SmartTrace™ + SmartScope™

The First Estimating System That Thinks Like a Chief Estimator

Side-by-Side Comparison 

SmartTrace™ + SmartScope™ Verses
Traditional Estimators
Bluebeam / PlanSwift
RSMeans / Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools
 

Reads full plan sets (A, S, E, P, M)
✅ Yes – page-by-page intelligence SmartScope™

OCR accuracy on scanned plans ✅

Manual Bluebeam ❌
Manual PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
Partial Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

 

✅ Professional-grade, construction-trained OCR SmartScope™

Understands construction intent ✅

N/A Bluebeam ❌
Limited PlanSwift ❌
N/A RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
Inconsistent Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Yes – rules-based logic + AI validation SmartScope™

Separates assumed vs extracted quantities SmartScope™ ✅

Yes (human) Bluebeam ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
Often hallucinates Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Yes – explicitly labeled

CSI Division-level cost intelligence SmartScope™ ✅
Depends on estimator Bluebeam ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Automated and validated

Eliminates phantom scope (slabs, masonry, etc.) SmartScope™ ✅
Manual Bluebeam ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
Generic RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Yes – hard-locked logic

Reads plans like a senior estimator SmartScope™ ✅
Human-dependent Bluebeam ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Yes

Same-day full estimate + takeoff SmartScope™ ✅
Yes/No Bluebeam (depends who is using program) ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

✅ Yes Time Savings (Same Day)

SmartScope™ ✅
Days to weeks Bluebeam ❌
Days PlanSwift ❌
Days RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌

Partial Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌ 

 

Accuracy range
✅ 97.5–100% costs / 95–98% takeoff SmartScope™
85–95% Bluebeam ❌
75–90% PlanSwift❌
70–85% RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
60–75% Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools❌ 

 

Contractor keeps control of numbers
✅ Yes SmartScope™
Sometimes Bluebeam❌ 
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

​

Negotiation leverage with subcontractors SmartScope™
✅ Yes – verified scope
Bluebeam Limited ❌
No PlanSwift ❌
No RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ❌
No Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ❌

​

Risk of missed scope
No❌ Extremely Low SmartScope™
Medium PlanSwift ✅ Yes
High RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst ✅ Yes
Very High Online Estimators- AI-Only Takeoff Tools ✅ Yes

​

Requires full-time estimator salary 
No❌ SmartScope™
✅ Yes Bluebeam
✅Yes PlanSwift

✅Yes RSMeans/Autodesk-ProEst

✅Yes All AI Programs

What Makes SmartTrace™ + SmartScope™ Different (Plain English)

🔹 Step 1: SmartTrace™ (No AI, No Guessing)

SmartTrace™ does not “interpret” plans like AI tools do.

It:

• Reads plans page-by-page

• Converts drawings into OCR-clean, machine-readable construction data

• Extracts:

  • Text

  • Symbols

  • Lines

  • Dimensions

  • Schedules

• Flags inconsistencies before estimating starts

👉 This is computer-based engineering, not AI guessing.

Think of SmartTrace™ as:

A chief estimator that never gets tired and never misses a page.

🔹 Step 2: SmartScope™ Core (No AI Yet)

Once SmartTrace™ finishes:

SmartScope™:

• Takes the extracted data

• Applies construction rules, historical data, and CSI division logic

• Builds a complete cost framework

• Produces 97.5–100% accurate cost distribution

• No AI involved at this stage

This is why:

• Numbers don’t jump divisions

• Slabs don’t appear when they don’t exist

• Masonry doesn’t show up unless it’s real

🔹 Step 3: SmartScope™ AI (Only After Truth Is Locked)

Only after everything is validated does SmartScope™ trigger AI.

The AI:

• Reads SmartTrace-verified data

• Produces:

  • Full material takeoffs

  • Component lists

  • Red-flag alerts

  • Assumptions clearly labeled

• Matches the verified cost structure

👉 AI is used as a precision tool, not as the decision maker.

Why Contractors Hesitate (and Why This Fixes It)

Contractors are burned by:

• AI hallucinations

• Software that looks good but blows budgets

• Tools that shift liability onto them without warning

SmartScope™ does the opposite:

• Everything is traceable

• Nothing is hidden

• Assumptions are declared

• Control stays with the contractor

That’s why it’s safer than:

• Hiring another estimator

• Trusting AI-only tools

• Relying on generic cost databases

The Real Value

SmartScope™ gives contractors:

• Same-day bids

• Verified scope

• Negotiation leverage with subs

• Budget alignment with contracts

• Reduced change orders

• Reduced liability

• Reduced estimator payroll

• More bids submitted

• Higher win rates

This isn’t estimating software.
It’s project control.