SmartPlans — User Guide

Read This First START HERE

SmartPlans, explained like you're brand new to it.

What It Takes to Hit 99% Accuracy GOAL

Quick Start — Your First Bid in 10 Minutes BEGINNER

If you've never used SmartPlans before, follow these 8 steps in order. Don't skip ahead — each step builds on the last.

1. Open SmartPlans. Go to the website (smartplans-4g5.pages.dev). You'll see a header at the top with buttons, and the main area in the middle with a step-by-step wizard.
2. Click "New Bid". The button is in the top-right header. This clears any old data and starts you fresh. (If you're picking up from a previous session, click "Saved" instead and pick the bid you want to continue.)
3. Type the project name. Be specific and consistent. "Amtrak Sacramento 2026" is good. "job1" is bad — it'll collide with other bids and the learning loop won't work right. Use the same naming pattern every time.
4. Drop the spec book in (NEW order — v5.144.0). The spec upload sits right under the project info on Step 1. As soon as you drop the spec PDF in, SmartPlans reads the table of contents, finds every CSI section number (28 23 13 = CCTV, 27 13 13 = Structured Cabling, etc.), and pre-checks the matching disciplines below. You'll see a green "✨" badge on each auto-picked one. Don't have the spec yet? Skip the upload and pick disciplines manually — you can drop the spec into Step 4 later.
5. Review the disciplines (most are pre-checked for you). A discipline is the type of work — CCTV (cameras), Access Control (door readers), Fire Alarm, Structured Cabling (data outlets), etc. Look at the chips below the spec upload — the ones with a ✨ were detected in your spec. Click any chip to toggle it (deselect things that are out of scope, add anything the spec missed). The list is alphabetical so you can scan quickly.
6. Upload the plans. Drag your PDF of the construction drawings into the upload box. Always include the cover sheet (the page with the drawing index). Without it, SmartPlans can't tell you which sheets are missing.
7. Click "Run Analysis". SmartPlans starts reading. You'll see a progress bar with messages like "Wave 1: Counting symbols…" Most bids take 5–15 minutes depending on plan size. Don't close the tab.
8. Answer the clarification questions when they pop up. About halfway through, SmartPlans pauses and shows you a list of symbols it isn't sure about (up to 30, ranked by money impact). For each one, look at the page and location it tells you (it gives you the sheet number AND a thumbnail with a red dot showing where the symbol is), pick the correct answer, or type it in the write-in box. You must answer every question for the bid to continue. If you need to step away, click "💾 Save Progress & Exit" — your answers are kept for 30 days and auto-resume next time you run this bid.

When the analysis finishes, you'll be on the Results page. Scroll through the cards — each one tells you something different (BOM totals, missing sheets, scope risks, etc.). At the top is the Estimator's Review Checklist — go through it before you export anything.

Spec Auto-Detect: Disciplines + Project Metadata v5.144.1

Why this exists

"Forgot a discipline" is the silent killer of accurate bids. A spec book has a Section 27 52 13 (Nurse Call) but the estimator ticked off CCTV, Access Control, and Fire Alarm and moved on. Result: the bid comes back $0 in nurse call and you find out 3 days after submitting. The spec is the authoritative scope document — it lists EVERY trade the GC is buying — so reading it first eliminates the guesswork.

How it works (under the hood)

1. You drop a spec PDF into the spec upload zone on Step 1.
2. SmartPlans uses pdf.js (the same engine your browser uses for PDF previews) to extract every word from up to 200 pages of the spec.
3. Two passes run on the extracted text:
   • Pass 1 — CSI section number scan. A regex finds every "28 23 13" / "27 13 13" / "08 71 00" pattern and looks them up in a lookup table mapping section numbers to disciplines. Most-specific match wins (e.g., "27 53 23" maps to ERRCS, but "27 53" by itself maps to DAS).
   • Pass 2 — keyword fallback. Some spec books don't show CSI numbers visibly (or use non-standard numbering). For any discipline NOT picked up by Pass 1, a keyword regex looks for trade-specific phrases ("public safety radio" → ERRCS, "video surveillance" → CCTV, etc.).
4. Detected disciplines are pre-checked in the chip grid below, with a ✨ badge on each.
5. You can override anything: click a chip to toggle it on or off. Auto-picks aren't locked.
6. An evidence panel appears between the upload and the chips showing which spec section triggered each pick (e.g., "✨ CCTV — found Section 28 23 13").

What gets recognized

CSI Section	Discipline Picked
08 71 xx	Door Hardware / Electrified Hardware + Access Control
27 05 / 27 11 / 27 13 / 27 15 / 27 21 / 27 30 / 27 31	Structured Cabling
27 41 / 27 42	Audio Visual
27 51 13 / 27 51 16 / 27 51 23	Paging / Intercom
27 52	Nurse Call Systems
27 53 13 / 27 53 19	Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)
27 53 23 / 28 33 13	ERRCS
28 13 / 28 14	Access Control
28 16 / 28 26	Intrusion Detection
28 23	CCTV
28 31	Fire Alarm
28 33	Two-Way Radio

What if I don't have a spec book?

Skip the spec upload entirely on Step 1 — the chips below are still clickable and you can pick disciplines manually like you always did. You can also upload the spec later on Step 4 (Specifications). Whenever you upload it, the auto-detect runs and pre-picks disciplines you haven't already manually selected.

What if the spec is a scanned image (no text layer)?

Auto-detect needs searchable text. Scanned image PDFs return blank text and the detector will show "⚠️ Could not auto-detect disciplines from this spec." When that happens, ask the design team for a digital (text-searchable) PDF, or pick disciplines manually. The detector also can't read DOCX/DOC files in the browser — convert to PDF first.

Common gotchas

• Auto-detect ran but missed a discipline I'm bidding. Specs sometimes carry trades on a separate spec section the architect mailed late, or the trade is "by-others" in the spec but you're including it. Just click the unchecked chip to add it manually — your selection wins.
• Auto-detect picked a discipline I'm NOT bidding. Spec lists every trade for the project, but maybe AV is "by-Owner" and not your scope. Click the chip to deselect it. The decision is yours.
• I uploaded the spec but no disciplines were pre-checked. Either the PDF is scanned (no text), the file is DOCX (use PDF), or the spec uses non-standard section numbering. Check the spec ToC manually and pick disciplines yourself.
• The detector reset my picks. It shouldn't — auto-detect only ADDS to your manual selections, never removes. If you deselected a chip and then uploaded a spec that detected it, it will get re-added. Click again to deselect.

Realistic accuracy lift

Approximately 2–3% on the bid total, plus eliminating the "I forgot fire alarm" class of error entirely. Most useful on bids with 5+ disciplines where remembering them all from memory is the real risk.

Project Metadata Auto-Detect v5.144.1

The same spec scan also pulls four other project fields — but unlike disciplines, these aren't auto-applied. They appear in a yellow confirm panel right under the spec upload, and you decide which ones to apply.

Field	What it Detects	Confidence
Wage Standard	Davis-Bacon (federal) / CA State Prevailing / PLA / none. Looks for affirmative phrasing only — "if applicable" boilerplate is filtered out.	~95% Davis-Bacon, ~88% CA prevailing, ~80% PLA
State	Detects California from 2+ "California" / "CBC" / "Cal. Lab." references; other states from "City, ST 95___" ZIP patterns.	~85–95%
County	All 58 California counties. Strong match: "[County] County". Weak match: bare county name in CA-context proximity.	~92% strong / ~65% weak
Code Jurisdiction	"California Building Code 2022", "IBC 2021", etc. Defaults to CBC over IBC if state=CA.	~92%

Why metadata uses confirm-then-apply (not silent auto-fill)

Wage misclassification is a 20–30% bid swing. Picking Davis-Bacon when the project is actually open shop bids you ~25% high (you lose). Picking open shop when it's actually Davis-Bacon bids you ~25% low (you win the job and lose your shirt on labor). Both are catastrophic — too risky to auto-apply on regex confidence alone. So SmartPlans surfaces what it found in a confirmation panel: each field shows the detected value, the confidence (High/Medium/Low colored pill), and the actual snippet of text it matched on. You tick the checkboxes for the picks you trust, click Apply Detected, and only then do the form dropdowns update.

Dual-trigger projects (federal + CA)

If both Davis-Bacon AND California prevailing wage trigger (federally-funded CA project), Davis-Bacon wins by federal rule (the higher of the two rates applies). The detector picks DBA in that case and notes "Federal trumps state on dual-trigger projects" in the evidence panel.

How to use it

1. Drop the spec PDF into the upload zone on Step 1.
2. Wait ~5 seconds for the scan. The discipline chips below auto-check (with ✨ badges), and a yellow "Project Metadata Detected — Review & Confirm" panel appears between the upload and the discipline evidence.
3. Each detected field has a checkbox (default checked) plus the confidence pill and a code-formatted evidence snippet showing the spec text that triggered the pick.
4. Uncheck anything that looks wrong (e.g., the detector flagged "Sacramento County" with Low confidence and you know it's actually "Yolo County" because the project address is in Davis).
5. Click Apply Detected. The corresponding form fields below the panel (Project Location, Prevailing Wage dropdown, CA County dropdown, Code Jurisdiction) update with the applied values. The panel switches to "All Applied" and the apply button disables.
6. Or click Dismiss if you'd rather fill the fields manually — the detected metadata is forgotten and the form stays as-is.

What gets matched (full pattern reference)

• Davis-Bacon (HIGH confidence): "this contract is subject to Davis-Bacon", "wages shall be paid per Davis-Bacon", "federally-funded construction contract", "Davis-Bacon Act", "DBRA"
• Davis-Bacon (rejected as boilerplate): "if applicable, see Davis-Bacon", "where Davis-Bacon applies", "if federally funded"
• CA State Prevailing (HIGH): "California Labor Code Section 1771/1773", "California Department of Industrial Relations", "DIR Registration Number", "DAS-140 / DAS-142", "Certified Payroll", "general prevailing wage determination", "PWCR"
• PLA (HIGH): "Project Labor Agreement", "Community Workforce Agreement / CWA"
• PLA (MEDIUM): bare "PLA" acronym (case-sensitive to avoid matching "appliance")
• State CA (HIGH): 5+ mentions of "California", "Cal. Lab.", "CBC", "State of California"
• State CA (MEDIUM): 2–4 such mentions
• Other state: "City, ST 95xxx" ZIP-anchored pattern
• County (HIGH): "[CountyName] County" pattern (e.g., "Yolo County", "Contra Costa County")
• County (LOW): bare county name within 200 chars of a CA-context word — flagged because city names like "Sacramento" appear identically
• Code Jurisdiction: "California Building Code [year]", "CBC [year]", "International Building Code [year]", "IBC [year]"

The Clarification Pop-Up (What It Is & What to Do) v5.143.0

Why it exists

Symbol mistakes are the #1 source of bid error — about 3–8% of total bid cost on average drawings comes from the AI getting a symbol wrong (calling a card reader a camera, miscounting outlets, etc.). The clarification pop-up catches those mistakes BEFORE the AI prices, labors, and writes the proposal. Catching them after is too late — the math is already locked.

When does it pop up?

