About the documents
- Does it read the specification, or only the drawings?
- Can it take a full Project Manual, or must I cut out my section?
- Does it read scanned sheets?
- Does it apply addenda?
About the answers
- Does every quantity link to the sheet or the spec text it came from?
- What does it do when it cannot read a sheet?
- Does it mark the lines it is not sure of?
- Does it flag conflicts between the spec and the drawings?
- Can I correct a line, and is the correction saved with my name?
About your trade
- Which trades are live today, not planned?
- Can I see a finished job in my trade?
- Can it learn my company's rules, and do those rules stay with my company?
About your files and the price
- Where are my files stored, and who can open them?
- Are my documents used to train AI models?
- Can I delete a job and its documents?
- Is the price per seat, per job or per page?
- What export formats does it make?
- Who do I contact when a job fails the night before a bid?
The test that matters
Ask to run a bid packet you already bid. A demo on the vendor's sample job shows the best case. Your own job shows the real case. Compare the result with your takeoff line by line.
Be careful with any accuracy number. Ask which jobs it came from and how the vendor scored it. If the vendor cannot say, ignore the number.
Write the answers down. Ask for the answers about your files in writing. A clear vendor answers these questions fast. A slow or vague answer is also an answer.
AI and takeoff software · Updated 11 Nov 2026