For established US architecture, engineering & construction firms

Your firm’s past projects could be worth more than you think.

AI data buyers license copies of real project records: drawings, models, specs, and the paperwork behind them. Check if your firm qualifies and apply directly with a buyer. Have questions first? Book a free 20-minute call and LicenseMyFiles will tell you plainly if your firm could qualify. You keep your originals. It’s not a sales call, and there’s nothing to buy.

Check if your firm qualifiesHave questions? Book a free 20-minute call

You keep

Your original files. A buyer licenses a copy.

You pay

Nothing. The buyer pays LicenseMyFiles, and only if your firm is accepted.

You send

Nothing to LicenseMyFiles. No files. We never ask for passwords.

The idea

Years of finished work, sitting in storage.

Most established AEC firms hold years of closed projects: drawing sets, models, specs, RFIs, submittals, logs, and closeout packages. Once a job is done, those records mostly sit on a server.

AI companies want real examples of how professional work gets done. Some AI data buyers pay to license a copy of older project records like these. They say they remove personal and sensitive information.

Records buyers often ask about

  • CAD drawings and blueprints
  • BIM models
  • Specs and standards
  • Bids and estimates
  • RFIs, submittals, and change orders
  • Daily logs and safety reports
  • Schedules and punch lists
  • Project closeout documents
  • Internal templates and standards
A records room with labeled archive boxes on steel shelves and gray filing cabinets

Who it’s for

Construction Firms

General contractors, specialty trades, and design-build firms with years of bids, logs, and project records.

See what counts

Engineering firms

Civil, structural, MEP, and other engineering firms with drawings, calculations, specs, and reports.

See what counts

Architecture firms

Architecture and design firms with CAD and BIM files, specs, details, and office standards.

See what counts

Why project work

Why AI companies want real project work.

AI models are now judged on real professional work, including engineering and project management.

How AI gets tested

In September 2025, researchers published GDPval, a 2025 industry benchmark study that tests how well AI models handle real-world work. It covers 44 occupations across the 9 industries that each make up more than 5% of US GDP. Mechanical engineers, industrial engineers, and project management specialists are among those occupations. The tasks were written by professionals with an average of 14 years of experience, based on real work products such as an engineering blueprint.

To get better at work like this, AI companies need real examples of how it’s actually done. That’s why some buyers pay to license copies of real business records.

Source: GDPval, a 2025 industry benchmark study (Sept. 25, 2025)

A public example

In its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, Spirit Airlines offered a de-identified copy of its company data for sale. The package included email, documents, finance records, and revenue-management data. Customer personal data was excluded. At an August 2026 auction, the winning bid was $10 million. Another bidder later filed an offer of $12.5 million.

As of November 1, 2026, the court had not approved a sale. This was one large airline selling its data in bankruptcy. It says nothing about what any AEC firm’s records are worth, and no amount is promised.

Sources: court filings in Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., No. 25-11897 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.): auction results, Dkt. 1463; competing bid, Dkt. 1556; hearing notice, Dkt. 1695.

The offer

Apply directly, or ask first. A straight answer.

A call isn’t required. Your firm can apply directly with a buyer. If you have questions, a free 20-minute phone call gives you the four things below.

What it costs your firm: nothing.

LicenseMyFiles is paid by the AI data buyer, never by your firm, and only if your firm is accepted. We say this up front so you know exactly how this works.

What your firm keeps: its original records. A buyer licenses a copy.

A plain explanation

How licensing a copy of your records works, in everyday words.

A fit check

We compare your firm with what AI data buyers usually look for.

Help applying

If it looks like a fit, Dan points you to the right application link.

A clear no, if that’s the answer

If your firm isn’t a fit, we’ll say so. No pressure, no follow-up campaign.

The process

Three steps. You decide at each one.

Two professionals at a conference table reviewing project documents together
  1. STEP 1

    1. Ask (optional)

    Have questions? Book a free 20-minute phone call. Not a sales call, and nothing to buy. No files needed. We cover what buyers look for and whether it’s worth your time. No questions? Skip to step 2.

  2. STEP 2

    2. Apply

    Your firm applies directly with the buyer through its sign-up link on the /apply page. If you talked with Dan first, he’ll point you to the right one.

  3. STEP 3

    3. Review

    The buyer runs its own review. If they want to move forward, they make an offer. Your firm can say yes or no.

Client rights

Your clients’ rights come first.

Many design and construction contracts give clients ownership or use rights over drawings and project documents. That matters before any copy is licensed, so here is how we approach it.

Your firm’s own records first

LicenseMyFiles focuses on your firm’s own drawings, templates, standards, and project records.

Client material only with permission

Include client-owned or client-confidential material only where your contract allows it or the client gives written permission. Personal information and site-security-sensitive details, such as security systems or critical infrastructure, stay out.

Check with your counsel

Before sharing anything, please check with your own counsel. We don’t give legal advice, and nothing here is a promise of compliance.

Privacy

The work stays. The names don’t.

Buyers want to see how real project work gets done, not who it was done for. Before any records are used, buyers typically replace names, emails, addresses, and other personal details with placeholders.

Original email

Hi Mark, RFI 42 for the Lakeside Dental expansion: the beam at grid C-4 conflicts with the duct run on sheet M-201. Please reply to mark.ellis@lakesidedental.com by April 10. Site gate code is 4417.