After Wave 1 (counting) finishes, before Wave 1.5 (verification) and Wave 2 (pricing) start. You'll see your progress bar pause around the 34% mark with a message like "❓ 14 question(s) need your input before continuing…"

What gets asked

• Symbols below 85% confidence. If the AI is less than 85% sure what a symbol is, it asks. Above 85%, it trusts itself.
• Schedule vs. plan count conflicts. If the equipment schedule says "12 cameras" but the floor plans show 9 camera symbols, you decide which one is right.
• Spec vs. plan conflicts. If the spec says Axis cameras but the plans label them Hanwha, you decide.
• Addenda changes. If addenda were uploaded, you confirm whether to use the addenda counts or the original plan counts.
• Wave 4 ground-truth count overrides. When the deterministic pdf.js text-extractor counts something different than the AI vision model, you adjudicate.

How questions are ordered

Biggest-money-impact first. The ranker estimates how many dollars the bid will swing if a question is answered wrong, and puts the highest-$ questions at the top. So #1 might be a $40,000-swing access-control question, and #30 might be a $300-swing data-outlet question. If you only have time for half, the top half is the half worth answering.

Cap at 30

If there are more than 30 questions below 85% confidence, only the top 30 by cost impact are asked. The rest are deferred to the post-bid Estimator Review Checklist where you can still resolve them later.

What each question shows you

• Sheet badge (gold) — the sheet number to look at, like E-1.01.
• Coordinate pin — the rough x%/y% position on the sheet (top-left corner = 0%, 0%; bottom-right = 100%, 100%). Open your plans in Bluebeam/Adobe and jump to roughly that spot.
• Sheet preview thumbnail — a small picture of the page with a red pulsing dot where the symbol is. This usually saves you opening the original PDF.
• Confidence pill — how sure the AI was (red < 50%, yellow 50–75%, green 75–85%).
• Money swing pill — the estimated bid impact if this question is answered wrong (e.g., 💰 $42K swing).
• Occurrence count — how many times this symbol appears on the plans.
• Multiple-choice buttons — the AI's best guesses for what the symbol is. Click one to select it.
• Write-in field — a text box right under the choices. Use this if NONE of the buttons is correct. Type what the symbol actually is in plain English ("4-channel I/O monitor module" — whatever's right).

Rules of the road

• Answer every question. The Continue button stays disabled until all 30 (or however many there are) have an answer. There is no "skip" button by design — wrong skipped answers were the #1 source of late-stage bid errors.
• Use the write-in if the choices are wrong. Don't click the closest option just to move on. The bid math locks to your answer.
• Don't guess. Open your plans, find the symbol, then answer. If you genuinely cannot find it or don't know, save and exit — come back when you've checked.
• Same-symbol answers carry forward. If you answered "Symbol X = Hanwha XNB-6000" on yesterday's bid, today's bid for a different project that has the same Symbol X will pre-fill that answer. Confirm or correct — don't blindly trust it.

Progress bar

The sticky header at the top of the modal shows "X of N answered" with a green progress bar. When the bar hits 100%, the Continue button turns gold and unlocks.

Save Progress & Exit (Resume Later) v5.143.1

How to use it

1. You're in the middle of the clarification pop-up. You've answered, say, 11 of 23 questions.
2. Click 💾 Save Progress & Exit (the gray button to the left of "Continue with answers" in the footer).
3. You'll see a green toast: "💾 Saved 11 of 23 answers. Re-run this bid to resume — answers are kept for 30 days."
4. The pop-up closes. The analysis halts cleanly — Wave 1.5 and Wave 2 do NOT run, so no AI tokens are wasted on incomplete answers.
5. The bid goes back to its starting state. You can close the browser, walk away, do other work.
6. Come back later (anytime in the next 30 days). Open the same bid (the SAME project name + estimate matters here — the save is keyed off both).
7. Click Run Analysis again. The earlier waves run again (counting, etc.), and when the clarification pop-up appears, you'll see a blue toast: "💾 Resumed 11 of 23 answers from your last save." Your 11 answers are pre-filled.
8. Answer the remaining 12 questions, click Continue, and the bid finishes normally.

What happens to the saved answers

• Stored in your browser's localStorage — they don't leave your computer. If you switch to a different machine, they don't follow you (yet).
• 30-day TTL. After 30 days the save auto-expires and gets pruned. Don't sit on a half-answered bid for a month.
• Auto-clears when you finish the bid. Successfully clicking Continue with all answers wipes the save — no stale leftovers.
• Won't survive renaming the bid. The save is keyed off the project name + estimate ID. If you rename "Amtrak Sac" to "Amtrak Sacramento", the save won't match anymore.
• Won't survive major plan changes. If a re-run produces totally different questions (new addenda, swapped plans), the IDs won't match and only the questions that still exist will pre-fill.

Estimator's Review Checklist ESSENTIAL

How to Turn an AI Estimate into a Winning Bid

This section is your practical, step-by-step guide to reviewing and refining the SmartPlans AI-generated estimate before it becomes your final bid. Whether you are a junior estimator building your first proposal or a seasoned veteran looking for a systematic checklist, this guide ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

1. Understanding What SmartPlans Gives You

SmartPlans reads your drawings and specifications using a 27-brain AI engine. It counts devices, estimates cable quantities, prices materials, calculates labor, and generates a professional proposal. That is a tremendous head start, but it is not a replacement for estimator judgment.

What the AI Does Well	Where the AI Needs Your Help
Counts symbols quickly across dozens of sheets	May miscount devices shown in legends or detail callouts as actual installed devices
Catches buried spec requirements humans often skip	Cannot judge constructability, site access, or real-world labor conditions
Applies consistent pricing across every line item	May select the wrong manufacturer or product line if the spec is ambiguous
Generates RFIs from gaps in the drawings	Cannot read the general contractor's mind about schedule, phasing, or logistics
Processes addenda and layers in scope changes	May hallucinate quantities when drawings are blurry or cluttered
Identifies potential change orders from scope gaps	Cannot predict owner decisions or GC negotiation outcomes

2. Step-by-Step Review Process

Work through these seven checks in order. Each one builds on the previous, and skipping any of them is where estimators lose money.

A. Verify Device Counts (MOST CRITICAL)

Device counts drive everything downstream: cable quantities, labor hours, and material costs. If the counts are wrong, the entire estimate is wrong.

1. Open your construction drawings side-by-side with the SmartPlans Bill of Materials (BOM).
2. Use the Symbol Inventory Audit card on the Results page — it lists every device the AI found, sorted by sheet number. (See the Symbol Inventory Audit section for full instructions.)
3. Click "View on Plans" to open the Visual Symbol Map — this shows colored markers on top of your actual floor plans so you can see exactly where the AI thinks each device is. (See the Visual Symbol Map section.)
4. Pick 2 to 3 representative floors and hand-count key devices: cameras, card readers, door contacts, pull stations, speakers, WAPs, and data drops.
5. Compare your hand counts to the AI counts for those same floors. Calculate the percentage difference.
6. If the AI is within 5%, the counts are likely reliable across the full set. If the difference exceeds 15%, recount the entire drawing set carefully.

B. Check Cable Quantities

Cable is one of the highest-cost materials on any low-voltage project. A 20% error in cable quantities can swing your bid by tens of thousands of dollars.

Check	What to Look For	Typical Range
Average run length	Divide total cable footage by device count. Does the average make sense for the building size?	150 to 250 ft in most commercial buildings
Conduit quantities	AI often underestimates underground and exterior conduit. Check site plans for trenching runs.	Varies widely; verify against site drawings
Backbone cable	Compare backbone fiber and copper counts against the riser diagram. Count the number of risers and IDF-to-MDF connections.	Should match riser diagram exactly
Waste factor	Ensure a waste factor is included. Standard is 10% for cable, 15% for conduit fittings.	1.10x multiplier on cable; 1.15x on fittings

C. Review Material Specifications

The spec book is the law of the project. If the AI priced the wrong product line, you will either overbid (and lose the job) or underbid (and lose money).

• Manufacturer match — Verify the AI selected the correct manufacturer. If the spec says Axis cameras but the AI priced Hanwha, correct it before generating your proposal.
• Approved equals — Check whether the spec allows "approved equal" substitutions or is locked to a specific brand.
• Cable types — Confirm plenum vs. riser rated, Cat6 vs. Cat6A, and fiber strand counts match the spec requirements exactly.
• OFCI items — Look for spec sections that designate equipment as Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed (OFCI). These items should be priced at $0 for material but still carry labor hours.

D. Validate Labor Hours

Labor is typically 40% to 60% of a low-voltage bid. The AI estimates labor using industry benchmarks, but your company's actual productivity rates may differ significantly.

Task	Typical Labor Benchmark	Notes
Data drop (rough-in + trim)	1.5 to 2.5 hours	Includes pulling cable, terminating, testing
Camera install (indoor dome)	2 to 4 hours	Mount, cable, configure, aim
Camera install (outdoor PTZ)	4 to 8 hours	Conduit, weatherproof housing, aiming, programming
Card reader + door hardware	4 to 8 hours per door	Reader, REX, door contact, electric lock, wiring
Fire alarm device	1 to 2 hours	Smoke, pull station, horn/strobe
Cable pulling (open ceiling)	80 to 150 ft per hour per person	J-hooks, open plenum
Cable pulling (in conduit)	40 to 80 ft per hour per person	Pre-installed conduit with pull string

E. Check Subcontractor Scope

Common Sub Scope	Typically Provided By	Your Responsibility
120V power to devices	Electrical contractor	Verify who provides power drops to cameras, access panels, etc.
Trenching and underground conduit	Civil / site contractor	Get a real quote; AI estimates are rough percentages
Fire alarm (if separate contract)	Fire alarm sub	Confirm whether FA is in your scope or a separate bid package
Core drilling and firestopping	Specialty sub	Count penetrations from the drawings; get a per-hole quote
Painting, patching, ceiling repair	General trades	Clarify in your exclusions if not included

F. Review Pricing

• Rate Library — Apply your company's known pricing from past projects.
• High-dollar items — Individually verify pricing on servers, NVRs, head-end equipment, fire alarm control panels, and generators.
• Regional accuracy — Confirm the regional pricing multiplier is appropriate.
• Benchmark feature — Compare AI pricing against your real-world costs from past projects.
• Potential change orders — Review the AI-identified change orders in Stage 8. Factor high-probability items into your contingency.

G. Finalize Exclusions & Assumptions

1. Review the auto-generated exclusions that SmartPlans created from the AI analysis. Remove any that do not apply.
2. Add project-specific exclusions. Common examples: "Excludes work above 30 ft requiring scaffolding or lifts," "Assumes normal business hours access (7AM to 5PM)."
3. Verify your assumptions match reality. If you assumed open ceilings but the building has hard-lid ceilings, your labor estimate is wrong.
4. Review clarifications to ensure scope boundaries are crystal clear.

