AI estimating and takeoff for UK construction
Turn drawings into a priced estimate in a fraction of the time. Automated take-offs, current market rates, and cost risks flagged before you submit - with your estimator checking and signing off every number.
Estimating and takeoff is one part of our AI for construction toolkit - it sits alongside RAMS, snagging and site reporting, so the same project data that prices a job also carries through to delivery.
How we de-risk this: free demo → paid discovery (half up front, half on spec delivery - you own the spec) → then the full build. No black boxes.
The AI stack we build on
£170bn
UK construction output a year
Hours → minutes
Take-off turnaround
Drawings + BoQ
Inputs we work from
Human sign-off
On every estimate
What is AI estimating and takeoff?
AI estimating uses AI agents to do the slow, repetitive parts of pricing a job - measuring quantities from drawings, cross-checking rates, and building a first-pass estimate - so your estimator spends their time on judgement and margin rather than scaling drawings and hunting through rate books. The take-off is the measurement step: turning drawings into the quantities of material and labour a build actually needs.
It is not a black box that fires off a number on its own. Estimates carry real commercial risk, so the value is in the pairing - an agent for measurement, lookups and speed, an estimator for the final call. Priced estimates feed straight into your bid and tender responses, so you can quote more opportunities without more headcount.
From drawings to a defensible price
Purpose-built AI agents for the estimating workflow - take-off, rates, risk and reuse - working alongside your estimator rather than replacing their judgement.
Automated take-offs from drawings
Provide PDF or CAD drawings and the agent measures quantities - areas, lengths and counts - and builds a structured take-off you can check, rather than scaling and counting by hand for hours.
Material & labour cross-referencing
Every measured quantity is cross-referenced against material specifications and labour allowances, so your bill of quantities and resource plan stay aligned instead of living in separate spreadsheets.
Current market rates
Pricing is checked against current market and supplier rates rather than an out-of-date rate book, so your estimate reflects what materials and labour actually cost today, not last year.
Faster tender & bid pricing
Turn drawings into a priced estimate in a fraction of the time, so you can respond to more tenders and get quotes back to clients while the opportunity is still live.
Cost-risk flagging
The agent flags provisional sums, missing information and items that historically cause overruns, so cost risks surface before you submit rather than becoming variations on site.
Historical-project data
Estimates are informed by your own completed jobs - real quantities, wastage and productivity - so allowances are grounded in what your firm actually delivers, not generic benchmarks.
Bring a set of drawings - we’ll run a take-off with you in the demo.
Book demoHow we build your estimating engine
A proven four-step process that turns your drawings, rates and past jobs into a reusable, AI-accelerated system - with your estimator in the loop at every stage.
- 1
Estimating audit
We review how you estimate today - the drawings and information you receive, the software and rate books you rely on, and where estimator time is lost. We import a sample of past estimates and outturn costs to calibrate the system to your firm.
- 2
Build the take-off & pricing agents
We build agents that read your drawings, produce a structured take-off, and price it against current rates and your historical data - wired into your estimating software and document store through governed integrations.
- 3
Estimator review loop
Every estimate passes to your estimator, who checks quantities, adjusts allowances and owns the final number. The agent handles measurement, lookups and cost-risk flagging so expert time goes on judgement and margin.
- 4
Refine on real outcomes
After each job we feed actual quantities and costs back in, tightening the allowances and rates. The system gets more accurate to your firm with every project it sees.
Manual estimating vs AI-assisted estimating
AI does not replace your estimator - it removes the measuring and lookups that stop you pricing more work. Here is how the two approaches compare.
| Task | Manual Estimating | AI-Assisted Estimating |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity take-off | Hours scaling and counting drawings by hand | Auto-measured quantities from drawings in minutes |
| Rates & pricing | Out-of-date rate books and manual lookups | Cross-referenced against current market rates |
| Labour allowances | Estimator's memory and gut feel | Built from your historical project data |
| Cost risk | Spotted late, becomes a variation on site | Flagged up front against the estimate |
| Tender pricing speed | Limits how many bids you can price | Price more tenders without more estimators |
| Consistency | Varies by estimator and by day | Same method every time, fully auditable |
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Frequently asked questions about AI estimating
Bring a set of drawings to your free demo
In a free 30-minute session we'll take a real set of drawings, run an AI take-off, and price a sample against current rates with you - so you can see exactly how much faster your next estimate could be.
- Free demo on your real data - no commitment
- Paid discovery phase - half up front, half on spec delivery. You own the spec.
- Only then do we commit to the full build
Not ready for a call? Tell us where to reach you - we’ll reply with 3 tailored ideas for your business. No follow-up sequence, no spam.