Executive Summary The Problem
Every bid starts the same way — someone has to manually count window tags, read through 100-page specs, and translate that into a quote. That's hours of work before you can even think about price.
The "Takeoff Stack" — Three AI Layers You Need
Layer A: Computer Vision (The "Eyes")
What it does: Scans blueprints to identify shapes and extract dimensions automatically.
Best Tool for PGC: Togal.AI — Built specifically for glazing and window contractors. Claims 97%+ accuracy on window counts.
Layer B: Multimodal LLMs (The "Brain")
What it does: Reads the "fine print" — specifications, RFI logs, contract notes — and extracts structured requirements.
Best Tool for PGC: Gemini 1.5 Pro (via Google AI Studio, free tier) or Handoff.AI for project scoping.
Layer C: Deterministic Logic (The "Calculator")
What it does: Takes the Count (from Layer A) and the Spec (from Layer B) and applies PGC's actual pricing, labor rates, and markup formulas.
Best Tool for PGC: Your own formulas in a Google Sheet or Handoff.AI pricing engine.
MVP 1: The "AI Spec-Sifter" ⭐ Start Here
Cost: Free | Timeline: 1-2 hours | Software: None (uses free Gemini API)
🎯 The Goal
Prove that AI can extract requirements from specs faster and more accurately than a human.
📋 What to Do
- Open https://ai.google.com/gemini-api (free tier, no setup)
- Upload one of your current project spec PDFs
- Ask it this prompt:
"I am a glazing contractor. Read this document carefully. I need you to extract every specific requirement related to: (1) glass type/thickness per floor or elevation, (2) frame material and finish, (3) thermal performance ratings (U-factor, SHGC), (4) any hardware or anchor specifications. Format your answer as a structured checklist. Flag anything that seems contradictory between drawings and specs."
- Compare the output to what your team extracted manually.
💡 What You'll Learn
- Where AI excels (speed, consistency)
- Where it struggles (non-standard layouts, handwritten annotations)
- Whether this alone saves you enough time to be worth it
MVP 2: The "Digital Counter"
Cost: Free trial (7 days) | Timeline: 30 minutes | Software: Togal.AI
🎯 The Goal
Eliminate the tedious click-counting of window tags on floor plans.
📋 What to Do
- Sign up for Togal.AI's 7-day free trial at https://www.togal.ai
- Upload a set of plans from one current project
- Use the "Image Search" feature to count all window tags (W1, W2, etc.)
- Export the count to Excel
- Compare to your manual count
💡 What You'll Learn
- How accurate the AI count is on your specific drawing formats
- Whether the exported data is structured enough to feed into your estimating process
- If the time savings justifies the $299/user/month cost
MVP 3: The "Voice-to-Scope"
Cost: Free trial (7 days) | Timeline: 1 site visit | Software: Handoff.AI
🎯 The Goal
Turn a site walkthrough into a quote without re-typing notes back at the office.
📋 What to Do
- Sign up for Handoff.AI's 7-day free trial at https://www.handoff.ai
- During your next site visit, record a voice memo describing the scope
- Upload the audio (or transcript) into Handoff.AI
- Let it generate a structured scope and preliminary estimate
💡 What You'll Learn
- How well voice transcription works for glazing terminology
- Whether the output is close enough to your actual pricing to be useful
- If this workflow saves meaningful time between site visit and quote delivery
🎯 Recommended Starting Point
Once you've validated MVP 1, move to MVP 2 (Togal.AI trial) to test the counting automation. Run both in parallel on the same project for maximum insight.