After personal details are removed

Hi [NAME], RFI 42 for the [PROJECT] expansion: the beam at grid C-4 conflicts with the duct run on sheet M-201. Please reply to [EMAIL] by [DATE]. [SECURITY DETAIL REMOVED]

What still matters to a buyer is the workflow: the question, the coordination issue, and the deadline. Exact privacy steps are set by each buyer and spelled out in their agreement before anything is shared.

Example only. Names and numbers are made up.

What stays out

  • Client-owned drawings or documents, unless your contract allows it or the client gives written permission
  • Material covered by a confidentiality agreement or contract terms that limit sharing
  • Personal information about clients, staff, and subcontractors
  • Site-security-sensitive details, such as security systems or critical infrastructure
  • Data your firm only licenses from someone else, such as vendor content or paid libraries
  • Passwords, logins, and bank or account numbers

Your firm decides what’s in and what’s out. This isn’t legal advice, so please check with your own counsel.

The criteria

Who is usually a good fit.

These are the things AI data buyers commonly look for. Every firm still goes through the buyer’s own review, and nothing is promised.

CheckWhat buyers usually look for
Type of firmAn established architecture, engineering, or construction firm, including general contractors, specialty contractors, and design-build firms
LocationBased in the United States
SizeAn established firm with about 30 or more people who work in your company’s email and project software. Smaller firms are welcome to ask.
RecordsYears of digital project records: drawings, models, specs, bids, RFIs, submittals, logs, schedules, closeout documents
SoftwareMost everyday design and project software works, so this usually isn’t a hurdle. Common examples: design (AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, MicroStation, SketchUp, ArchiCAD); review and markup (Bluebeam); project management (Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Newforma); scheduling (Primavera P6, Microsoft Project); estimating and accounting (Sage, Viewpoint, Foundation); email and files (Microsoft 365, Outlook, Google Workspace, SharePoint, Dropbox, Egnyte). Other tools are fine too.
LanguageDigital records mostly in English
DecisionSomeone who can decide for the firm applies, or joins the call if you have one
Usually not a fitPaper-only firms, or very new firms without years of digital project records
Download the fit checklist (PDF)

One page. Free, no email needed.

Questions

Straight answers.

Is this really free?

Yes. LicenseMyFiles is paid by the AI data buyer, never by your firm, and only if your firm is accepted. There is nothing to buy.

What records do buyers want?

Usually the everyday records of real project work: CAD drawings, BIM models, specs, bids and estimates, RFIs, submittals, change orders, daily logs, schedules, and closeout documents, plus your internal templates and standards. Each buyer decides what fits.

Do we lose our files?

No. Buyers license a copy. Your firm keeps its originals and keeps using them.

Our clients own some of our drawings. Can we include them?

Only where your contract allows it or the client gives written permission. Many contracts give clients ownership or use rights over drawings and project documents. LicenseMyFiles focuses on your firm’s own drawings, templates, standards, and project records. Please check with your own counsel before sharing anything.

What about personal and site-security details?

Buyers say they remove personal and sensitive information. Details that could affect site security, such as security systems or critical infrastructure, should stay out. Please review any agreement with your own advisors before signing. We don’t give legal advice.

How much could it be worth?

It depends on the buyer’s own review. No amount is promised, and we won’t guess. Any offer comes from the buyer.

What if we’re not a fit?

We’ll tell you plainly. No pressure and no follow-up campaign.

What if our firm closed, merged, or was acquired?

Some buyers also consider records from firms that are no longer operating. You can apply directly, or ask on a call whether yours might qualify.

Do I have to talk to Dan first?

No. A call is optional. Your firm can apply directly with a buyer. If you have questions, book a free 20-minute call first. No files are needed for the call, and we never ask for passwords.

Is LicenseMyFiles the AI company?

No. LicenseMyFiles is an independent referral business. It is not a buyer and does not speak for any buyer. Your firm applies directly with the buyer.

Portrait of Dan Smedstad, founder of LicenseMyFiles

Who you’ll talk to

A note from Dan.

I’m Dan Smedstad, and I’m based in Katy, Texas.

For more than 35 years I’ve worked as a petroleum landman, handling leases and title records in 12 states. That’s why I understand how an owner can license the right to use something without giving up ownership of it.

Licensing a copy of your firm’s records works the same way. Your firm keeps its files. A buyer licenses a copy. I started LicenseMyFiles to help established architecture, engineering, and construction firms find out, plainly and for free, whether their old records could qualify.

Dan Smedstad

Founder, LicenseMyFiles · Katy, Texas

I also publish AdvisorAIStack, which ranks AI tools for professional advisors, and GetToolRank, which covers practical AI tools for small-business owners.

Know a firm?

Know a business that might qualify?

Not a fit yourself, or not interested? If you know an established firm or business that might be, in architecture, engineering, construction, or any other industry, I’d be glad to talk with them. And if you’d like to refer businesses on your own, there’s a simple partner program for that too.

Introduce a businessBecome a referral partner

Ready for a straight answer?

Check if your firm qualifies and apply directly, or book a free 20-minute call if you have questions first. Not a sales call. Nothing to buy. No files needed. We never ask for passwords.

Check if your firm qualifiesHave questions? Book a free 20-minute call

Download the fit checklist (PDF)