FlowManual

By audience

Estimator

• Reads a 900+ page mechanical spec on the first pass with scope, prices, deadlines and exclusions already labelled in the margin and linked to their clause reference.
• Runs takeoff counts as accept/reject pins on the sheet; the rollup cross-checks each count against the equipment schedule and flags disagreements.
• Levels competing subcontractor quotes scope call by scope call, so the leveled low bidder reflects plugs rather than the raw number.

Project Manager

• Puts the submitted bid side by side with the signed subcontract and ranks every difference by severity and dollar impact before signature.
• Checks each vendor invoice against the locked buyout line by line and gets the dollar delta on any price that moved.
• Clicks any flag to open the PDF at the exact clause, with an audit trail of every model call that IT can inspect.

Procurement & Purchasing

• Locks buyout prices per line and catches invoice lines that drift off them, including items that were never on the buyout at all.
• Turns PO history into a price book with a 90-day outlook and lock-or-wait flags on materials.
• Compares vendor quotes against the spec to see which exclusions each bidder carried before awarding.

Specialty Contracting

• MEP subs read a mechanical spec section for controls, insulation and BACnet scope before pricing the job.
• Catches scope added back into the subcontract between the bid and the signature, where one missed addition runs $5K-$10K.
• Verifies equipment invoices (RTUs, VAV boxes, roof curbs) against the locked buyout before they get paid.

General Contracting

• Reviews subcontractor bids against the spec and owner contract to see which scope no bidder actually carried.
• Levels competing subcontractor quotes on a common scope basis before awarding buyout.
• Keeps the RFI log, submittal register and change orders beside the marked-up contract documents on the same project.

By phase

Pre-Construction

• First read of the spec before the bid goes out, with scope, prices, deadlines and exclusions labelled on the page.
• Takeoff counts and bid leveling to build and sanity-check the number.
• Bid-vs-contract comparison at award, ranked by dollar impact, so scope added back into the contract is caught before signing.

Construction

• Every vendor invoice compared against its locked buyout line by line, with the dollar delta on each change.
• RFI log, submittal register and change-order tracking kept beside the marked-up contract documents.
• Any flag traced back to its exact clause in the executed contract when a scope dispute comes up.