Beam AI Automates Electrical Takeoff with AI

What’s eating up your bid cycle?

If you’re spending hours calculating wiring runs, conduits, and fixture quantities, you’re not alone. Manual takeoffs demand time and effort. Time that could be spent refining estimates or building client relationships. Why let tedious tasks hold you back?

Beam AI simplifies it all. Just upload your plans, and Beam AI’s AI-based takeoff tool does the heavy lifting. In 3 simple steps, you’ll have accurate data to drive competitive bids and make room for the work that really matters.

In this blog, we’ll explore how electrical contractors can use Beam AI to streamline workflows, save time, and gain a competitive edge.

What Makes Electrical Takeoffs So Complex?

Electrical takeoffs are the backbone of any construction project. Without a reliable and efficient electrical system, a building cannot function. However, the complexity of electrical takeoffs come from: 

Keeping up with changes: Project plans are constantly evolving, with addendums and design modifications popping up left and right. Redoing manual takeoffs every time is a recipe for errors.

Chasing tight deadlines: Bidding cycles are notoriously short, and you need to be able to turn around accurate takeoffs quickly to stay competitive. 

Without the right tools, this process becomes a bottleneck, slowing down bids and increasing the risk of errors. 

Key Features of Beam AI for Electrical Takeoffs

1. Automated Takeoff Setup in 3 Clicks

Gone are the days of manually reading through complex electrical plansets. Beam AI automates the whole process in just three simple steps: 

Step 1 - Upload Your Plans

Upload your project’s plans - PDFs, blueprints, or siteplans - directly into the software. Beam AI analyzes multiple files simultaneously, ensuring no detail is overlooked..

Step 2- Define Your Scope of work

Define your scope of work and specify your requirements in plain language. For example, “Take off all conduits, fixtures, and electrical panels from sheets E1 through E5.” The software does the rest leaving no room for guesswork.

Step 3- Hit “Proceed” and Let the AI Take Over

Once your plans are uploaded and scope defined, hit “Submit.” Beam AI’s advanced algorithms analyze the plans, extract quantities, and deliver accurate takeoff data - no manual effort required.

Think of Beam AI as an AI estimator companion, freeing you to focus on winning bids, collaborating with suppliers, or planning resource allocation.

2. Process Multiple Takeoff in Parallel 

Peak bidding season often overwhelms contractors with opportunities they cannot pursue due to time constraints.  Moreover, juggling multiple bids, each with its own set of complexities, often forces contractors to let go of lucrative opportunities simply because there isn’t enough time to bid on every project while doing takeoffs manually. This results in missed revenue and unfulfilled business potential.

Beam AI eliminates this bottleneck by processing multiple takeoffs simultaneously. 

For instance, you can upload plans for a hospital renovation and a retail center and let Beam AI handle both projects at once. This means your team can stay productive without getting bogged down by overlapping deadlines.
Additionally, you can check on each takeoff’s status in real time, ensuring you remain in control and can prioritize urgent bids. 

3. Centralized Takeoff Library

Managing multiple electrical projects often means dealing with a chaotic pile of past takeoff files scattered across emails, local drives, or shared folders. This disorganization makes resulting in valuable data for future bids almost impossible. Beam AI’s Takeoff Library centralizes completed takeoffs, allowing easy access and reuse. 

Imagine you’re bidding on a new office building project with a similar electrical setup to one you completed last year. Simply pull up the past takeoff from the Takeoff Library. Beam AI allows you to review and refine the data, ensuring consistency while saving hours of effort.

By referencing historical takeoffs, you can standardize your processes and ensure every bid is as competitive as possible.

4. Export Flexibility: Streamline Collaboration Across Teams

Collaboration is critical in construction projects as you need everyone from estimators and project managers to procurement teams and clients on the same page. 

Beam AI offers flexible export options tailored to your workflow:

• Excel Spreadsheets: Ideal for integrating takeoff data into your estimating software or for detailed analysis.  For example, if you need to integrate takeoff quantities like wiring or conduits into your estimating software, simply export them as an Excel file. The data is organized for easy import, saving time and reducing manual entry errors.
  
