significant opportunities across key industries in the Levant, including government and public sector, financial services, telecommunications, energy, utilities and large enterprises.

By offering these capabilities to local partners and customers, StarLink aims to help organizations build more agile, intelligent and resilient digital environments.

A Partner-first model built for growth

StarLink’s channel execution capabilities and deep regional partner relationships are a differentiator alongside their dedicated IBM-focused engine to support partners across Software, Hardware and Services while providing access to dedicated technical expertise, professional services, training and marketing investments. This model is designed to give partners the resources and expertise they need to identify new opportunities, develop customized solutions and accelerate customer engagements.

“The expansion of our IBM distribution footprint into the Levant is a natural progression of our successful relationship,” said Ahmed Diab, COO, StarLink. “The Levant presents a significant growth opportunity as organizations accelerate their adoption of AI, automation, application modernization, and hybrid infrastructure. IBM’s strong integration across AI, applications, data, automation, infrastructure, and observability also aligns exceptionally well with StarLink’s broader technology portfolio. By bringing these capabilities together, we can help our partners address evolving enterprise needs with a more integrated technology strategy. We are confident this expansion will unlock new opportunities, strengthen our partner ecosystem, and generate a strong pipeline for the Levant.”

StarLink will focus on building the foundations for long-term growth across the Levant channel community with partner recruitment and onboarding, IBM portfolio enablement, supported by sales and technical training.