Fire & Safety · Pre-sales & tendering

Price the tender. Review the quotation.

Measure quantities, build the estimate and prepare the quotation with linked drawing and supplier evidence. Your estimators and commercial approvers review the offer before issue.

Each capability runs standalone Uploads or manual entry Internal costs never reach the customer
Harbourview Mixed Use CentreSprinkler + fire alarm tender · Drawing set Rev B
Awaiting approver sign-off
  1. Quantity take-offScale verified on 18 sheets · counts confirmed
    Approved
  2. Bill of materials release1 duplicate count open · 212 of 214 lines confirmed
    Sign-off
  3. Cost and labor
    build-up    Supplier rates mapped · labor check running
    Working
  4. Commercial approvalWaits for the costed estimate
    Queued
  5. Customer quotationScope, exclusions and terms for the client
    Queued
FP-104/105 overlap · awaiting estimator disposition
Exception · Possible double countCritical

Same sprinkler group appears on two overlapping sheets

FP-104 · Rev B24 sidewall heads counted in grid C/4 to C/7.
FP-105 · Rev BThe match line repeats the same 24 heads.
Owner: EstimatorNot merged until confirmed
Lines with a priced source198 / 214
Open exceptions before issue3
Who uses it
Estimators, quantity surveyors, sales leads and commercial managers
Lifecycle stage
Pre-Sales / Tendering, also early design costing
Works from
Your drawings, price lists, supplier quotes and templates
Sign-off
A named approver releases every estimate and quotation
What changes

Why tender pricing is hard to trust today

Counts live in marked-up PDFs, rates in spreadsheets and the offer in a word processor. Each copy between them is a chance to drop a line, double a count or expose an internal cost.

TodayValue leaks out at every handoff
  1. DrawingsScale assumed, not checked
  2. QuantitiesMatch-line heads counted twice
  3. Bill of materialsUnknown symbols quietly dropped
  4. EstimateLabor allowance
    missed
  5. QuotationCost rows pasted into the offer
With the use caseEvery handoff is checked before it moves on
  1. DrawingsScale verified on every sheet
  2. QuantitiesOverlaps held for estimator review
  3. Bill of materialsUnclassified symbols kept visible
  4. EstimateMissing cost components flagged
  5. QuotationClient PDF built without costs
TaskTodayWith this use case
Measuring quantitiesEstimators count symbols and run lengths by hand, then count again when a sheet is revised.Scale is verified per sheet, symbols and pipe runs are detected on overlays and the estimator confirms each count with the drawing beside it.
Duplicates and omissionsA device on a match line is counted twice, or a symbol outside the legend is missed.Overlaps at sheet boundaries and unclassified symbols go to a review queue before the BOM is released.
Pricing the BOMRates are copied from old spreadsheets with no record of the source or its validity date.Every priced line links to a price list, supplier quote or manual entry with its effective date and currency.
Labor and allowancesMissing labor, testing or access allowances surface after the tender has gone.Missing cost components and unusual rate changes are flagged for the estimator to fill or justify.
Writing the offerScope and exclusions are retyped into a template and drift from the approved estimate.Scope is drafted from approved notes, totals are checked against the estimate and internal costs stay out of the client PDF.
A drawing revision landsThe whole take-off is recounted and the estimate is rebuilt by hand.The approved take-off stays intact, changes are compared and only affected lines go back for review.
What it does

Three capabilities, one traceable tender

Start with the step that slows your tenders most. Each capability works on its own uploads, and each passes approved data to the next when you connect them.

Take-offEstimator + technical approver

Measure drawings once, with every count traced to its sheet

Calibrate each drawing, map your legend to item codes and review detected symbols and pipe runs on overlays before releasing a BOM by sheet, zone and system.

AI suggests

  • Device symbols, pipe segments and annotated sizes
  • Unclassified symbols and uncertain areas
  • Likely duplicates at sheet boundaries

Rules automate

  • Scale calibration and measurement formulas
  • Deduplication and item coding
  • BOM roll-up and revision comparison

Your estimators decide

  • Confirm the scale on each sheet
  • Accept, correct or exclude each count
  • Approver releases the BOM revision
FP-101 scale checked against a 12 m grid dimension confirmed
FP-104/105 24 heads repeated across the match line review
symbol S-17 not in legend, held out of the BOM classify
What you get

Bill of materials by sheet, zone and system with count or length basis, exclusions, drawing markers and review status.

