Beyond the takeoff: Bobyard tackles estimate, proposal, and submittals
Many contractors still have to stitch every bid together by hand: manual counting for a takeoff, pricing in a spreadsheet, drafting the proposal in a document, and submittals in a separate process after the win. That not only limits how much work you can realistically bid on and win, but also keeps estimators tied up in manual work instead of the strategic calls that help grow the business. Until now.
Earlier this year, Bobyard was only tackling the first step, but with the latest release of submittals, it now takes a bid from construction drawings to a priced estimate, a client-ready proposal, and submittals, all in one place.
Why did Bobyard start with takeoffs?
Takeoffs are the hardest step to automate. If software can't read a set of drawings the way an experienced estimator does, nothing that depends on those drawings can be automated either. So we built our own computer-vision models in-house and taught them trade by trade: landscaping first, then electrical, plumbing, paving and finishes.
With the models able to read trade-specific drawings, we could tackle more downstream steps in the overall bid process.
What does connected preconstruction look like in Bobyard?
Here's the path a bid can now take inside Bobyard:
- Run a faster takeoff. AI reads trade-specific drawings to measure, count, and organize quantities up to 90% faster.
- Build a reusable cost database. Build your items, assemblies, and folders once, then reuse them on every bid.
- Set up an accurate estimate. Pull from the cost database, add custom columns and formulas, and apply tax, overhead, markup and margin to build an accurate estimate.
- Generate a proposal. Generate a branded, client-ready proposal straight from your estimate.
- Package submittals. Upload product PDFs and specs, and our AI finds matching products, missing details, then assembles the package into a polished PDF.
What does Bobyard’s expanded platform mean for estimating teams?
Bobyard is all about speed, accuracy, and confidence, which ultimately results in our customers being able to go after the bids they used to skip, lose, or simply run out of time on. Knowing the hiring crisis the construction industry faces, and the benefits of AI on productivity, Bobyard means construction companies and estimators can make the most of the team they do have and drive stronger results.
Bobyard doesn't replace the judgment of an estimator, but instead clears the manual clicking and counting work that pulls them away form more impactful work on pricing, strategy, and . It clears the way so that judgment gets spent on pricing, scope and strategy instead of on re-entering numbers. Takeoff is where this started: customers report takeoffs that are 50–90% faster, and teams send twice as many bids per estimator. Now that the downstream work is connected, the time that comes back doesn't get lost to the next manual step.
What are you missing out on if you're not using Bobyard?
A year ago, Bobyard was a takeoff tool for landscaping. Now, it's the premier solution for estimators from the moment drawings arrive to the moment submittals go out, and we're adding to it every month. Teams on Bobyard are getting incredible results, and calling it their secret weapon against the competition.