  
• Branded PDF Reports: Need to impress a client or stakeholder? Generate a polished PDF report that overlays takeoff annotations directly onto the project plans. This ensures clarity and demonstrates a professional, detail-oriented approach.
  
  
• Shareable Cloud-Based Links: For real-time collaboration, Beam AI also offers a shareable, cloud-based link. With this feature, external stakeholders can interactively review takeoff data without downloading additional software. They can zoom into plans, view specific quantities, and even leave notes or feedback.
  
  
• Screenshots: Capture specific sections of your takeoff as images for quick reference or to highlight particular elements during discussions.

5. Simplified Addendum Handling with Beam AI

One of the biggest challenges for electrical contractors is dealing with addendums and last-minute changes in project plans. 

Beam AI simplifies this challenge with its resubmit functionality, designed to handle evolving project requirements efficiently. Here’s how it works:

A. Automatic Change Detection:

Instead of starting over with a new plan, simply upload the updated project files. Beam AI’s advanced system automatically detects changes, highlighting exactly what’s different.

Example: A commercial project requires an adjustment to lighting fixtures for an open office layout. Beam AI instantly identifies the updated areas, recalculates quantities, and integrates the changes into the existing takeoff without requiring any manual calculations. 

B. Detailed Change Reports

Beam AI generates a clear, side-by-side comparison of old and new quantities in an Excel report. This report breaks down changes line by line, ensuring nothing is overlooked.

Example: Contractors can quickly review updates, make informed decisions, and proceed with confidence, knowing their adjustments are accurate and complete.

C. Seamless Revision Management:

Need to request corrections or add new takeoffs? With Beam AI, you can resubmit plans for revisions or additional quantities in just a few clicks, saving hours of manual effort.

Example: If Floor 1 is complete and Floor 2 is added later, Beam AI seamlessly integrates the new data into the takeoff, ensuring consistency across all project phases.

Thus, by automating addendum management, Beam AI allows electrical contractors to focus on execution rather than spending time on making revisions. It saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that no detail is missed. 

6. Organize Projects with the Tagging Feature

Large-scale electrical projects often involve multiple circuits, zones, phases, or panels, each requiring careful planning and monitoring. 

Beam AI’s Tagging Feature helps categorize takeoffs into specific zones, circuits, or any custom categories relevant to your project, ensuring manageability and efficiency.

For instance, tags for different floors or zones in a multi-storey office building allow your team to focus on specific areas without losing sight of the overall project. You can also tag circuits to group and monitor specific tasks, such as lighting installations or panel wiring.

7. Advanced Editing Tools for Tailored Takeoffs

Changes in project plans are inevitable. Whether it’s last-minute adjustments to wiring layouts, new design requirements, or correcting oversights in initial takeoffs, these changes often lead to delays and inaccuracies when using traditional methods. Manual edits are not only time-consuming but also leave room for errors, making it challenging to keep takeoffs aligned with the updated project scope.

Beam AI’s Advanced Editing Tool offers various tools to make adjustments to your takeoffs. The users can leverage the editing toolbar to make adjustments: 

• Fine-tune your takeoff: Modify takeoffs using features like Edit, Rotate, Split, Cut Hole, and more. Whether it’s tweaking the layout of electrical conduits, adjusting the length of wiring, or splitting elements into sections, these tools allow you to refine your takeoffs to perfection.
  
  
• Adding Missing Elements: Need to add something that wasn’t included in the AI-generated takeoff? The Add Feature Tool allows you to map and include new elements directly into the project.
  
  
• Reclassify Items: As project zones or categories evolve, the Reclassify Tool allows you to reassign items with ease. For instance, if wiring originally marked for general use needs to be reassigned to a specific building zone, it can be done while maintaining clarity in your takeoff.

The Bottom Line 

Electrical takeoffs demand precision, speed, and collaboration. Beam AI empowers electrical contractors to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and focus on delivering quality projects. 

By automating the takeoff process, Beam AI transforms how contractors bid, manage, and execute projects. Ready to revolutionize your estimating workflow? Book a demo today and experience how Beam AI can take your electrical takeoffs to the next level.