3. Common Pitfalls That Lose Money

#	Pitfall	How to Avoid It
1	Not reading the spec addenda	Upload all addenda to SmartPlans in Stage 5. The AI reads them, but you should too.
2	Missing liquidated damages clauses	Read the general conditions carefully. LD clauses can be $500 to $5,000 per day.
3	Underestimating travel and per diem	Use the Stage 7 Travel & Per Diem calculator after the AI analysis.
4	Forgetting permit fees and inspections	Contact the local AHJ for permit costs. Enter them in Stage 7 incidentals.
5	Not accounting for phased construction	Working around occupied spaces is 25% to 50% slower. Use Bid Phases to structure phased bids.
6	Missing prevailing wage requirements	Check for Davis-Bacon or state prevailing wage. Set the correct wage type in Stage 1.
7	Underestimating conduit and pathway	Conduit is the most frequently under-bid item. Walk the site if possible.
8	Not including commissioning and testing labor	Budget 8% to 12% of total labor hours for testing and commissioning.
9	Forgetting warranty period costs	Budget for 1 to 2 years of warranty service calls and replacement parts.
10	Ignoring AI-identified change orders	Review the Potential Change Orders card. Factor high-severity items into your contingency.
11	Using the wrong prevailing wage county	California rates vary by county. A wrong county can over- or under-bid labor by 20%.
12	Forgetting to check the Transit/Railroad toggle	Railroad work adds RWIC flagmen, RPL insurance, and restricted work windows. If the job is on transit property, turn on the toggle in Stage 1.

4. Before You Submit

✓	Pre-Submission Check	Details
	Device quantities verified	Used the Symbol Inventory Audit and Visual Symbol Map to verify counts on at least 2-3 floors
	Pricing is current	Material pricing reflects current distributor quotes, not stale data
	Exclusions are complete	Every scope boundary is explicitly stated
	Markups are appropriate	Material markup, labor markup, overhead, profit, and contingency are set correctly
	Travel is included	If the project is out of town, Stage 7 travel costs are calculated and added
	Bonds and insurance factored	Performance bond (typically 1% to 3%) and insurance costs are included
	Bid form filled correctly	GC's bid form is complete with all required fields, signatures, and attachments
	Change orders reviewed	AI-flagged potential change orders reviewed; high-severity items addressed
	Duplicates checked	Symbol Inventory duplicate detector shows zero unexpected duplicates
	Second-person review	Another person has reviewed the numbers independently
	Addenda acknowledged	All addenda are listed and acknowledged on the bid form
	Scale calibration verified	Checked the Scale Calibration card in Stage 8 to confirm drawing scale was detected correctly
	3D Formula Engine reviewed	Opened the 3D Formula Engine card to see line-by-line cost breakdown and verify math

5. Using SmartPlans Features to Improve Accuracy

Feature	How It Helps Your Review	When to Use
Symbol Inventory Audit	Lists every device the AI found with sheet number, room, floor, and duplicate detection.	Always. This is your primary count verification tool.
Visual Symbol Map	Shows colored markers on your actual floor plans so you can see what the AI counted and where.	Always. This is the fastest way to visually verify counts.
Cable Pathway Analysis	Zone-by-zone cable distance breakdown showing how the AI calculated cable quantities.	When cable costs are a significant part of the bid.
Scale Calibration	Shows the detected drawing scale for each sheet. If the scale is wrong, cable distances will be wrong.	Always. A wrong scale means wrong cable math.
3D Formula Engine	Shows the exact formula and arithmetic behind every dollar in your bid.	When you want to understand exactly where a number came from.
Supplier Quotes	Export the BOM to vendors. Import their real pricing back in.	Always for high-value items. Ideally for the entire BOM on competitive bids.
Bid Strategy	Set confidence-based markups per category.	After you complete your review and know which categories you trust.
Rate Library	Save rates from completed projects. Apply them to new estimates.	Every project. Gets more valuable over time.
Actuals Feedback	Record what you actually spent. SmartPlans tracks variance and builds benchmarks.	After project closeout.
Bid Phases	Structure base bid plus add/deduct alternates and optional phases.	Whenever the bid documents call for alternates or phased pricing.
Editable BOM	Click any quantity or price cell to edit it. Totals recalculate instantly.	Whenever you find an error during your review.
Potential Change Orders	AI-identified scope gaps with severity ratings and estimated dollar impact.	During bid review. High-severity items should be reflected in contingency.
PDF Page Extractor	Trim a 100+ page plan set down to only the sheets you need before running the AI.	When you only need certain pages (e.g., electrical-only or fire alarm-only sheets).

---

Getting Started

What Is SmartPlans?

SmartPlans is a website that reads your construction drawings for you. You upload your blueprints and spec books as PDF files. The AI looks at every page, counts all the devices, figures out how much cable you need, prices everything out, and gives you a complete bid. It does in minutes what used to take days by hand.

What Do You Need?

• Your construction drawings saved as a PDF file.
• Your specification book (also called "specs") saved as a PDF file.
• Any addenda (changes to the original drawings or specs) saved as PDF files.
• A web browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
• An internet connection.

Open SmartPlans

Go to https://smartplans-4g5.pages.dev/ in your web browser. You will see 8 step circles across the top of the page. Each step is a stage you complete in order. Just go from Step 0 (Stage 1) to Step 7 (Stage 8), one at a time.

Header Bar & Navigation

What Is the Header Bar?

The header bar is the dark strip that stays at the very top of the screen no matter what stage you are on. It contains the SmartPlans logo, important buttons, and counters. Here is every single item you will see, from left to right:

Item	What It Looks Like	What It Does
SmartPlans Logo	The words "SmartPlans" in white text with a teal accent.	This is just branding. It tells you the name of the application. You do not need to click it. (Admin note: tapping the logo 5 times quickly reveals hidden admin tools.)
BIDS Counter	A small number with the label "BIDS."	Shows the total number of estimates you have run across all devices. This is a fun tracker and does not affect anything.
SPENT Counter	A dollar amount with the label "SPENT."	Shows cumulative AI processing cost. This is for administrators only and does not affect your work.
PDF Tool Button NEW	A scissors icon button.	Opens the PDF Page Extractor modal. See the full PDF Page Extractor section below.
New Bid Button	A button labeled "New Bid."	Starts a completely fresh estimate. Clears everything: all files, all settings, all results. If you have unsaved work, it will warn you before clearing.
Start Button	A green button with a play (triangle) icon. Only visible after you upload files and reach Stage 6.	Begins the AI analysis. Same as clicking "Begin Analysis" on Stage 6. The button turns green when ready.
Stop Button	A red button with a square icon. Only visible while analysis is running.	Cancels the AI analysis immediately. The AI stops working, and whatever results it has so far may be partial or incomplete.
Analysis Timer	A small clock display showing MM:SS. Only visible to admin users during analysis.	Counts elapsed time from the moment analysis starts. Stays visible for 30 seconds after analysis finishes, then fades away. Helps admins track how long estimates take.
User Guide Button	A button with a book or question-mark icon.	Opens this user guide in a new browser tab.
Saved Button	A button labeled "Saved."	Opens the Saved Estimates panel on the right side of the screen. See the Saved Estimates section for details.

PDF Page Extractor Tool NEW

What Is This?

The PDF Page Extractor is a built-in tool that lets you trim a large PDF file down to only the pages you need. Imagine you have a 109-page construction plan set, but you only need the 19 electrical pages for your low-voltage bid. Instead of sending all 109 pages through the AI (which takes longer and costs more), you can use this tool to pull out just the 19 pages you need.

Why Is This Useful?

• Faster analysis — The AI only has to read 19 pages instead of 109. That is 5 to 10 times faster.
• More accurate results — When the AI sees only electrical pages, it does not get confused by architectural, mechanical, or plumbing pages.
• Lower cost — Fewer pages means less AI processing time and cost.
• Better focus — If you are bidding only fire alarm, you only need fire alarm sheets. If you are bidding only access control, you only need security sheets.

How to Open It

1. Look at the header bar at the top of the screen.
2. Find the button with the scissors icon. It may have a small tooltip that says "PDF Tool" when you hover over it.
3. Click the scissors button. A large popup window (called a "modal") will appear in the center of the screen.

How to Use It (Step by Step)

1. Upload a PDF. You can either drag a PDF file from your computer and drop it onto the dotted area, or click the dotted area to open a file picker and browse for the file. Only PDF files are accepted.
2. See the page count. Once the file loads, SmartPlans shows you the file name and the total number of pages. For example: "MyProject_Plans.pdf — 109 pages."
3. Type which pages to keep. In the "Pages to extract" text box, type the page numbers you want. You can use:
   • A single page: 5
   • A range of pages: 1-10
   • A mix of individual pages and ranges: 1, 5, 8-12, 15, 20-25
   • Separate items with commas or spaces.
4. See the live preview. As you type, a preview table appears below the text box. Each row shows a page number and whether it will be kept (green) or removed (red). This way you can double-check before extracting.
5. Name the output file. In the "Output filename" box, type a name for your trimmed PDF. For example: Electrical Pages.pdf or Fire Alarm Sheets.pdf. If you leave it blank, SmartPlans will use a default name.
6. Click "Extract & Download." SmartPlans creates a new PDF with only the pages you chose and downloads it to your computer.
7. Add it directly to your bid. After the download finishes, three new buttons appear:
   • "+ Add to Floor Plans" — Loads the trimmed PDF as your floor plans in Stage 3 (Floor Plans).
   • "+ Add to Specifications" — Loads the trimmed PDF as your specs in Stage 4 (Specifications).
   • "+ Add to Legend" — Loads the trimmed PDF as your symbol legend in Stage 2 (Symbol Legend).
   Click whichever button matches the content of your trimmed file.
8. Close the modal. Click the X button in the top-right corner, or click "Cancel," or click outside the modal to close it.

8-Step Wizard Navigation

What Are the Step Circles?

Across the top of the screen (just below the header bar), you will see 8 small circles in a row, connected by lines. Each circle represents one stage of the estimation process. They look like this:

Step #	Stage Name	Icon
0	Project Setup	Clipboard
1	Symbol Legend	Key
2	Floor Plans	Ruler
3	Specifications	Document
4	Addenda	Pencil
5	Review & Analyze	Magnifying glass
6	Travel & Costs	Airplane
7	Results & RFIs	Checkmark

How the Step Circles Work

1. Your current step is highlighted in teal (the main color) and slightly larger than the others.
2. Completed steps show a checkmark inside the circle. They also turn a slightly different shade so you can see at a glance which stages are done.
3. Future steps are grayed out. You cannot jump ahead to a step you have not reached yet.
4. You CAN click back to any completed step to review or change something. For example, if you are on Step 5 (Review) and want to change a setting in Step 0 (Project Setup), just click the Step 0 circle to go back.

The Footer Navigation Bar

At the bottom of every stage, there is a footer bar with navigation buttons:

Button	What It Does
Back	Goes back one stage. Does not erase anything — it just moves the view to the previous step so you can change something.
Next	Moves forward one stage. Some stages require you to fill in certain fields before the Next button will work. If a required field is missing, you will see a warning message.
Step Counter	Shows text like "Step 3 of 8" so you know where you are in the process.

Stage 1 — Project Setup (Step 0)

What Is This?

Stage 1 is where you tell SmartPlans about your project. Think of it like filling out a form before you go to the doctor. The more you fill in, the better the AI can help you. Every box you fill in here changes how the AI reads your drawings, what prices it picks, and how it counts your labor hours.

