Takeoff software automates and helps standardize the process of establishing and estimating costs in a construction project. Construction takeoff, also referred to as quantity takeoff or material takeoff (MTO), counts, measures, and creates lists of any materials, labor, or other resources that a construction project requires. Takeoff exists firmly within the pre-construction (pre-con) phase of the construction project lifecycle; effective and efficient takeout software results in accurate construction estimates, which in turn mitigates any unrealistic expectations or increased costs at the end of a project.
Construction takeoff software digitizes the previously manual, time-consuming, and error-prone process to streamline the entire bidding process. Both project owners and contractors can leverage takeoff software to determine pricing for materials and resources when generating and publishing bills of materials (or bills of quantities) and bids. Construction takeoff software can exist as a standalone solution or bundled into the functionality of more comprehensive construction estimating software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Takeoff category, a product must:
- Pull quantity data from digitized construction project blueprints and documents
- Enable users to count items on digitized plans (either with point-click or by leveraging optical character recognition (OCR))
- Enable users to measure and calculate area and volume of figures and linear components on a blueprint
- Generate takeoff data that can be utilized in bids/bid packages and estimates
