Dawson Estimating Engine

Import

Map & price

Self-check

Review queue

Dawson bid

Step 1: Import the takeoff export. Quantities only; no pricing or cost codes yet.

How it worksiThe engine does the repetitive 80%: mapping, pricing, filling in the items Dawson always carries, and checking its own work. The estimator gets a draft where every number is visible and editable, plus a short list of what needs their judgment. Accuracy depends on the two Dawson-owned inputs under step 2: thin history means more human review, rich history means tight drafts. No vendor can sell Dawson that data.

1 · Quantities in

A takeoff export from software like Togal or Kreo, or quantities from Dawson's current takeoff process. Counts, areas, and lengths by category.

This step runs on

Takeoff exportiQuantities by category from Togal/Kreo or Dawson's current process. Gets ~80% of quantities fast. Measuring is the tool's job; the engine verifies it.ready today

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2 · Dawson layer

Match each line to a Dawson cost code, price it from Dawson history, add the items Dawson always carries that drawings don't list, apply markups.

This step runs on

Dawson cost historyiPast Dawson estimates and completed-job actuals, organized by cost code. This is what makes a price a Dawson price. Every closed project (Sehome, Ironworks, the next one) is added automatically via the Command Center.to assemble

Standards libraryiDawson's rulebook, written down once: what we always carry, production rates, markups, regional factors. The senior estimator's judgment, made reusable.to assemble

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3 · Self-check + human review

The engine checks its own work and routes anything it can't clear to an estimator. Their confirmations and overrides make the next bid sharper.

This step runs on

Project manual (the specs)iThe written specs that come with the drawings. The engine cross-checks them against the takeoff and flags anything the specs require that never got counted.per project

The estimatoriConfirms or overrides flagged lines, applies judgment the data can't (site, market, risk), decides contingency and margin, and owns the bid. The engine never submits anything.in the loop

Who does what

The engine does

Map each classification to a Dawson cost code
Price every line from Dawson history (with a confidence score + which past jobs it matched)
Add items Dawson always carries that the takeoff can't see (door hardware, firestopping, blocking)
Apply Dawson markups & general conditions
Run self-checks and surface anomalies
Learn from the estimator's edits

The estimator still does

Confirm or override low-confidence lines
Resolve every flagged alert
Apply project-specific judgment: site, market, risk, schedule
Decide contingency & final margin
Own and sign the bid (the engine never submits)
Approve, which teaches the system for next time