Find where the spec and the drawings disagree
Takeoff Tool compares your spec section with the plan sheets and flags each conflict before you price: spec'd not drawn, drawn not spec'd, and mismatches.
The problem
The spec is written by one person and the drawings by another. They are checked against each other late, or never.
On a short bid you count the plans and skim the spec. The item the spec required and no sheet showed is the one you pay for after award.
What it does
- 01
Reads your section
It finds your section inside the full Project Manual and lists each item the section requires. - 02
Finds the items on the sheets
It looks for each required item on the plans, elevations, schedules and details. - 03
Flags spec'd but not drawn
The spec requires an item and no sheet shows it. - 04
Flags drawn but not spec'd
A sheet shows an item your section never mentions. - 05
Flags mismatches
The spec names one type, size or mount and the drawings show another. Or two sheets give two counts. - 06
Shows both sources
Each flag opens with the spec text on one side and the sheet on the other.
What you get
- A review queue of conflicts, each with its two sources.
- Your decision on each one: approve, fix the number, or exclude from bid.
- A report that lists the open questions for the architect.
What it does not do
Said plainly, so you can plan around it.
- It does not decide which document governs. The contract decides that.
- It does not guess when a sheet is unclear. It says it could not read the sheet.
Common questions
- Which governs, the spec or the drawings?
- The contract decides. Many contracts set an order of precedence in the general conditions. When the two disagree, ask the architect in writing before you bid. Takeoff Tool shows you the conflict. It does not rule on it.
- What kinds of conflict does it find?
- Items in the spec that are not drawn, items drawn that are not in the spec, type and size mismatches, two sheets with two counts, missing sizes, and items a plan note gives to others.
- What if my packet has no drawings?
- It says so. The takeoff is marked as not checked against drawings, so you know the spec stands alone.