Idea

Increase revenue by making existing internal processes and bid/estimation processes more efficient for the sole purpose of improving hit rate. Create an estimator tool that is prepared for integration with AI and predictive models. Unify all business processes behind one system for ease of use and improved efficiency which will allow us to employ effective data analysis and create an edge within a tight market.

This proposal outlines our understanding of needs, a recommended approach, project timeline, and cost estimates.

Plan

Based on our discussions and research, we understand a primary need for improved processeses around bidding/estimation, but also a path forward where the company is fully prepared to embrace AI.

We will primarily follow the outline written on the right side. As the project evolves, the order of priorities may shift, but this outline will serve as guidance for developing the software in a timely yet efficient manner. For more granularity, have a look at the table below.

Timeline & Costs

Phase / Task
Part 1: Discovery, planning & preliminary reviews 1. Initial discovery meetings 1.1 Meetings: brainstorm ideas, create requirements and outline constraints 1.2 Document information about the current estimation tool 1.3 Create doc to discuss and formulate ideas 2. Cursory mockups & proof of concept Dependency: Requires completion of task 1 2.1 Identify key screens/features 2.2 Create initial sketches/wireframes 2.3 Develop a simple proof of concept 2.4 Review the above with MF and AF ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Review mockups and proof of concept 3. Outlining MVP & future phases Dependency: Requires completion of task 2 3.1 Define core MVP features 3.2 Brainstorm future features 3.3 Prioritize features 3.4 Create a roadmap document 4. Proposal preparation 4.1 Write project overview & objectives 4.2 Draft technical approach 4.3 Outline timeline & milestones 4.4 Finalize & review proposal ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Finalize proposal and roadmap 5. Live server security review 5.1 Server setup 5.2 Evaluate security configurations 5.3 Update server based on these new requirements 6. Bugfixes & maintenance setup 6.1 Establish a bug tracking system 6.2 Define maintenance schedule 7. Outline monthly maintenance plan 7.1 Identify recurring tasks 7.2 Document maintenance procedures 7.3 Schedule monthly reviews
Part 2: Development & integration 8. Database & schema creation 8.1 Gather database requirements 8.2 Design schema diagram 8.3 Define tables & constraints using Drizzle ORM 8.4 Implement schema in database 8.5 Test with sample data 8.6 Document schema & processes 9. API creation Dependency: Requires completion of task 8 9.1 Define API endpoints 9.2 Create API specifications 9.3 Develop core API functionality using HONO or FASTAPI. 9.4 Implement security 9.5 Test API endpoints 9.6 Review & document API 10. Initial frontend render Dependency: Requires completion of task 9 10.1 Define UI/UX requirements 10.2 Develop static frontend pages 10.3 Integrate with backend API 10.4 Responsive & cross-browser adjustments 10.5 Testing & debugging ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Review initial system architecture and interface 11. Live server setup & configuration 11.1 Procure/setup hosting environment 11.2 Install OS and required software 11.3 Configure server & security settings 11.4 Deploy application code Dependency: Requires completion of tasks 8-10 11.5 Testing & troubleshooting 12. External provider integrations (Mailgun SendGrid/Twilio) 12.1 Review provider API documentation 12.2 Set up provider accounts & keys 12.3 Develop SendGrid or Mailgun integration module 12.4 Develop Twilio integration module for SMS 12.5 Testing & validation 13. Consultations with AF 13.1 Schedule & prepare meetings 13.2 Finalize feature list for estimator 13.3 Organize job types & phase codes 13.4 Finalize estimator MVP plan 14. Re-evaluate future phases & frontend re-creation 14.1 Gather user feedback on frontend 14.2 Identify improvement areas 14.3 Redesign UI elements & wireframes 14.4 Implement frontend updates 14.5 Testing & debugging updated frontend 15. CRM creation & integration 15.1 Define CRM requirements & data fields 15.2 Design CRM database structure 15.3 Develop the CRM module 15.4 Integrate CRM with existing systems 15.5 Testing & adjustments ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Review CRM implementation 16. Dynamic transactional templates (client facing) 16.1 Define template requirements 16.2 Develop template generation logic 16.3 Implement dynamic data insertion 16.4 Testing across scenarios 17. Estimation templates from job types (internal) 17.1 Identify estimation parameters per job type 17.2 Design template formats 17.3 Develop template generation module 17.4 Testing & documentation 18. Estimation review templates for MF & flags (internal) 18.1 Gather requirements for review process 18.2 Design review template formats 18.3 Develop the review module 18.4 Testing & refinement 19. Global application variables & update interface 19.1 Define global variables & defaults 19.2 Design UI for variable management 19.3 Develop backend interface for updates 19.4 Testing & documentation 20. CRUD interface for managing variables 20.1 Define CRUD requirements 20.2 Design interface layout 20.3 Develop backend functionality 20.4 Integrate with frontend UI 20.5 Testing & bug fixes 21. Build estimator tool 21.1 Define Estimator Requirements & Formulas 21.2 Design Estimator Architecture Early in this phase, Be sure to review the 500+ phase codes/line items organization from above 21.3 Develop Core Calculation Engine 21.3.1 Create Material Cost Calculator 21.3.2 Create Labor Cost Estimator 21.3.3 Develop Equipment Costing Module 21.3.4 Implement Overhead Calculation 21.3.5 Create Markup and Profit Calculator 21.4 Integrate Phase Codes & Line Items