How does Folio build a construction estimate?
Folio builds the estimate from the scope of work. Each scope line, organized by trade and CSI division, is priced with the unit prices your organization has entered. Where you have no price for an item, Folio looks up a reference price on the web and marks it as a fallback so you can replace it. When a subcontractor is awarded in Bid Leveling, their pricing flows into the estimate. Every line is visible and editable.
THE OLD WAY
Prices scattered across old bids and new quotes.
The numbers that price a building live in past estimates, sub quotes and vendor emails, each in a different format. Building a new estimate means finding them again, retyping them, and checking the math.
When the scope changes, the spreadsheet has to be reconciled by hand. When a sub is awarded, their number is copied in.
Folio keeps the scope and the prices in one structure, so the estimate is built from lines you can trace.
WHAT FOLIO DOES
Scope in. Structured estimate out.
Priced with your own unit prices
Each scope line is priced with the unit prices your organization has entered. The estimate reflects how your firm prices work, not a generic database.
Why it matters: An estimate built on your prices is one your team can defend.
Web price lookup as a fallback
Where you have no unit price for an item, Folio looks up a reference price on the web and marks it, so you can review and replace it with your own.
Why it matters: A marked fallback is better than a blank. You always know which numbers are yours.
Awards flow in from Bid Leveling
When a subcontractor is awarded a package in Bid Leveling, their pricing flows into the estimate. Every line stays visible and editable.
Why it matters: The number you submit and the subs you picked come from the same record.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Built for the people who do this work.
The Senior Estimator
Owns the number. Reviews each priced line, replaces fallbacks with firm prices, and adjusts before the estimate goes out.
The Precon Manager
Watches awards from Bid Leveling land in the estimate and keeps the scope and the number in step.
The Developer or Owner's Representative
Prices the scope with their own historical unit prices to check a contractor's number before committing capital.
of GC capacity spent on bids they will not win
FMI Research
lower productivity growth in construction than other industries since 1964
McKinsey Global Institute
large transport infrastructure projects run over cost, by 28% on average
Flyvbjerg, Holm and Buhl, Journal of the American Planning Association, 2002
FAQ
Common questions
Build the number from lines you can trace.
Bring a drawing set and your unit prices. We will show you the estimate Folio builds from them.
Or email us at connect@joinfolio.ai