AI for cost estimating
Give it the drawings, specs and quotes in your estimating folder, or the BOMs and routings behind a part quote. It hands back takeoffs, priced estimates, leveled bid tabs and should-cost models, each number with its source.
Concrete-takeoff-div03.xlsxExample| Code | Item | Sheet | Qty (CY) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 30 00.10 | Wall footings, 3'-0" x 1'-0" | S-111 | 126.7 | 1,140 LF of continuous footings at 3 CF per foot, spot-counted on the foundation plan. |
| 03 30 00.11 | Column pads, 5'-0" x 5'-0" x 1'-0" | S-111 | 22.2 | 24 pads at 25 CF, taken off the pre-addendum S-111. |
| 03 30 00.20 | Foundation walls, 12", avg 8'-6" | S-121, S-122 | 119.6 | 380 LF at 1'-0" thick, with the average height taken from section S-122. |
| 03 30 00.30 | Slab-on-grade, 6", 18,390 SF | S-131 | 340.6 | Gross plan area 19,200 SF at 6 inches, less the 810 SF dock slab Rev C deleted. |
| 03 30 00.40 | Grade beams, 1'-6" x 1'-6" | S-123 | 31.7 | 380 LF measured between pad faces, trimmed back at the stair core crossing. |
NoteRe-take the pad row from S-111 Rev C, which shows 26 pads at the service yard, and carry 24.1 CY.
Ask it for
“Take off footings, foundation walls and slab-on-grade from sheets S-101–S-131 in CY on Division 03 codes, and cite the sheet for each quantity.”
Concrete-takeoff-div03.xlsx“Price my drywall and framing takeoff from our rate tables, carry both suppliers’ board and stud quotes, and total the bid with 6.5% overhead and 4% fee.”
Bid-estimate-v1.xlsx“Write the basis of estimate for the Class 3 lab renovation, with sections for scope, pricing basis, allowances, exclusions and the record of documents used.”
BOE-lab-renovation.docx“Level the five drywall bids against our scope sheet: base bid, inclusions, exclusions, alternates and unit prices for each bidder, and price every gap.”
Drywall-bid-tab.xlsx“Build a should-cost for the 17-4PH pump shaft from the BOM and routing. Cover bar stock, six operations, machine rates, scrap credit and margin at 2,500 pieces.”
Pump-shaft-should-cost.xlsx“Compare making the sensor enclosure in-house at 1,200 units a month against the two supplier quotes, including tooling amortization and inbound freight.”
Enclosure-make-vs-buy.xlsx
Inside the Cost Estimating mode
Construction cost estimating
Builds the takeoff and priced estimate on your cost codes from drawings, specs and addenda, and writes the basis of estimate with its allowances and exclusions.
Should-cost model
Rebuilds what a part should cost from the BOM, routing hours, tooling, scrap and your labor and machine rates, so the gap to a quote points at a named driver.
Bid tabulation and leveling
Puts every sub bid on one scope sheet with inclusions, exclusions, alternates and unit prices beside the number, and prices each gap before you award.
Business case and capital allocation
Builds the make-versus-buy workbook, NPV and payback behind a capital request, with each input tied to the quote or history it came from.
- Office skills
- Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PDF
- Tools
- Read, edit and write files, Search files, Run code, Search and read the web, View images
- Connectors
- SharePoint, Google Drive, Gmail, and additional custom connectors
- House style
- Your fonts, layouts and rules, on every file
How it works
- 1
Open the estimating folder
The folder holds the ITB, the drawings, specs and addenda, the geotech report, the subcontractor and supplier quotes, your rate tables, last year’s estimates and the basis-of-estimate template your chief estimator expects.
- 2
Ask for the next deliverable
Ask it to price the drywall package, level five sub bids or quote a turned part. What comes back is Excel with live formulas, or Word for the basis of estimate, with sources on the numbers and notes on anything it could not reconcile.
- 3
Check it the way you check subs
Spot-count the takeoff against the drawings, and read every exclusion before you accept a low number. You set the markups and contingency yourself, and you decide what goes on the bid form.
Who it’s for
Construction estimators and preconstruction teams, and manufacturing estimators and quoting engineers.
Questions
Can it take off quantities from our drawings?
Yes, it reads the PDFs and scans in the folder and drafts a first-pass takeoff, counting symbols and measuring runs where the print is readable. Every quantity cites its sheet, and anything it could not measure or reconcile is flagged, not filled in. You run the checking pass before anything is priced, the same one you run on a junior estimator’s takeoff.
Where do the unit prices come from?
They come from the cost data you put in the folder: your rate tables, the subcontractor and supplier quotes, and past estimates, plus web pages you allow it to read. Each price points to its source, and a line with no basis behind it comes back marked as unreconciled. If you price from RSMeans or a supplier portal, put the line items you need in the folder the same way.
Does it work to AACE classes like Class 3?
Yes, the estimating skill matches the class, escalation and contingency to design maturity, which is how AACE 18R-97 sorts estimates. Thin definition means parametric assemblies and a Class 5 or 4 estimate. Drawings and specs let it run semi-detailed unit costs with assembly line items at Class 3. The class that goes on the cover sheet, and the contingency under it, stay your call as the estimator.
Are our bids, quotes and rates used to train the model?
Paper Instruments does not state it, so ask them first. Ultramarine Work changes files only in the project’s folder. When a request needs it, it can read files elsewhere on your computer, never passwords, keys or app data, and you can turn that off in settings. The model runs on Paper Instruments’ servers, so the content it works on is sent there to be processed. Paper Instruments is SOC 2 Type II, and our security and compliance details are on our compliance page. Keep the owner-restricted drawings and subcontractor quotes out.
Who is liable if the takeoff or model is wrong?
Your company does, because the bid carries your signature. The early court view is that an AI estimating error gets treated like any other bid mistake, because the tools count as means and methods under your control. That is why every number names its source file, anything it could not reconcile gets a note, and nothing reaches the bid before a person has reviewed every file it touched.