Short answer: Tristan Wilson says estimators turn specs, drawings and bid packages into a scope and cost. A highway bid package can run 1,200 to 1,500 pages, maybe 80 to 100 of which matter, taking him four to six hours to review.
Watch this answer from Episode 16 (starts at 5:18) · Episode 16 notes and transcript
From Episode 16: AI Agents Reinvent Construction, starting at 5:18.
Jordan Metzner [5:17]: So but, I think all of this just comes down to it. Know, I'm just real really no expert in the highway construction space, but I do like to make some fun games on the Internet. So, let me just leave that into, you know Tristan, why don't you tell us a little bit more about, like, what is Edgevanta? Who are your customers? What do people use it for? And how does it work?
Sam Nadler [5:37]: Question. One of the things that I think is so interesting is, like, this is from my you know, I'm not too familiar with the industry, but it's a kind of a what I'm guessing is historically old school industry. And, like, the part of the process you're tackling, could it will significantly benefit from AI. And I do want you to mention kind of, how that how the presence of AI has really, created some significant efficiencies for the role you're solving for. That's a pretty cool
Tristan Wilson [6:15]: That that's perfect kinda entree into, like, what a little bit about kinda what we do. So I think a few of the challenges that, like, we hear from, the, like, the tens of estimators that we've talked with a little bit about, like, what is an estimator? So an estimator is is a professional that's responsible for on the civil construction side of basically taking a bunch of specs and a bunch of drawings and bid packages and basically figuring out, okay. What is the scope of work? And then how much is it gonna cost us to go do this work? And then how do I make sure that I fill out all of the forms and the requirements and the schedule and everything appropriately to submit a compliant bid? And how you kinda measure success is a couple of things. One, is our bid, been accepted, right, by the owner? And then two, how did we perform on the bid? Were we the low bidder? And then if we win the job, we get to find out, how did what we thought it was gonna cost us compared to what it actually cost us in the field. And the this whole process, like, the way it kinda works today is, like, let's say I'm an estimator in, South Carolina. I get a bid package from a county for redoing a bunch of roadways. So we're widening highway, for instance. I get, like, 15 anywhere from, like, maybe 1,200 to 1,500 pages of documents.
Tristan Wilson [7:29]: So a ton of specifications, bid forms, drawings, etcetera. And I literally have to go through and physically read every single page and then summarize what matters. Because the way it works is there's, like, the like, of the, 1,200 pages, there's probably only, like, maybe 80 to a 100 of stuff that really matters that you wanna make sure that you capture. So you really it's like finding a needle, in a haystack, and it just takes hours. Like, it literally takes I mean, when I did it took me, you anywhere from, like, four to six hours per bid just to review the documents, not even start to take offs or, do my, like, analysis.