This page has several sections: Project Information, Prevailing Wage / Davis-Bacon, Transit / Railroad, and Pricing & Rate Configuration.

Section: Project Information

Project Name Required

Type the name of your project here. This is what you will see when you look for this estimate later. Pick a name you will remember.

1. Click the box that says "Project Name."
2. Type a name that tells you what this project is. For example: Sunrise Medical Center Phase 2

Prepared For Optional

Type the name of the company or person you are making this bid for. This name shows up on your proposal cover page. You can leave it blank if you want.

Example: Turner Construction — Sacramento Division

Project Type Required

Click the dropdown menu and pick the type of project you are working on. This tells the AI what kind of building it is looking at, and changes how it counts devices and estimates labor.

Option	What It Means (Simple)	How the AI Uses It
New Construction	A brand new building being built from scratch.	Every device on the plans is new. Nothing already exists. Full cable runs, full labor.
Renovation / Remodel	An old building being fixed up or remodeled.	Looks for notes that say "keep this" or "add this new." May reuse existing cable and pathways, reducing material and labor.
Tenant Improvement	Fixing up the inside of a building for a new tenant (like a new company moving into office space).	Knows ceilings, walls, and wire paths might already exist. Uses less labor time for pathway installation.
Addition	Adding a new part onto an existing building.	Treats the new section as brand new but includes tie-in labor to connect it to what already exists.
Design-Build	Your company both designs AND builds the system (not just installing from someone else's drawings).	Adds extra hours for engineering, design coordination, and shop drawing creation.
Service / Retrofit	Replacing or upgrading old equipment in an existing building.	Includes time for removing and disposing of old devices. May reuse existing wires and conduit.

Disciplines Required — Must Select at Least One

These are chip buttons (small clickable rectangles). Click each discipline that is part of your bid. Selected chips turn teal. You must select at least one.

Division 27 — Communications

Chip Button	What It Covers (Simple)
Structured Cabling	All the data/network wires, cables, fiber optic lines, patch panels, racks, J-hooks, cable tray, and pathways that connect everything together. Think of this as the "highway system" that all other systems ride on.
Audio Visual	Speakers, TVs, projectors, video walls, conference room systems, sound masking, and anything that plays sound or shows pictures in a building.
Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS)	The system that boosts cell phone signal inside buildings. Large buildings, hospitals, and stadiums often need DAS so people can make phone calls and use data indoors.
Paging / Intercom	Overhead speakers used for announcements (like in a school or hospital), intercom stations at doors, and two-way communication systems.
Nurse Call Systems	The call buttons patients press in hospitals and nursing homes to call for help. Includes pillow speakers, corridor lights, and staff notification devices.

Division 28 — Electronic Safety & Security

Chip Button	What It Covers (Simple)
CCTV	Security cameras (dome, bullet, PTZ, multi-sensor), the NVR/server that records video, the VMS software that lets you watch it, and monitors for guard stations.
Access Control	Card readers on doors, electronic locks (maglocks, electric strikes), REX (request to exit) sensors, door contacts, access control panels, and the software to manage who can get in.
Intrusion Detection	Motion sensors, glass break detectors, door/window contacts, alarm keypads, alarm panels, and central station monitoring connections.
Fire Alarm	Smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations, horn/strobes, duct detectors, the fire alarm control panel (FACP), and everything required by NFPA 72.

Division 8 — Openings

Chip Button	What It Covers (Simple)
Door Hardware / Electrified Hardware	Electric strikes, maglocks, power transfer hinges, auto-door operators, delayed egress devices, and any door hardware that needs low-voltage wiring. This is automatically included when you select Access Control, but you can also select it on its own.

Division 1 — General Requirements

Chip Button	What It Covers (Simple)
General Requirements / Conditions	Mobilization, project management hours, bonds, permits, submittals, as-built drawings, and general overhead. This adds a "General Conditions" section to your BOM so you can capture those costs.

File Format Optional

Tell SmartPlans what kind of files you are uploading. This helps the AI adjust its image-reading settings for best accuracy.

Option	Where It Came From	Quality Badge	What It Means
Vector PDF (from CAD)	Made on a computer with AutoCAD or Revit, then exported to PDF	BEST	Crystal-clear lines and searchable text. The AI can read these perfectly.
DWG / DXF (AutoCAD)	Native AutoCAD drawing files	BEST	Very precise vector data. SmartPlans converts these internally.
IFC / Revit BIM	3D building model files from Revit or other BIM software	BEST	Contains rich 3D data. The AI can extract device locations with high accuracy.
High-res scan (300+ DPI)	Paper drawings put through a high-quality scanner	OK	Readable but the AI has to use image recognition instead of reading text directly. Accuracy is good but not perfect.
Low-res PDF / JPEG	Low-quality scans, phone photos, screenshots	POOR	The AI might miss small symbols or misread text. Use this only if you have no better option.

Specific Items to Count Optional

A text box where you can tell the AI exactly what to look for on the plans. The more details you give, the better the AI counts. Use this when you want the AI to pay special attention to certain items.

Example: Count all 4MP dome cameras and 8MP bullet cameras separately. Also count each WAP and verify against the riser diagram.

Known Quantities Optional

If you already counted some items by hand, type them here. SmartPlans will compare the AI's count to your count so you can see if they match. This is very helpful for verifying accuracy.

Example: 48 cameras, 12 card readers, 6 pull stations, 85 data drops

Building Code Jurisdiction Optional

Type the building code that applies to this project. The AI uses this to check whether device spacing, notification appliance coverage, and other code requirements are met.

Examples: IBC 2021, California CBC 2022, NFPA 72 2022, Chicago Building Code

Project Location Required

Type the city and state where the project is. SmartPlans uses this for three important things:

1. Regional pricing — Materials and labor cost more in some cities than others.
2. Travel detection — If the project is more than 50 miles from your office, SmartPlans will suggest enabling travel costs in Stage 7.
3. Prevailing wage lookup — The location helps SmartPlans find the correct wage rates for your area.

Building Heights Optional

Field	What to Type	Default	Why It Matters
Ceiling Height (ft)	Height from the floor to the ceiling inside a room.	10 ft	The AI uses this to calculate vertical cable drops. Taller ceilings = more cable per device.
Floor-to-Floor Height (ft)	Height from one floor's slab to the next floor's slab. This is always taller than the ceiling height because it includes the space above the ceiling (the plenum) where cables and ductwork run.	14 ft	Used for riser cable calculations between floors. Also helps the AI detect drawing scale.

Section: Prevailing Wage / Davis-Bacon

Prevailing wage is a rule that says workers on certain government projects must be paid a minimum amount. If your project is for a school, government building, hospital, transit agency, or anything built with public money, you might need prevailing wage rates. If your project is regular private work, pick "None."

Prevailing Wage Type Required

Option	When to Pick It	What Happens
None	Private work with no government money.	Uses your own labor rates from the Pricing section. No wage minimums.
Davis-Bacon (Federal)	Projects paid for by the federal government. Federal courthouses, military bases, VA hospitals, federal offices.	Loads the federal government's required pay rates for your area. These rates include both a base wage and a fringe benefit amount.
State Prevailing Wage	State-funded public works. In California, this is governed by the DIR (Department of Industrial Relations). Other states have their own programs.	Loads state-specific required pay rates. In California, you pick a county. In other states, you pick a state and metro area.
Project Labor Agreement (PLA)	Projects with a formal agreement between the project owner and labor unions. Common on large public projects.	Loads PLA pay rates, which are usually the highest of all wage types.

California County Selector

If you pick "State Prevailing Wage" and the project is in California, a dropdown list of all 58 California counties appears. Pick the county where the project is located. SmartPlans will automatically fill in all the correct pay rates for every labor classification. You do not need to look them up yourself.

The auto-populated rates include a Base Rate and a Loaded Rate (base + fringe benefits). SmartPlans also calculates a Blended Crew Rate, which is a weighted average of all worker types based on a typical crew mix (about 60% journeymen, 25% lead techs, 10% foremen, 5% apprentices).

National State & Metro Selector

For projects outside California, SmartPlans has prevailing wage data for 19 states. Pick the state from the first dropdown, then pick the metropolitan area or county from the second dropdown. The rates fill in automatically.

Labor Classifications

Worker Type	What They Do (Simple)	Typical Role on Site
Comm Installer (Journeyman)	The main worker. Pulls cables, mounts devices, installs conduit, runs pathways.	Makes up about 60% of the crew
Comm Technician (Lead)	The skilled worker who handles fiber splicing, equipment programming, and testing. Watches over 2-4 installers.	Makes up about 25% of the crew
Foreman	The boss on the job site. Plans daily work, coordinates with the GC, handles material orders.	Makes up about 10% of the crew
Apprentice	A person learning the trade. Helps with basic tasks like carrying materials, pulling cable, and labeling. Gets paid less.	Makes up about 5% of the crew
Project Manager (PM)	Handles paperwork, scheduling, purchasing, and client communication from the office.	Not on site daily; manages from office
Programmer	Configures cameras, access control, fire alarm panels, and AV systems. Creates the software setup.	Usually comes at the end of the project

Work Shift Optional

Some projects require work outside normal daytime hours. Pick the shift that matches your project requirements. Different shifts have different labor cost premiums.

Shift	When People Work	Extra Cost	When to Use
1st Shift (Standard)	7 AM to 3:30 PM	None — normal rate	Most projects. This is the default.
2nd Shift	Afternoon to midnight	+10% on labor	Occupied buildings where daytime work is disruptive (hospitals, schools).
3rd Shift / Overnight	Midnight to morning	+15-20% on labor	24/7 facilities like data centers and airports.
Weekends Only	Saturday and Sunday	+50% overtime pay	Projects in active retail or office spaces that cannot tolerate weekday disruption.
Split Shift	Two short shifts with a gap in between	+15% on labor	Facilities with specific quiet hours (e.g., work 6-9 AM and 6-9 PM around classes).
Mixed Shifts	Combination of day and off-hours	+10-15% on labor	Large projects where some areas can be done during the day and others must be done at night.
4/10s	Four 10-hour days (Mon-Thu)	Small extra — last 2 hours each day may be overtime	Contractors who prefer longer days with Fridays off.

Section: Transit / Railroad Toggle

This is a checkbox labeled "Transit / Railroad Project" with a train emoji. It is for projects located on railroad property, in transit stations, along rail corridors, or on any property owned by a transit agency or railroad company.

When to Turn This On

• The project is at a train station, subway station, or light rail station.
• The project is in a railroad right-of-way (ROW).
• The project owner is a transit agency (like BART, Metro, Amtrak, Union Pacific, etc.).
• The specification mentions RWIC, flagmen, or railroad safety requirements.