Ensure clear mapping between phase codes, job types, and line items Consider different layout options (buttons vs. select boxes) for linking these items 21.5 Solve UI Challenges 21.5.1 Design Intuitive Form Layout 21.5.2 Create Visual Representation of Calculations 21.5.3 Implement Inline Editing Capabilities 21.5.4 Develop Dashboard View for Estimates 21.6 Implement Version Control & Audit Trail 21.7 Extensive Testing & Refinement 21.8 Documentation & Training Materials Include creation of all templates that will be sent (e.g., communication templates, report formats, etc.) See detailed breakdown at /development/estimating-tool ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Review estimator tool core functionality 22. Integrate estimator tool with new templates Dependency: Requires completion of tasks 17 and 21 22.1 Define integration requirements 22.2 Develop integration module/API 22.3 Test data flow & correctness 22.4 Documentation of integration process 23. Implement database hooks/triggers 23.1 Identify key database events 23.2 Design trigger/hook logic 23.3 Develop & deploy triggers 23.4 Test and debug hooks 24. Backtest estimator against old jobs Dependency: Requires completion of task 21 24.1 Collect historical job data 24.2 Develop backtesting scripts 24.3 Run backtests & analyze results 24.4 Document findings & adjustments 25. Ongoing testing & analysis of estimator tool 25.1 Set up automated testing environment 25.2 Run regular tests on new submissions 25.3 Analyze test results & tune algorithms 25.4 Document continuous improvements 26. Marketing review & ads integration 26.1 Define marketing requirements 26.2 Research & select ad platforms 26.3 Develop integration module for ads 26.4 Testing & feedback iteration 27. Clean existing data for database 27.1 Audit existing data 27.2 Develop data cleaning scripts 27.3 Execute cleaning process & validate 27.4 Document data cleaning procedures 28. Database integration for past projects & LLM prep 28.1 Define data requirements for LLM/flags 28.2 Extract & transform historical data 28.3 Import data into new database 28.4 Tokenization/vectorization process 28.5 Validate & document data integration 29. Quality assurance & testing strategy 29.1 Develop comprehensive QA plan 29.1.1 Define testing scope and objectives 29.1.2 Identify test cases and scenarios 29.1.3 Create test data sets 29.2 Implement automated testing 29.2.1 Unit testing framework setup 29.2.2 Integration testing configuration 29.2.3 End-to-end testing workflows 29.3 Conduct manual testing 29.3.1 User acceptance testing 29.3.2 Edge case scenario testing 29.4 Performance and load testing 29.4.1 Define performance benchmarks 29.4.2 Execute stress tests 29.4.3 Analyze and optimize bottlenecks 29.5 Security testing and vulnerability assessment 29.6 Bug tracking and resolution workflow 29.7 Final QA sign-off process ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Final system review before phase 2
Part 3: Phase 2 – Additional features 30. Supplier integrations 30.1 Define integration requirements per supplier 30.2 Gather supplier API documentation 30.3 Design integration modules 30.4 Develop integration interfaces 30.5 Testing & troubleshooting 31. Train models on estimates/jobs data 31.1 Data preparation & preprocessing 31.1.1 Gather & clean training data 31.1.2 Structure and normalize datasets 31.1.3 Create training/validation/test splits 31.1.4 Feature engineering and selection 31.2 Model development 31.2.1 Define training requirements & metrics 31.2.2 Select model architecture & algorithms 31.2.3 Build prediction pipeline 31.2.4 Implement evaluation framework 31.3 Training & optimization 31.3.1 Train initial model & validate 31.3.2 Hyperparameter tuning 31.3.3 Model iteration and refinement 31.3.4 Optimize parameters & retrain 31.4 Deployment & monitoring 31.4.1 Create model serving infrastructure 31.4.2 Implement versioning and rollback capability 31.4.3 Set up performance monitoring 31.4.4 Establish retraining pipeline 31.5 Documentation & knowledge transfer 31.5.1 Document model architecture and decisions 31.5.2 Create usage guides and limitations 31.5.3 Document training process & outcomes ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Review ML model performance 32. Create interface for model interaction (text & voice) Dependency: Requires completion of task 31 32.1 Define interface requirements 32.2 Design the UI for model interaction 32.3 Develop backend for text interaction 32.4 Implement voice control integration 32.5 Testing & refinements 33. Implement ability to flag estimates 33.1 Define flagging criteria & rules 33.2 Develop flagging algorithm 33.3 Integrate flagging into estimator workflow 33.4 Testing & validation 34. Automate reach out via ads integration 34.1 Define automation requirements 34.2 Develop automation scripts 34.3 Testing & performance evaluation 35. Integrate with Spectrum (if desired) 35.1 Define integration scope & requirements 35.2 Obtain API documentation & credentials 35.3 Develop integration module 35.4 Testing & validation 36. Take‑off integration 36.1 Define requirements for take‑off automation 36.2 Develop extraction & automation algorithms 36.3 Integrate with estimator tool 36.4 Testing & refinements Note: Multi‑tenant architecture setup represents an entirely new stage of the project, not just a phase. This should be considered as a separate major initiative after the current phases are complete as it would require significant architectural changes. 37. Multi‑tenant architecture setup & joint entity (Future stage - not part of current phases) 37.1 Define multi‑tenant requirements 37.2 Design multi‑tenant database architecture 37.3 Develop backend tenant management logic 37.4 Implement tenant onboarding & admin interfaces 37.5 Testing & security review 37.6 Documentation & final review ✓ MF and AF approval checkpoint: Final phase 2 review and future planning

