From RFP to project: how ScopeMark handles a request for proposal
Upload the RFP documents and ScopeMark's AI drafts the scope, requirements, risks and trade packages, with every finding pointing to its page. Then you ask questions, price it, sub out the trades and, if you win, turn it into a project in one click.
The short version
An RFP arrives as a pile of PDFs, and addenda keep changing them. ScopeMark reads the pile, drafts the first pass for you to check, keeps track of every question and deadline, and carries the result into pricing, subcontractor bids and, if you win, the project itself.
How it works, step by step
- 1
Upload the documents
Add the specifications, drawings, bid instructions and addenda as PDFs. Large files are split in your browser. Label each one (specification, drawing, bid instructions, addendum) so addenda are read as addenda.
- 2
Choose what to cover
Pick the divisions (CSI sections) you care about, such as electrical or fire protection. Reading fewer divisions is quicker, and the overview, key terms and bidder requirements still cover the whole project.
- 3
Get a first-pass draft
The AI returns an overview and fact sheet (bid security, bonds, insurance, liquidated damages), scope and quantities, requirements, eligibility against your company profile, gaps, risks, the schedule and trade packages. Every finding names its document and page.
- 4
Check it
Quotes are matched against the PDF's own text, and a cross-document count check shows when two documents give different numbers, for example 23 fire dampers on one sheet and 24 on another. ScopeMark never picks a winner. That is a question for the consultant.
- 5
Ask the questions
Raise an RFI from any gap or count difference. ScopeMark numbers it, you copy it into your own email, record when you sent it, and record the answer when it comes back.
- 6
Price it
Estimators count devices from plans (the computer finds matching symbols and a person confirms), build the estimate from the company price book, and export a quote as PDF, Word or Excel. Costs and margins stay private to owners and project managers.
- 7
Sub out the trades
Post trade packages to your invited subcontractors, share the RFI answers they need, chase quiet bidders, and compare the bids on one like-for-like sheet.
- 8
Bid, win and start the project
A bid checklist tracks bonds, insurance, addenda and forms, and reopens items an addendum changed. When you win, one click creates the project with its scope and milestones, and the answers you collected travel with it.
What the AI does and does not do
- It drafts. The result is a first pass for a person to review, never a final answer.
- It shows its sources. Each finding points to a document and page. "Verified" means the words are on that page, not that the fact is right.
- It admits what it cannot know. Bonding capacity or past experience that is not in your profile is shown as unknown, never guessed.
- It does not price, give legal advice or send anything. Contract and legal items are flagged for counsel.
- It never creates a project by itself. A person starts a project from a won RFP.
Why this is different
- It starts from the RFP documents themselves, with page-level citations, instead of from a blank form.
- It catches disagreements between documents before you price them.
- Addenda are read on their own and patched into the existing work. Nothing is deleted, so earlier decisions stay valid.
- The questions (RFIs), the bid checklist and the estimate all stay connected to the same RFP.
- Subbing out the trades happens in the same place, with invited subcontractors only.
AI analysis of RFPs is part of ScopeMark's top plan. Estimating is visible only to owners and project managers.
Questions people ask about RFPs
How does ScopeMark work with an RFP?
You upload the RFP documents and ScopeMark's AI produces a first-pass draft: scope and quantities, key terms, requirements, eligibility against your company profile, gaps, risks, schedule and trade packages. Every finding points to the document and page it came from, and a person reviews it before anything is used.
Can ScopeMark price an RFP?
It does not invent prices. It reads what the documents say, such as quantities, and your estimator prices from your own price book. Margins stay private to owners and project managers, and the owner-facing quote has no field for cost or margin.
How accurate is the AI RFP analysis?
It is a draft for a human, not an answer. Every finding cites a page, quotes are checked against the PDF's own text, and anything that cannot be verified is shown as unknown. ScopeMark measures accuracy against scored answer keys and does not publish a figure until enough real projects have been scored.
What happens when an addendum changes the RFP?
ScopeMark reads the addendum on its own and updates the existing analysis without deleting anything. Changed items are flagged with the addendum's name, changed quantities are listed on the estimate, and bid-checklist items that no longer match are reopened.
Can ScopeMark count devices from drawings?
A person draws a box around one symbol and ScopeMark finds matching symbols on the sheet using image matching, not AI. The estimator removes wrong matches, adds missed ones and saves. The total is offered to the estimate and never applied automatically.
How do I sub out a project with ScopeMark?
Describe the job, or start from an RFP trade package. ScopeMark drafts the scope, you choose which of your invited subcontractors can see it, you collect bids and compare them like for like, you award the work, and you track it by milestones with photo proof until the final invoice.