What Happens When You Turn It On

Railroad and transit work is dramatically more expensive than normal construction. When you check this box, SmartPlans adds a detailed cost panel showing mandatory railroad costs:

Cost Item	What It Is	Typical Cost
RWIC Flagman	Railroad Worker In Charge — a safety person who must be on site whenever you work near active tracks. Required by federal law.	$1,200/day x 25+ days = $30,000+
RPL Insurance	Railroad Protective Liability Insurance — special insurance required by railroads to protect against claims.	$15,000 - $50,000 per project
Safety Training (TWIC / Railroad Orientation)	TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential plus railroad-specific safety training for every worker.	$200 - $500 per person
Railroad Escort	A railroad employee who must accompany your crew in certain areas.	$1,000/day
Restricted Work Windows	You can only work during specific hours when trains are not running (often 1 AM - 4 AM).	Huge labor premium (night/overtime rates)
Specialty Railroad Tools	Special insulated tools, hi-rail vehicles, and track safety equipment.	Varies

Prior Estimate Optional

If you have an earlier estimate or budget number for this project (from a different tool or from someone else), paste it here. The AI will reference it during analysis and may flag significant differences between the old estimate and the new one.

Section: Pricing & Rate Configuration (Collapsible)

This section is collapsed by default. Click the section header to expand it. This controls the prices, rates, and markups for your entire bid.

Material Pricing Tier Required

Tier	What It Means	Example: Camera Price	Example: Cable Box Price
Budget	Cheapest products that still meet requirements. Off-brand or economy models.	~$120	~$180
Mid-Range	Normal name-brand products. This is the default and what most bids use.	~$350	~$320
Premium	Top-of-the-line, most expensive products from premium manufacturers.	~$650	~$480

Regional Cost Multiplier Required

Area	Multiplier	What It Does to a $10,000 Material Bill
Small towns / cheap areas	0.80	Makes it $8,000
National Average	1.00	Keeps it at $10,000
West Coast (CA, OR, WA)	1.25	Makes it $12,500
Northeast (NY, MA, CT, NJ)	1.35	Makes it $13,500
Hawaii	1.40	Makes it $14,000

Labor Rates

Six boxes where you type how much each type of worker costs per hour. If you turned on prevailing wage, these fill in automatically and you do not need to change them.

Worker Type	Default Rate	Typical Range
Project Manager (PM)	$65/hr	$65 – $120/hr
Journeyman Tech	$38/hr	$35 – $85/hr
Lead Tech	$45/hr	$45 – $95/hr
Foreman	$52/hr	$50 – $110/hr
Apprentice	$22/hr	$18 – $50/hr
Programmer	$55/hr	$55 – $130/hr

Include Labor Burden Important

Labor burden is the extra cost on top of what you pay a worker — payroll taxes, workers comp insurance, health benefits, retirement, vacation, and training. The default is 35%. There is a checkbox to include or exclude burden.

Example: If a worker makes $50/hr and your burden is 35%, the real cost to your company is $50 + ($50 x 0.35) = $67.50/hr.

Markup Percentages

Markup Type	Default %	What It Applies To	Example
Material Markup	50%	Everything you buy (cameras, cables, racks, patch panels, connectors)	$100 cost becomes $150 sell price
Labor Markup	50%	All labor costs (after burden is applied)	$100 loaded labor becomes $150 sell price
Equipment Markup	15%	Rental tools: lifts, cable pullers, fiber splicers, boring machines	$1,000 rental becomes $1,150 sell price
Subcontractor Markup	10%	Work done by other companies you hire (trenching, core drilling, etc.)	$50,000 sub cost becomes $55,000 sell price

How the Bid Price Is Calculated

Here is the exact formula SmartPlans uses, step by step, to go from raw AI data to your final bid number:

1. Raw Material Cost
   Raw Materials = AI Quantities x Tier Prices x Regional Multiplier
   The AI counts every item. Each item is priced at the tier you selected (Budget, Mid-Range, Premium). Then the regional multiplier adjusts for your area.
2. Material Sell Price
   Material Sell = Raw Materials x (1 + Material Markup %)
   Your markup is added on top. At 50% markup, $100 cost becomes $150 sell.
3. Labor Cost (Loaded)
   Labor Cost = AI Labor Hours x Blended Crew Rate x (1 + Burden %)
   The AI estimates total labor hours. Those hours are multiplied by your blended crew rate, then burden is added.
4. Labor Sell Price
   Labor Sell = Loaded Labor x (1 + Labor Markup %)
5. Equipment Sell Price
   Equipment Sell = Equipment Costs x (1 + Equipment Markup %)
6. Subcontractor Sell Price
   Sub Sell = Subcontractor Costs x (1 + Sub Markup %)
7. Subtotal
   Subtotal = Material Sell + Labor Sell + Equipment Sell + Sub Sell + Travel & Incidentals
8. Contingency
   Contingency = Subtotal x Contingency %
   Default is 10%. You can adjust this in Bid Strategy per category.
9. Grand Total
   GRAND TOTAL = Subtotal + Contingency

Stage 2 — Symbol Legend (Step 1)

What Is a Symbol Legend?

A symbol legend is a special page in your drawings that shows a list of little pictures (like circles, squares, and triangles) and tells you what each one means. For example, a small circle might mean "camera" and a triangle might mean "speaker." It is like a key on a map — without it, you do not know what the symbols on the map represent.

Why Is It Critical?

The AI uses this legend to understand what all the little symbols on your floor plans mean. Without it, the AI has to guess — and guessing is less accurate. With a clear legend, the AI can match each symbol it sees on a floor plan to a specific device type with high confidence.

How to Upload It

1. Find the legend page(s) in your drawing set. They are usually one of the first few pages and are titled something like "Symbol Legend," "Device Legend," "Abbreviation List," or "Drawing Symbols."
2. Click the upload area on this stage. It is a large dotted rectangle. A file picker will open on your computer.
3. Pick the PDF page or pages that show the symbol legend. You can upload multiple files by selecting more than one.
4. You can also drag and drop files from your computer directly onto the dotted rectangle.
5. You will see a thumbnail preview of what you uploaded. Make sure it shows the correct pages.

Stage 3 — Floor Plans (Step 2)

What Are Floor Plans?

Floor plans are the drawings that show the building layout and where all the devices go. They have little symbols for cameras, data drops, speakers, card readers, pull stations, and everything else that needs to be installed. These are the most important documents in your bid — without them, the AI has nothing to count.

How to Upload Them

1. Click the upload area (the large dotted rectangle) or drag your PDF file into it.
2. Upload the full drawing set as one PDF file, or upload multiple separate files.
3. SmartPlans will split each PDF page apart automatically. You will see a small thumbnail picture of each page.
4. A counter shows how many pages/files you have uploaded (for example: "12 files uploaded").
5. If any pages are not floor plans (like a title page or table of contents), you can remove them by clicking the X on that thumbnail.

Stage 4 — Specifications (Step 3)

What Are Specifications?

Specifications (people call them "specs") are the written instructions that come with the drawings. The specs tell you exactly what products to use, how to install them, what testing is required, and what quality standards must be met. For example, the specs might say "Use Axis brand cameras, model P3245-V" or "All cables must be plenum-rated, Cat6A, meeting TIA-568 standards."

What the AI Cross-Checks

When you upload specs, the AI reads them and cross-references them against the floor plan analysis. Specifically, it checks:

• Product/manufacturer match — Did the floor plans show a generic "camera" symbol? The spec tells the AI exactly which camera model to price.
• Cable specifications — Cat5e vs Cat6 vs Cat6A, plenum vs riser rated, fiber counts.
• Installation requirements — Mounting heights, conduit requirements, firestopping, testing procedures.
• Submittal requirements — What product data you need to submit for approval.
• Warranty requirements — Duration and coverage of post-install warranty.

How to Upload Them

1. Click the upload area on this stage.
2. Pick the spec book PDF from your computer. You can upload multiple spec files.
3. SmartPlans will read through all the pages and extract important requirements.

Stage 5 — Addenda (Step 4)

What Are Addenda?

Addenda (singular: addendum) are changes that were made to the original drawings or specs after they were first sent out to bidders. Think of them like corrections, updates, or additions to the original plan. An addendum might say "Add 5 more cameras to the parking lot" or "Change the cable type from Cat6 to Cat6A" or "Delete the fire alarm scope — it is now a separate bid package."

How to Upload Them

1. SmartPlans will ask you: "Are there any addenda for this project?" You will see two choices: Yes or No.
2. If you click Yes, the upload area appears. Click it and pick your addenda PDF files. You can upload more than one addendum — each one shows up as a separate file.
3. If you click No, just click "Next" to move on to Stage 6.

Stage 6 — Review & Analyze (Step 5)

What Is This?

This is the stage where you check everything you have entered so far, and then tell the AI to start working. Think of it like reviewing your homework before you turn it in.

What You Will See

1. Summary grid — A table showing your project name, selected disciplines, file format, building code jurisdiction, and other key settings from Stage 1.
2. Files summary table — Shows what you uploaded: Floor Plans (X files), Symbol Legend (X files), Specifications (X files), Addenda (X files). Each row shows file count and total size.
3. Accuracy indicator — A colored badge that shows the overall quality of your inputs:
   • Green (High) = You uploaded floor plans, a symbol legend, AND specs. The AI has the best chance of being accurate.
   • Yellow (Medium) = You are missing something (like specs or a symbol legend). The AI will still work, but it might not be as accurate.
   • Red (Low) = Something important is missing (like floor plans). You should go back and fix it.
4. Additional notes textarea — A text box where you can type anything else the AI should know. For example: "The 2nd floor is being demolished — do not count devices on those sheets" or "Use 2-hour fire-rated cable on all risers."
5. Begin Analysis button — The large button that starts the AI.

How to Run the AI

1. Review the summary grid. Make sure the project name, disciplines, and other settings are correct. If anything is wrong, click Back to fix it.
2. Check the accuracy indicator. If it is yellow or red, consider going back to upload the missing files.
3. Type any extra notes in the notes box (optional but helpful).
4. Click the "Begin Analysis" button (or click the green Start button in the header bar).
5. Wait while the 27-brain AI engine reads your drawings. A progress display shows which brains are working, including wave animations and status indicators.
6. You will see brain names appearing with their status: running, completed, or failed.
7. When all brains finish, SmartPlans automatically saves your estimate and moves you to Stage 7 (Travel).

How the 27-Brain AI Engine Works

SmartPlans does not use just one AI. It uses 27 specialized AI brains that each focus on a different part of the analysis. Think of it like a team of 27 experts, each with their own specialty, all working on your drawings at the same time. These brains are organized into "waves" — groups that run in sequence because later waves need results from earlier ones.

Wave	What Happens (Simple Explanation)	Brains Involved
Wave 0	Learn the building. The AI reads the building layout — finds how many floors there are, where the rooms are, where the IDF closets (network rooms) are, and how the zones are organized. Think of it as the AI making a mental map of the building.	SPATIAL_LAYOUT
Wave 1	Count everything. The AI counts every device symbol on every sheet. It also calculates cable pathway distances between zones and IDF closets. This is the biggest wave and does the most work.	SYMBOL_SCANNER, CABLE_PATHWAY, and others
Wave 1.5	Organize by floor. The AI takes all the devices it found and figures out which ones belong to which floor. It also figures out which drawing sheets belong to which floors.	PER_FLOOR_ANALYZER
Wave 2	Read the specs. The AI reads the specification book. It identifies required products, brands, cable types, and installation methods. It cross-references spec requirements against what it found on the plans.	Multiple spec-reading brains
Wave 2.25	Calculate labor. The AI calculates total labor hours for every task: cable pulling, device mounting, termination, testing, and commissioning. It recommends crew sizes and project duration.	LABOR_CALCULATOR
Wave 3	Find special conditions. The AI looks for special requirements: permits, seismic bracing, unusual constraints, ADA compliance, code violations, and potential change orders.	SPECIAL_CONDITIONS and others
Wave 4	Build the estimate. Final assembly — the AI combines everything from Waves 0-3 into your BOM, pricing, RFIs, exclusions, and proposal. This is where the numbers all come together.	Multiple assembly brains

Stage 7 — Travel, Per Diem & Incidentals (Step 6)

What Is This?