Workflow

One traceable tender, from first drawing to issued offer

Automated steps prepare the evidence. People make the calls. Work cannot move past a gate while a critical exception is open.

  1. Register the tender

    Register tender drawings, legends and measurement rules.

    AutomatedEstimator

  2. Measure and count

    Verify scale, review detected symbols and runs, and resolve duplicates.

    AutomatedEstimator

  3. Release reviewed BOM

    Freeze the take-off and release quantities by zone and system.

    Approval gateApprover

  4. Build up sourced costs

    Map lines to sourced rates, build up labor and fill flagged gaps.

    Estimator

  5. Approve the estimate

    Review margin, allowances and risk, then lock the estimate.

    Approval gateManager

  6. Draft the client offer

    Draft scope, exclusions and terms from the approved estimate.

    AutomatedSales lead

  7. Issue the quotation

    Check totals and terms, then issue the versioned client PDF.

    Approval gateApprover
Prepared or reviewed stepApproval gate with named sign-off
Commercial control

What your customer sees, and what stays inside

Your cost build-up and your offer come from the same approved numbers, but only one of them leaves the building.

Internal estimate E-07Stays internal
Supplier quote, pump setQuote Rev 2 · rate and discount
Installation laborHours, crew rates and productivity
Risk allowance and marginApproved by the commercial manager
Approved line valuesSprinkler and fire alarm systems
Commercial approval
Only approved line values cross into the offer
Quotation Q-1042 · Rev 0Customer copy
Scope of worksWet sprinkler and fire alarm, basement and podium
Line valuesTwo systems, supply and install
ExclusionsPermit and authority fees added at review
Validity30 days from issue, reminder set
Issued after named sign-off
At a glance

What goes in, what comes out

Everything you bring flows through one controlled use case. Hover or tap an input to see which outputs it feeds.

You bring

Tender drawingsScaled PDF fire drawings or schedules; DWG or IFC where validated
Legend and measurement rulesSymbol legend, zones, floors and counting rules
Price lists and supplier quotesApproved rates with validity dates and currency
Labor and commercial
inputsProductivity, wage rates, tax and margin assumptions
Customer details and templatesScope notes, company templates, terms and validity
The use case Pre-Sales, Estimating & Commercial Quotation
  • Quantity take-off & BOM
  • Estimation & costing
  • Customer-ready quotations
3 approval gatesFull audit trail

You get

Bill of materialsBy sheet, zone and system, with drawing markers
Internal cost estimateRate sources, labor build-up, allowances and approvals
Customer quotationScope, exclusions, terms and validity, without internal costs
Exception and decision logEvery correction, override and reason, with its owner
Issue historyVersioned take-off, estimate and quotation revisions
Who it is for

Built around the people who price and sign the offer

Each role sees the evidence it needs and approves only what it is authorized to approve.

Measures

Estimator / quantity surveyor

Verifies scale, confirms counts and resolves duplicates with the drawing on screen.

Prices

Cost estimator

Maps lines to sourced rates, builds up labor and justifies every override.

Approves

Commercial manager

Reviews margin, allowances and risk, then locks the internal estimate.

Offers

Sales lead

Drafts scope and exclusions from approved notes and issues the quotation.

Checks

Technical approver

Confirms material quantities and technical assumptions before release.

Tracks

Bid manager

Sees open exceptions, owners and due dates across live tenders.

Designed for

Specialist fire contractorsMEP contractorsDesign and build contractorsFire protection consultantsMulti-location service providersTeams bidding in several regions
Scope & limits

What this software will not do

A tender commits your business to a price and a scope. Every number and every commitment in the use case stays with a named person, on the record.

How every output moves from AI suggestion to an issued record

  1. AI analysisAutomated
  2. Draft quantities and ratesMarked as draft
  3. Estimator reviewAccept, correct or exclude
  4. Commercial approvalWhere configured
  5. Controlled quotationVersioned snapshot
  6. Audit trailWho, what, when, why

It does not set your prices

It reads quotes and flags gaps and unusual changes. Your estimators choose every rate and your managers approve the margin.

Internal costs stay internal

Customer quotations exclude internal cost build-up, supplier rates and margin rows from the issued document.

Nothing is issued without a named approver

AI output stays marked as draft. An open critical exception, such as an unresolved double count, blocks release.

