James Darois

## Key Points - Works at Jacobs. Uses OST for takeoffs. Experience spans estimating and project management. Uses ProCore/Prolog to send RFPs. - Heavy focus on bid comparison: gets 10 quotes from plumbers and needs to identify what's included vs excluded across all of them. Currently very cumbersome manual process. - Does pre-construction and bid analysis on large-scale projects. Also handles contract de-scoping and AIA contracts. - Sees a shift post-COVID: owners buying their own materials (appliances, electrical fixtures, door hardware) direct from manufacturers. Supply chain issues drove this behavior. ## Pain Points Mentioned - Bid comparison is the biggest time sink: comparing 10 subcontractor quotes, identifying inclusions/exclusions, narrowing to 3-4, then de-scoping. AI viewer for quote comparison would be transformative. - De-scoping quotes: comparing what subs say they exclude vs what the plans actually show. Very cumbersome, takes the most time. - Contract review (AIA contracts) -- invoking scopes of work, making sure nothing falls through cracks - Drawing search: needs to find things on a word basis that correspond with spec book references ## Product Feedback - Magic wand wish: feed in drawings and bids, get automated comparison - If offered linear footages and materials from plans, could self-procure and save 3-6% markup vs subcontracting - Spec search across drawings that links to spec book sections would be valuable - Suggested selling to both estimators and bosses -- different value props for each ## Next Steps - Follow up on: willingness to pay, budget authority (is PM the buyer?), demo feedback - Mentioned everycontractor.com as a channel to reach contractors - Key insight: estimators are afraid for their jobs -- need to navigate that carefully in positioning