This stage shows up after the AI finishes its analysis. It is where you set up travel costs if your crew needs to go to another city for the project. It also has a place for extra costs like permits, insurance, and bonding. The reason this comes after the AI analysis is because the AI needs to figure out how many labor hours the project needs first. Once it knows the hours, it can help you figure out how many workers you need and how long the project will take.

What You Will See at the Top

1. Total Labor Hours — The AI shows you the total labor hours it calculated. For example: "1,847 Total Labor Hours." This number comes from the LABOR_CALCULATOR brain in Wave 2.25.
2. AI Crew Breakdown — The AI suggests how many of each type of worker you need (journeymen, leads, foreman) and how many weeks the project will take. It also explains its reasoning.

Enable Travel & Per Diem Costs

1. Look for the checkbox that says "Enable Travel & Per Diem Costs."
2. If your crew does NOT need to travel (the project is near your office), leave it unchecked and skip down to "Other Incidentals."
3. If your crew DOES need to travel, check the box. New fields will appear below.

"No Per Diem — Local Job" Quick Button

If the project is close to your office (within about 50 miles), you can click the "No Per Diem — Local Job" button. This sets all travel costs to zero instantly — no hotel, no per diem, no mileage. Your crew drives to the site each day from home.

Auto-Detection

SmartPlans automatically checks the distance between the project location (from Stage 1) and your office. If the project is within 50 miles, it suggests "Local Job" mode. If the project is farther than 50 miles, it suggests enabling travel. You can always override the suggestion.

Scheduling Mode

SmartPlans gives you two ways to calculate how long the project will take:

Option A: "By Techs" (Default)

Use this when you already know how many workers you want to send to the job site.

1. Click the "By Techs" radio button (it is selected by default).
2. Type the number of technicians (default is 4). This means 4 people working on site each day.
3. SmartPlans takes the total labor hours from the AI, divides by the number of techs and hours per day (default 8), and calculates how many work days the project will take.
4. The work days are then converted to calendar weeks, trips, and hotel nights.

Option B: "By Schedule"

Use this when you already know how many days you have to finish (for example, the GC says "You have 30 days to complete your work").

1. Click the "By Schedule" radio button.
2. Type the number of calendar days (deadline).
3. SmartPlans takes the total labor hours, divides by the number of days and hours per day, and calculates how many techs you need to meet the deadline.

Hotel Nights Per Week

The default is 4 nights per week. This assumes your crew drives to the job site on Monday morning, stays Monday through Thursday nights at a hotel, and drives home on Friday evening. If your crew stays all 7 nights (no weekend trips home), change this to 7. If they only stay 3 nights, change it to 3.

Travel Costs

Field	Default	What to Type	Tips
Hotel $/Night	$175	Cost of one hotel room per night.	For government projects, look up GSA rates at gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates. Urban areas are more expensive.
Per Diem $/Day	$79	Daily food money per person.	"Per diem" means "per day." The GSA standard M&IE rate is about $79/day. Major cities can be $80-$100+.
Mileage (RT Miles)	0	Round-trip driving distance in miles from your office to the job site.	Multiplied by the IRS standard mileage rate ($0.70/mile for 2026). Enter 0 if flying.
Airfare $/Person	$0	Round-trip plane ticket per person.	Use if flying instead of driving (usually when the project is 500+ miles away). Enter 0 if driving.
Rental Car $/Day	$85	Cost per day for a rental truck or car at the project location.	Typical: $65-120/day for a work truck. Your crew needs a vehicle to get from the hotel to the job site.
Parking $/Day	$25	Parking cost per day at or near the job site.	Downtown projects: $25-50/day. Suburban projects are often free.
Tolls $/Trip	$0	Total tolls per round trip.	Add up all toll roads and bridges on your route.

Other Incidentals

These are additional project costs that are not part of materials, labor, or travel. They appear below the travel section and are always visible, even if travel is disabled.

Field	Default	What It Is	Tips
Permits $	$0	Fee paid to the city or county for a construction permit and inspections.	Call the local building department to ask about permit fees. Typically $500-$5,000 depending on project size.
Insurance $	$0	Extra insurance required for this specific project (beyond your normal company policy).	Some projects require adding the owner as "additional insured" or require higher coverage limits. Ask your insurance agent.
Bonding $	$0	Performance bond or payment bond cost.	Typically 1-3% of the total project price. Government jobs almost always require bonds. Private jobs sometimes do too.
Equipment Rental $	$0	Renting lifts, scissor lifts, cable pullers, fiber splicers, boring machines, etc.	Get a real quote from a rental company. A scissor lift is about $200-400/week. A boom lift can be $600-1,200/week.
Fuel/Transit $	$0	Gas money for your company trucks, tool trailers, and daily transport to/from the site.	This is separate from the mileage reimbursement above. Fuel/transit covers your actual company vehicle expenses.
Unexpected Buffer %	5%	A percentage of your total direct costs set aside for surprises — things you did not plan for.	5% is conservative. 10% is safer for complex or unfamiliar projects. This is NOT the same as contingency in the bid formula; this is an additional buffer on incidentals.

Live Cost Summary Card

At the bottom of Stage 7, a live cost summary card updates instantly every time you change a number. It shows line-by-line travel costs (hotels total, per diem total, mileage total, etc.), incidentals, and the Stage 7 Total. This total gets added to your overall bid in Stage 8.

Moving to Stage 8

Review the cost summary, then click the "Next" button or "View Results" button to go to Stage 8.

Stage 8 — Results & RFIs (Step 7)

This is the big results page. It has everything the AI found, plus all the tools you need to turn the estimate into a final bid. There are many sections here — scroll down through the page to find each one. Let us go through each section in the order they appear.

Failed Brains Banner

If any of the 27 AI brains failed during analysis, a banner appears at the top of the results page. It shows which brains failed and what they were supposed to do. A failed brain means that part of the analysis is missing or incomplete.

Sheet Filter Summary

Shows which drawing sheets were analyzed and which were filtered out based on your selected disciplines. For example, if you selected only Fire Alarm, architectural and plumbing sheets may have been automatically excluded.

Math Validation Banner

SmartPlans runs an automated math check on the AI's results. The banner shows:

• Passed (Green) — All numbers add up correctly. The grand total matches the sum of all categories.
• Warning (Yellow) — Some numbers do not add up perfectly. This could be a rounding issue or a real error. Investigate.

Section Completeness Banner

Shows how complete the AI's analysis is. It checks whether all expected sections (BOM, labor, cable, RFIs, exclusions) were generated. If any section is missing, the banner tells you which one and suggests re-running the analysis.

AI Analysis Text Card

A large card containing the full AI analysis report — a detailed narrative explaining everything the AI found in your drawings and specs. This card has several features:

Feature	What It Does
Table of Contents	At the top of the report, clickable links that jump to different sections (BOM, Cable, Labor, RFIs, etc.).
Copy Button	Copies the entire analysis text to your clipboard so you can paste it into an email or document.
Expand/Collapse Button	Toggles between showing a preview of the report and showing the full thing.
PDF Button	Downloads the analysis as a formatted PDF document.

BOM Table (Bill of Materials)

BOM stands for "Bill of Materials." This is the central table of your entire estimate — listing every single item, organized by category. Each category (like "Cameras," "Cabling," "Access Control Panels") has its own section with subtotals.

What Each Column Shows

Column	What It Means
Item	The name of the product or material (e.g., "Axis P3245-V 4MP Dome Camera").
Qty	How many of this item the AI counted.
Unit	The unit of measurement (ea = each, ft = feet, box = box of cable).
Unit Cost	The cost of one unit of this item.
Extended Cost	Qty x Unit Cost = total cost for this line item.
Labor Hrs	How many labor hours to install this item.

How to Edit the BOM

1. Look through the table to see all the items.
2. If any number looks wrong, click directly on the number. The cell turns into an editable text box.
3. Type the correct number.
4. Press Enter or click somewhere else. The row total, category subtotal, and grand total all recalculate instantly.
5. You can edit quantities, unit costs, item names, and labor hours.

Exclusions & Assumptions Builder

Exclusions are things NOT included in your bid. Assumptions are things you are guessing to be true. Clarifications explain scope boundaries. These three categories protect you legally if there is a disagreement later about what was included in your price.

Three Tabs

Tab	What It Contains	Example
Exclusions	Work that is NOT in your bid price.	"Excludes core drilling and firestopping"
Assumptions	Conditions you are assuming to be true.	"Assumes open ceiling access throughout"
Clarifications	Extra notes that explain your scope.	"Pricing is valid for 30 days from date of proposal"

How to Use It

1. Click the tab you want to work on (Exclusions, Assumptions, or Clarifications).
2. Click "Load Defaults" to populate the list with standard items for your selected disciplines. For example, if you selected Fire Alarm, you will get fire alarm-specific exclusions like "Excludes fire sprinkler system."
3. Click "Auto-Generate" to let the AI create additional items based on what it found in your specific drawings and specs.
4. Read through every item. Remove anything that does not apply to this project.
5. Add custom items using the "Add" button for anything project-specific.
6. Drag items to reorder them as needed.

Bid Strategy Card

Bid Strategy lets you set different markup percentages for different categories of work, and assign confidence levels that adjust contingency automatically.

1. Expand the Bid Strategy card.
2. For each BOM category (like "Cameras" or "Cabling"), you can set:
   • Material Markup % — How much to mark up materials in this category.
   • Labor Markup % — How much to mark up labor in this category.
   • Confidence Level: High (you trust these numbers — lower contingency), Medium (standard contingency), or Low (you are unsure — higher contingency).
3. The contingency percentages by confidence are: High = 5%, Medium = 10%, Low = 20%.
4. Click "Apply Strategy" to recalculate your bid with these per-category settings.
5. Click "Reset" to go back to the global defaults from Stage 1.

Bid Phases & Alternates

Sometimes a bid document asks for a "Base Bid" plus one or more "Alternates." This tool lets you split your estimate into separate phases.

1. Your entire estimate starts as the Base Bid.
2. Click "Add Phase" to create a new alternate. Pick the type:
   • Add Alternate — Extra work that costs more if the owner wants it (e.g., "Add 4K camera upgrades").
   • Deduct Alternate — Work that gets removed to save money (e.g., "Remove parking lot cameras").
   • Optional Alternate — Work the client might or might not want (e.g., "Optional: video analytics software").
3. Assign BOM categories to each phase by clicking the category dropdown.
4. Toggle "Include in Proposal" for each phase. Your exported proposal will show a summary table of all phases with separate pricing.

Competitor Bid Comparison

If you have another company's bid (as an Excel or CSV file), you can upload it and compare side by side.

