WHY NOW
Why technical requirements deserve closer attention
Three developments determine how much effort a profitable estimate takes today.
Document packages keep growing
Requirements appear not only in the bill of quantities but also in drawings, construction descriptions, and contract documents. There is software for estimating; for capturing those requirements in full, usually there is none.
Price wins the job, completeness carries the risk
Overlooked line items and site conditions erode the margin across the entire construction period. Contradictions between drawings and the specification often surface only on site.
Keep hard-won experience available
Which cost assumptions have proven out and which construction details are critical is knowledge held by experienced estimators. It sits in personal files and leaves the company with the people.
AN ILLUSTRATIVE PROCESS
From project documents to a priced bid
Estimating, the technical departments, and procurement jointly examine which work is required and under what conditions it can be delivered.
Review project documents and decide whether to bid
The bill of quantities, drawings, construction description, and contract documents arrive at the company. Project size, region, schedule, construction methods, and available capacity form the basis for deciding whether to proceed.
Capture scope and special requirements
The line items of the bill of quantities are processed in the estimating software. Additional requirements from drawings, contract documents, and technical descriptions are read separately, marked up, and tracked in spreadsheets.
Resolve contradictions and construction questions
Estimating and the technical departments review quantities, interfaces, construction sequences, and site conditions. Unclear or contradictory information is raised as a formal bidder question. The answers then have to flow back into the affected documents and cost assumptions.
Solicit subcontractors and consolidate prices
Document packages are compiled for individual trades and scopes, and quotes are requested. Scope, exclusions, and prices in the responses are compared and consolidated with in-house work, construction schedules, and risks into the estimate.
Review the bid and prepare for execution
Before submission, prices, assumptions, evidence, and contract terms are aligned. If the bid is won, site management needs the agreed scope along with the underlying clarifications and estimating assumptions.
What matters is that information from the bill of quantities, the drawings, the bidder questions, and the subcontractor quotes comes together into one shared understanding of scope.
WITH DECOTA
What improves for your team
Spot requirements and contradictions earlier
DECOTA captures the requirements from the bill of quantities, the drawings, and the contract documents and links each one to its source passage. Contradictions and open items surface while there is still time to submit a bidder question.
Verify technical statements traceably
For every line item you can see which passage it came from and what clarification exists. Estimating works from verified information instead of numbers transcribed across several spreadsheets.
Keep ownership and progress in view
With several tenders running in parallel, DECOTA shows for each project which requirements have been assessed, who owns them, and what is still open. Evidence and deadlines stay tied to their project.
FOR DECISION MAKERS, IN SHORT
Your estimators identify critical requirements and contradictions before the price goes out. Scope can be clarified more precisely with internal departments and subcontractors. Earlier assessments stay usable and inform the decision on which projects to pursue.
Frequently asked questions
We handle many complex customer inquiries in parallel. How do we stay on top of them?
DECOTA brings together the requirements, progress, and open questions of an inquiry. Your team can see what has been assessed and which clarifications are still pending. The phase model supports collaborative work from capture through closeout and makes coordination between estimating and the technical departments easier.
Does DECOTA help reuse content from earlier bids?
For similar inquiries, DECOTA suggests matching requirements and validated content from earlier projects. The associated sources and assessments support the re-review. Scope, prices, and project-specific conditions still have to be assessed separately for the inquiry at hand.
We subcontract large portions of the work. Can DECOTA handle that?
From the assessed requirements you compile a package per trade whose items point back to the project documents. You assign the responses to the individual requirements and can see which scope is covered.
Where can DECOTA take pressure off your team
In a first 30-minute conversation we learn how you work today, examine where DECOTA fits, and assess together what value it can deliver for your team.
Schedule a conversation