Blueprints read and turned into first-draft takeoffs

Situation

Preparing a takeoff is one of the most time-consuming steps in bidding a commercial job. Before each bid, the estimator read every drawing sheet and specification section to write the takeoff line items. When subcontractor bids arrived, each one was read against the scope of work to compare them. Questions during bidding meant searching the drawings and specifications again.

Solution

A web application reads a job's blueprints and specifications and handles each of those tasks.

• Takeoffs. The contractor uploads a job's drawings and specifications and receives a first-draft quantity takeoff organized by CSI division. Each line uses the exact wording of the drawings, with sheet and keynote references. A checklist covers general items such as permits, insurance, dumpsters, cleanup and safety.
• Subcontractor reports. For each trade, the application compares the bids line by line against the estimator's scope, flags possible omissions and groups quotes from each bid by topic.
• Job questions. The application answers questions with exact quotes and the sheet or section number, and it says so when the answer is not in the documents.

Design decisions

Every draft quotes the documents, so the estimator can check it quickly, and the takeoff remains a first draft for the estimator to correct. Numbered keynotes drive a takeoff, so the application keeps each note attached to its number.

For counting fixtures and devices, Jeff Hunt built a separate counter that uses no AI. The estimator clicks one light fixture or outlet symbol, and the counter finds every match on the sheet from the exact geometry of the drawing.

Outcome

The estimator starts each bid from a first-draft takeoff built from the blueprints themselves, instead of writing every line by hand. Subcontractor bids are compared line by line, and questions about the job are answered with exact references. Every line and answer points to its place in the drawings or specifications.