1. Type the competitor's name in the name box.
2. Click "Upload Bid" and pick their Excel or CSV file.
3. You will see a comparison table with green rows (you are cheaper) and red rows (they are cheaper).
4. Click "Clear Comparison" when done.

RFIs (Requests for Information)

An RFI is a formal question you send to the architect or general contractor asking them to clarify something ambiguous or missing from the drawings or specs. SmartPlans generates RFI suggestions based on gaps the AI found — organized by discipline.

1. Scroll down to the RFI section. You will see a list of AI-generated questions, filtered by your selected disciplines.
2. Each RFI has: an ID code (like SC-001 for Structured Cabling question #1), the question text, and an explanation of why this question matters for your bid.
3. Check the box next to each RFI you want to include in your export.
4. Use "Select All" or "Clear All" to quickly manage selections.
5. Click "Export Selected RFIs" to download them as a formatted text file you can email to the GC or architect.

Symbol Inventory Audit

What Is This?

The Symbol Inventory Audit is a card on the Results page (Stage 8) that lists every single device the AI found on your drawings. It shows you exactly what was counted, where it was counted, and on which sheet number. Think of it like a detailed receipt: "I found 3 cameras in Room 101 on Sheet E2.1."

This is your primary tool for verifying the AI's device counts.

Where to Find It

1. Go to Stage 8 — Results & RFIs.
2. Scroll down past the BOM table and Exclusions section.
3. Look for the collapsible card called "Symbol Inventory Audit."
4. Click the card header to expand it. The full inventory table will appear.

What the Table Shows

Column	What It Means
Sheet	The drawing sheet number where the AI found this device. For example: "E2.1" or "T3.0."
Floor	Which floor of the building this device is on. For example: "1st Floor" or "Basement."
Room	The room name or number. For example: "Lobby" or "Room 201."
Device Type	What kind of device it is. For example: "camera", "data_outlet", "card_reader", "fire_alarm."
Subtype	A more specific description. For example: "4MP dome" or "single-gang."
Qty	How many of that device the AI found in that room on that sheet.
Status	Whether this device might be a duplicate (counted on more than one sheet). Shows a colored badge: green = OK, amber = possible duplicate.

Stats Bar

At the top of the card, a stats bar shows quick summary numbers:

• Total Devices — Grand total of all devices found across all sheets.
• Sheets Analyzed — How many sheets the AI scanned.
• Device Types — How many different kinds of devices (cameras, WAPs, readers, etc.).
• Duplicates Found — How many potential duplicate items were detected.

Sorting the Table

Sort Button	What It Does	When to Use
By Sheet	Groups all devices by their sheet number. (Default view.)	When going through drawings one page at a time.
By Type	Groups all devices by device type. All cameras together, all data outlets together, etc.	When you want a quick total of each device type.
By Room	Groups devices by room name.	When verifying devices in a specific room.
By Floor	Groups devices by floor.	When checking floor-by-floor counts.

Filtering by Device Type

1. Find the dropdown menu at the top of the card that says "All Types."
2. Click it and pick a specific device type — for example, "camera."
3. The table now shows ONLY cameras. Everything else is hidden.
4. To see everything again, switch the dropdown back to "All Types."

Duplicate Detection

The Symbol Inventory Audit automatically detects when the same device appears in the same room on more than one sheet — a common source of overcounting.

1. Check the "Duplicates Found" number in the stats bar. If it is 0, no duplicates were detected.
2. If duplicates were found, look for the amber-colored "Duplicates" panel below the table.
3. Each duplicate entry shows: the device type, the room name, and which sheets it appeared on.
4. For each duplicate, decide: is this really a duplicate (same device shown twice), or are there genuinely two separate devices in that room? If it is a real duplicate, go to the BOM and reduce the count.

Action Buttons

Button	What It Does
Copy to Clipboard	Copies the entire inventory table as tab-separated text. You can paste it into Excel or an email.
Export CSV	Downloads the inventory as a CSV file (spreadsheet format). Includes confidence scores and duplicate flags.
Copy Duplicates	Copies just the duplicates summary to your clipboard.
View on Plans	Opens the Visual Symbol Map — an interactive viewer that shows colored markers on your floor plans.

Visual Symbol Map

What Is This?

The Visual Symbol Map is an interactive full-screen viewer that opens your actual floor plan PDFs and shows colored markers on top of them — one marker for each zone where devices were found. This is the fastest way to visually verify that the AI counted the right devices in the right locations.

How to Open It

1. Go to Stage 8 — Results & RFIs.
2. Open the Symbol Inventory Audit card.
3. Click the "View on Plans" button (it has a map icon).
4. A full-screen viewer opens, showing your first floor plan page with colored markers overlaid on top.

The Three Areas

1. Floor Plan Canvas (Center)

• Colored circles = Device zones. Color indicates device type. Number inside indicates quantity.
• Green squares = IDF (network closet) locations.
• Zone labels = Room or zone name below each circle.
• Floor label badge = Shows which floor in the corner.
• Device count badge = Total devices on this page.

2. Header Bar (Top)

Control	What It Does
Page info	Shows "Page 3 of 24."
Previous / Next arrows	Navigate between floor plan pages.
Zoom + / Zoom -	Zoom in or out on the floor plan.
Close (X)	Close the viewer. You can also press Escape.

3. Sidebar (Right Side)

• Device List — All devices found on the current page, grouped by zone.
• Color Legend — Which color represents which device type.

Color Legend

Color	Device Type
Red	Camera
Indigo	Data Outlet
Amber	Card Reader / Access Control
Green	Speaker / Audio
Blue	WAP (Wireless Access Point)
Red (fire icon)	Fire Alarm Device
Green Square	IDF Closet

Clicking on Markers

Click any colored marker on the map to open a popup window showing the zone name, device breakdown (type, subtype, quantity), and which sheet(s) the devices were found on. Click anywhere else to close the popup.

Keyboard Shortcuts in the Visual Symbol Map

Key	What It Does
Escape	Close the viewer.
Left Arrow	Previous page.
Right Arrow	Next page.
+ (plus)	Zoom in.
- (minus)	Zoom out.

Cable Pathway Analysis

What Is This?

The Cable Pathway Analysis card shows how the AI calculated cable distances — broken down by zone, showing the distance from each IDF closet to each device zone on each floor.

Where to Find It

Stage 8 — look for the collapsible card called "Cable Pathway Analysis." Click to expand.

What the Table Shows

Column	What It Means
Zone	The area or room group name.
Floor	Which floor this zone is on.
Device Count	How many devices in this zone need cables.
Avg Run Length	Average distance (feet) from the IDF closet to devices in this zone.
Total Cable	Total cable feet = device count x avg run x slack factor.

How Cable Distance Is Calculated

The SPATIAL_LAYOUT brain (Wave 0) finds zone locations and IDF locations on the floor plan. The CABLE_PATHWAY brain (Wave 1) calculates the distance between them using Manhattan distance (horizontal + vertical, since cables cannot fly diagonally through air). A slack and termination factor (typically 15 feet per run) is added for cable going up walls, across ceilings, and the extra length needed at both ends for termination.

Scale Calibration & Cable Measurement

What Is This?

The Scale Calibration card shows how the AI determined the drawing scale for each sheet. Drawing scale is critical because it is how the AI converts pixels on the PDF into real-world feet. If the scale is wrong, every cable distance calculation will be wrong.

Where to Find It

Stage 8 — look for the collapsible card with a ruler icon called "Scale Calibration & Cable Measurement."

What It Shows

• Detected scale per sheet — For example, Sheet E2.1 might be detected as 1/8" = 1'-0" while Sheet E2.1A (a detail) might be 1/4" = 1'-0".
• Confidence level — How sure the AI is about the detected scale.
• Building dimension cross-check — If you provided building heights in Stage 1, the AI checks whether the detected scale produces reasonable building dimensions.

Manual Scale Override

If the AI detected the wrong scale for a sheet, you can manually override it. This is important because a wrong scale means wrong cable distances. For example, if the AI thinks a drawing is 1/16" = 1'-0" but it is really 1/8" = 1'-0", all cable distances for that sheet will be doubled.

3D Formula Engine Breakdown

What Is This?

The 3D Formula Engine card shows you the exact mathematical formula and arithmetic behind every dollar in your bid. Instead of just seeing a grand total, you can see exactly how each number was calculated — which quantities were multiplied by which prices, which markups were applied, and how the final number was reached.

Where to Find It

Stage 8 — look for the collapsible card with a calculator icon called "3D Formula Engine Breakdown." It has an indigo (purple-blue) left border.

What It Shows

• Line-by-line material cost breakdown — Each BOM category with raw cost, markup, and sell price.
• Labor cost breakdown — Hours x rate x burden x markup for each labor classification.
• Equipment and subcontractor breakdowns — With their respective markups.
• Travel and incidentals — Pulled from your Stage 7 inputs.
• Contingency calculation — By confidence level if you used Bid Strategy.
• Grand total formula — The final sum of everything above.

Potential Change Orders

What Is This?

A change order is extra work that was not in the original plan. The AI scans your drawings and specs for things that might turn into change orders after the project starts — scope gaps, ambiguities, conflicting information, and missing details.

Where to Find It

Stage 8 — collapsible card called "Potential Change Orders." Click to expand.

What the Table Shows

Column	What It Means
CO #	A number for each potential change order (CO-1, CO-2, etc.).
Description	What the change order is about.
Severity	Critical (deal with immediately), High (significant impact), Medium (worth knowing), Low (minor).
Estimated Impact $	The AI's estimate of how much this would cost if it happens.
Source Brain	Which AI brain identified this issue.
Checkbox	Check to include in your tracking. Uncheck to exclude.

How to Use It

1. Open the card and read through each item.
2. For Critical and High items, either write an RFI to get answers, or add the estimated cost to your contingency.
3. The Total Estimated CO Value at the bottom shows the sum of all checked items.
4. Click "Copy to Clipboard" to paste the list into an email.
5. Click "Export PDF" to download a formatted PDF.

Exporting Your Work

After your estimate is ready in Stage 8, you can download your work in many different formats. The export buttons are grouped together in an export panel.

Button	What It Creates	When to Use
Export All (ZIP)	A ZIP file containing the BOM Excel, Markdown summary, and JSON data file.	When you want everything in one download.
Master Report PDF	A comprehensive PDF with the full analysis, BOM, pricing, exclusions, and RFIs.	For printing or emailing the complete estimate.
JSON (PM App Import)	A data file that other project management apps can read.	For importing into SmartPM or similar software.
Excel Spreadsheet	A multi-sheet Excel workbook with every item, quantity, price, labor, and summary.	When you need to edit in Excel or share with accounting.
Markdown Proposal	A text-format version of your proposal.	For pasting into emails or documents.
Download BOM	Just the Bill of Materials as a spreadsheet.	When you only need the item list.
Supplier BOM	A BLANK BOM spreadsheet (items and quantities, but NO prices).	For sending to vendors so they can fill in their own prices.
Supplier CSV	Same as Supplier BOM but in CSV format.	For email-friendly lightweight file.

Proposal Generator

What Is This?

The Proposal Generator creates professional-looking documents you can send to the general contractor or client. These are formatted Word documents (.docx) with your company branding, scope of work, pricing, and exclusions.