It does not guess quantities

Raster distortion, hidden layers and fittings not shown on the drawing are flagged for manual checks, not filled in.

It does not add commitments on its own

AI-drafted scope is checked against approved notes. Binding terms always need commercial approval.

Your rates, not ours

Historical costs may not suit local labor or exchange conditions. Effective dates, currency and overrides stay visible.

Standalone first

Each capability runs on its own uploads and manual entries. No other module is a prerequisite.

Connects when you are ready

Optional links to CAD/BIM, ERP, CRM and document systems, each with mapped fields and agreed data ownership.

Your data stays yours

Separate tenants and projects, role-based access and encryption at rest and in transit. Model training requires written permission.

Example project

A ten-minute walkthrough of Harbourview

Take-off3 min BOM1.5 min Costing2.5 min Quotation1.5 min Approval1.5 min
Demo scenario · sample project

A sprinkler and fire alarm tender for a mixed-use center

The walkthrough follows one tender from drawing to issued quotation through all three capabilities and shows how each price traces back to its source.

Drawing setRevision B
SystemsSprinkler + alarm
Exceptions shown4
Sign-offs3 gates

  1. Open the tender at Revision B

    The source register shows the drawing set, legend and measurement rules, and who uploaded each one.

    Quantity take-off

  2. Verify scale and review the counts

    The estimator checks scale against a grid dimension, accepts the sprinkler counts and corrects one repeated symbol.

    Quantity take-off

  3. Release the bill of materials

    The double count on the match line is merged with a reason and the zone-wise BOM is released.

    Quantity take-off Approval gate

  4. Compare supplier rates

    A pump set rate change against the earlier quote is flagged, and the estimator records which rate applies.

    Estimation & costing

  5. Fill a missing labor allowance

    Installation labor for the riser zones is missing. The estimator adds a justified value and sends the estimate for approval.

    Estimation & costing

  6. Draft the quotation and add an exclusion

    The reviewer spots a missing exclusion for permit fees and adds it before the preview.

    Customer quotations

  7. Approve and issue the quotation

    The commercial approver signs, and the client PDF is issued with its issue history and without internal cost rows.

    Approval gate
Pilot evaluation

Agree the measures before the pilot

We agree a baseline with you first, then compare. We do not promise a number before your own data shows it.

  1. 1
    Agree a baselineYour current process, measured the same way
  2. 2
    Run the pilotOne system type on a set of live tenders
  3. 3
    Compare on your dataSame measures, same denominator, reported openly

Take-off turnaround

Working time from registered drawings to a released, reviewed BOM.

Quantity accuracy

Reviewed quantity variance against an independent control count.

Priced lines with a source

Share of estimate lines linked to a valid rate, quote or justified override.

Approval cycle time

Time from estimate ready to approval, and from offer draft to issue.

Post-issue corrections

Issued quotes revised for scope, exclusions or total errors.

A first pilot validates one system type on a set of live tenders before wider claims.

Getting started

Define a pilot with your team

  1. Review the requirements

    We send the consolidated requirements for the use case and its three capabilities.

  2. Review the workflow example

    Review the example workflow, its records and approval points with your team.

  3. Confirm the project scope

    We map your systems, tender volumes and the capability to start with.

  4. Define the pilot scope

    Your legends, rate sources, templates, approvers and sample tenders define the pilot.

  5. Pilot

    Evaluate against your baseline

    One system type on a set of live tenders, measured on the agreed pilot measures.

Continue exploring

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FAQ

How does the workflow turn a tender into a quotation?

It links quantities from drawings to a bill of materials, approved rates and an internal estimate, then prepares a customer quotation from the approved commercial values.

Can we use an existing bill of materials or estimate?

You can start from quantities measured elsewhere or an estimate prepared in your own tools. The scope can cover a single stage or the complete take-off, estimate and quotation workflow.

Who selects rates and approves the offer?

Your estimators select and review rates. A designated commercial approver reviews the estimate and quotation before issue.

How are automated quantities checked?

Review counts on the drawing overlay and resolve uncertain symbols before accepting the bill of materials. Evaluate the pilot against an independent control count.

What happens when tender drawings change?

The approved take-off and estimate remain intact. Revision differences identify affected quantities and pricing lines for review before a revised offer is issued.

Which values belong in the customer quotation?

The quotation uses approved customer-facing line values. Internal supplier rates, cost build-up and margin belong in the internal estimating record.