These estimates are based on our current understanding of the project scope. Final costs will be determined after the Discovery phase.

Steps

Key:
or is outside the scope of this proposal but will be considered for future phases/partnerships.
👍 will be done for free or at our cost.
🖖 Split cost.

👍 Discovery meetings w/ MF and AF
👍 Cursory mockups and proof of concept
👍 Outlining MVP + all future phases
👍 Proposal
Database and schema creation
API creation
Initial frontend render
Live server setup and configuration
👍 Live server security review
External provider integrations (Mailgun/sendgrid/twilio)
🖖 Consultations with AF (possibly in person). Decide on final feature list for estimator: NLP, voice control. Organize Job types and phase codes with line items. Finalize plan for estimator MVP.
Re-evaluate future phases + re-create frontend based on feedback and usage
Create and integrate CRM with all existing clients/contacts
Build all transactional templates dynamically. (Client facing)
Create estimation templates from job types. (Internal)
Create estimation review templates for MF and Flags feature. (Internal)
Initialize global application variables and create interface to update them.
CRUD interface for managing per job/per estimate/per client variables.
Build estimator tool. (Implement formulas, auto calculations, phase codes, line items, solve select box problem, version control). (Review detailed list for this step)
Integrate estimator tool with new templates.
Implement all database hooks/triggers
Backtest estimator against old jobs. Explore
ONGOING: Test estimator tool against new submissions. Collect and analyze data. (Until AF is satisfied with output)
👍 Training Anthony and other office personel to use the software (expenses for on-site covered by Flowe if needed)
👍 Bugfixes for 6 months and maintenance for 2 months
👍 Outline monthly maintenance plan
Marketing review/Ads integration
Clean existing data for database
Database integration: input past projects to prepare for LLM and Flags model training, tokenization/vectorization of raw data

💵: Add 12% for overhead/incidentals
💵: Add __x%__ for tax.

Phase 2

Supplier integrations: Interface with Whitecap, Concrete, Rebar, Stone, Rental suppliers and discuss project.
Train both models on all estimates/jobs data. (accepted/non-accepted/completed)
Create interface for interacting wih the model via text and voice (if desired)
Implement ability to flag estimates and parts of estimates via the predictive model
Automate reach out via ads integration.

Phase 3

Integrate with Spectrum (if still desired after this).
Take off integration (TBD) (automate estimate generation from take-offs)
Begin Multi-Tenant Architecture setup and create joint entity to approach construction companies

Idea

Plan

Timeline & Costs

Next steps

Steps