Option	What It Creates	When to Use
Generate Proposal	A full-length proposal with cover page, company info, scope of work, detailed pricing breakdown, exclusions, assumptions, and signature lines.	Formal bid submissions to GCs and owners.
Executive Proposal	A shorter, summary-level proposal for decision-makers who do not want all the details.	When the client wants a 1-2 page overview, not a 15-page document.
Submittal Package	Product data sheets and specification compliance documents for each major product in your BOM.	After contract award, when the GC asks you to submit product data for approval.
Export to SmartPM	A data file formatted for SmartPM project management software.	After you win the bid and need to set up the project for execution tracking.

Supplier Pricing Workflow

What Is This?

This is the process of getting real prices from your vendors and importing them into your estimate. The AI gives you estimated prices, but your suppliers know the actual current market prices.

How to Do It (Step by Step)

1. In Stage 8, click "Supplier BOM" or "Supplier CSV" to download a blank spreadsheet. It has all the item names and quantities but NO prices — the price columns are empty.
2. Email that spreadsheet to your suppliers. Say something like: "Please fill in your best pricing for the attached BOM and return it by [date]."
3. When the supplier sends back their pricing (as a PDF, Excel, or CSV file), look for the "Import Supplier Pricing" button on the Stage 8 results page.
4. Click the button and select the supplier's file. SmartPlans reads their prices and automatically matches them to items in your BOM.
5. You will see a summary showing which items were matched (green) and which were not matched (red). Unmatched items keep the AI's estimated price.
6. The BOM updates with the real supplier prices. Grand totals recalculate automatically.
7. Click "Generate Proposal" again to create a new proposal with the real supplier pricing.

Rate Library

What Is This?

The Rate Library saves prices from your past projects. On future projects, you can apply those saved prices instead of the AI's estimates. The more projects you do, the better your saved prices get — because they are based on what things really cost in the real world.

How to Save Rates

1. After you finish and verify an estimate in Stage 8, look for the "Save Rates from This Estimate" button.
2. Click it. All the current prices from this project get saved to your library.

How to Apply Saved Rates to a New Project

1. Start a new project and go through Stages 1-8 as normal.
2. In Stage 8, find the Rate Library section.
3. Click "Apply to Estimate." SmartPlans replaces the AI prices with your saved prices wherever it finds a matching item name.
4. Items that match are updated. Items with no match keep the AI's price.
5. You can also search, delete old rates, or update individual rates.

Actuals & Benchmarks

What Is This?

After a project is completely done and all the bills are paid, you can go back and tell SmartPlans what you actually spent. SmartPlans compares your original estimate to the actual costs and tracks the variance. Over time, this builds a benchmark database that makes future estimates more accurate.

How to Record Your Actual Costs

1. Click "Saved" in the header bar to open your saved estimates.
2. Find the completed project.
3. Click "Actuals" (or "Record Actuals").
4. For each category, type what you actually spent on materials and labor.
5. SmartPlans shows a comparison: estimated vs. actual, with the dollar and percentage variance for each category.

How Benchmarks Help

After recording actuals on several projects, SmartPlans builds benchmark averages. On future estimates, you will see messages like "Based on 5 past projects, this category averages $X per unit." Use these to validate the AI's numbers.

Pricing Configuration Reference

Quick reference for all pricing settings that live in Stage 1's "Pricing & Rate Configuration" section:

Setting	What It Means	Default	Where It's Used
Material Markup %	Percentage added on top of raw material cost.	50%	Applied to every material line in the BOM.
Labor Markup %	Percentage added on top of loaded labor cost.	50%	Applied to total labor after burden.
Equipment Markup %	Percentage added on rental equipment.	15%	Applied to tool and equipment rentals.
Subcontractor Markup %	Percentage added on subcontractor work.	15%	Applied to all sub costs.
Burden Rate %	Employer-side labor costs (taxes, insurance, benefits).	35%	Multiplied into loaded labor rate.
Regional Multiplier	Area-based price adjustment.	1.00 (national avg)	Multiplied against all material prices.
Pricing Tier	Product quality level.	Mid-Range	Determines which price database the AI uses.

Saved Estimates Panel

What Is This?

Every estimate you create is saved automatically to the cloud. You can access them from any computer by logging in. The Saved Estimates panel lets you manage all your past work.

How to Open It

1. Click the "Saved" button in the header bar at the top of the page.
2. A panel slides out from the right side of the screen showing all your saved estimates.
3. Each estimate shows its project name, date, and total value.

Available Actions

Button	What It Does
Load	Opens the saved estimate with all its settings, files, AI results, and BOM edits. You can continue working on it.
History	Opens Version History for this estimate. See every revision that was saved.
Actuals	Opens the Actuals recording screen for completed projects.
Delete	Permanently removes this estimate. You will be asked to confirm before deletion.

Version History

What Is This?

Every time you save your estimate, SmartPlans creates a new version — like a snapshot in time. If you make changes and decide you liked an earlier version better, you can go back to it.

How to Use It

1. In Stage 8, find the Version History section (or click "History" from the Saved panel).
2. You will see a list of all saved versions with dates, times, and brief descriptions of what changed.
3. Click on any two versions to compare them side by side. SmartPlans highlights what changed — quantities, prices, added items, removed items.
4. If you want to go back to an old version, click "Restore" next to it. The old version becomes the current working estimate.

Keyboard Shortcuts & Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Where	What It Does
Ctrl + Shift + R	Anywhere	Hard refresh. Reloads the page completely, clearing any cached data. Fixes most display problems.
Escape	Anywhere	Closes any open modal, popup, or viewer (PDF Tool modal, Visual Symbol Map, etc.).
Left Arrow	Visual Symbol Map	Go to the previous floor plan page.
Right Arrow	Visual Symbol Map	Go to the next floor plan page.
+	Visual Symbol Map	Zoom in on the floor plan.
-	Visual Symbol Map	Zoom out on the floor plan.

Helpful Tips

• The app works offline (partially). SmartPlans saves a copy of itself in your browser using a service worker. If your internet goes out briefly, you can still view previously loaded estimates. You need internet to run AI analysis, save, or load estimates.
• All documents have "3D CONFIDENTIAL" in the footer. This appears on proposals, BOM exports, and other generated documents to protect proprietary pricing.
• 8 stages, one at a time. Go through each stage in order. You cannot jump ahead to Stage 8 without going through Stages 1-7 first. But you CAN go back to any completed stage at any time.
• Unsaved changes warning. If you try to close the browser with work in progress, SmartPlans will show a confirmation dialog so you do not lose your work accidentally.
• Use the PDF Page Extractor early. Before uploading files, trim your PDFs down to only the relevant pages. This saves time, money, and improves accuracy.
• Upload all legends. If your plan set has separate legends for electrical, security, fire alarm, and telecom, upload ALL of them to Stage 2. More context = better AI accuracy.
• Check your disciplines. Make sure you selected all relevant disciplines in Stage 1. If you are bidding fire alarm AND access control, both must be checked. Missing a discipline means the AI will not count those devices.

Troubleshooting

If something is not working right, find your problem in the left column and try the fix in the right column.

Problem	Plain-English Fix
I don't see the new clarification pop-up / Save Progress button	Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac). Confirm the console shows Build: v5.143.1 — 2026-04-28. Old service worker may be cached.
I clicked Save Progress & Exit, came back, but my answers didn't pre-fill	Project name must match. If you renamed the bid, the saved answers no longer link to it. Also: saves expire after 30 days; check the date you originally saved.
The Continue button stays gray and won't unlock	Every question needs an answer (option clicked OR write-in typed). Scroll up — the "X of N answered" counter at the top tells you how many remain. Find the rows without a highlighted choice or empty write-in field.
SmartPlans skipped some E-prefix sheets in my upload	Fixed in v5.138.0 (April 26, 2026). Hard refresh and retry. The progressive prefix-fallback now keeps every E-sheet (ED-1.01, ESD-300, EE-101, etc.) regardless of mechanical/structural coordination text on the page.

Problem	What to Do
"Analysis failed" error	Check your internet connection and try again. If it keeps failing, try uploading fewer pages at a time using the PDF Page Extractor. If you see an API quota warning banner, wait a few minutes for rate limits to reset.
"Save failed" error	The database might be temporarily down. Wait a minute and try again. If it continues, check your internet connection.
Numbers do not match expectations	Press Ctrl + Shift + R to hard refresh. Check the Scale Calibration card to make sure drawing scale was detected correctly. Open the 3D Formula Engine to see the exact math behind each number.
PDF will not upload	Make sure your file is under 100MB. If bigger, use the PDF Page Extractor to split it into smaller files. Also check that the file is a valid PDF (not renamed from another format).
Supplier import did not match items	The item names in the supplier's file need to be similar to the names in your BOM. Check the "unmatched items" list. You may need to manually edit item names to improve matching.
Stage 7 is not showing up	Stage 7 only appears after the AI analysis finishes in Stage 6. Make sure the analysis completed successfully (check for the green checkmark on Step 5).
Travel costs are not in my total	Make sure you checked the "Enable Travel & Per Diem Costs" checkbox in Stage 7. If it is unchecked, travel costs are $0.
Change orders card is empty	Not every project has potential change orders. If the AI found no scope gaps, the card may be empty — that is actually a good sign.
Accuracy indicator is red	Go back to earlier stages and upload the missing files. Floor plans are required. Symbol legend and specs are strongly recommended. The more input you provide, the higher the accuracy.
Visual Symbol Map shows no markers	The map requires results from the SPATIAL_LAYOUT brain (Wave 0) and SYMBOL_SCANNER brain (Wave 1). If those brains failed, markers will not appear. Re-run the analysis.
Symbol Inventory shows 0 items	The SYMBOL_SCANNER brain may not have found any device symbols. Check that your floor plans have clear, recognizable device symbols. Try uploading a symbol legend if you did not already.
Markers are in the wrong location	Marker positions are zone-level estimates, not exact pixel positions. They show the general area. Use them as a guide for count verification, not for precise location mapping.
PDF Page Extractor shows an error	Make sure your page numbers are valid (between 1 and the total page count). Use the format "1-10, 15, 20-25" with commas between items and dashes for ranges. Do not use letters or special characters.
Prevailing wage rates look wrong	Make sure you selected the correct county (California) or state/metro area (other states). Rates vary significantly by location. If rates still look wrong, manually enter the correct rates from the DIR or DOL wage determination.
Transit/Railroad costs are too high	Railroad costs ARE expensive — that is normal. RWIC flagmen alone can cost $30,000+. If the project is not actually on railroad property, uncheck the Transit/Railroad toggle in Stage 1.
API Quota Warning banner appears	The AI processing keys have hit rate limits. The banner shows how many keys are available. Wait for the countdown timer to expire, then click "Re-check." If critical (all keys exhausted), wait 1-2 minutes for quotas to reset.
Page loads blank or looks broken	Press Ctrl + Shift + R to hard refresh. If that does not work, clear your browser cache (Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data) and reload.
Cannot log in	SmartPlans accounts are restricted to @3dtsi.com email addresses. Contact your administrator if you need access.

3D CONFIDENTIAL