The Blu Estimate Assistant is one of the tools included in Blu Estimator.

While the Estimate Generator helps you create your initial estimate, the Estimate Assistant helps you keep working with it — adding detail, making changes, checking information and using project documents to build out your estimate.

You can ask Blu questions or give it instructions in plain language, and it will use the information available to help you.

Watch this video here or scroll down for full details:

There are lots of ways to use the Assistant as you work through an estimate.

You can use it to:

The idea is simple: tell Blu what you need, rather than manually working through the estimate yourself.

Once your estimate has been created, you can ask Blu to make changes to it.

For example:

Swap the tiling to 12 x 12 inch tiles.

Blu will work out which parts of the estimate are affected and make the relevant changes.

You can also ask it to help reduce the price.

For example:

Find items that could be downgraded to bring the total price down.

After Blu makes the changes, you'll get a summary of what it updated.

You can then continue asking for changes if you need to.

You can also use the Assistant to add information that wasn't included when the estimate was first created.

This could be additional materials, finishes, fixtures or other project requirements.

Just tell Blu what you want to add and it can work out where that information belongs in the estimate.

For example:

Add the specified fixtures and finishes to my estimate.

The Assistant can work with uploaded plans and specifications, allowing you to use the information in those documents without manually going through every page yourself.

Once your plans are uploaded, you can ask Blu questions about them or ask it to use the information to update your estimate.

You can ask questions about information contained in your plans and specifications.

For example:

What's the specified cladding on the western elevation?

Blu will look through the uploaded documents and provide an answer based on the information it finds.

This can also help when you're trying to find specific details without manually searching through your plans.

You can ask Blu to review your documents for information that is missing, unclear or conflicting.

For example:

Draft RFIs for anything unclear or conflicting.

Blu can identify the issues it finds and help draft Requests for Information (RFIs) that you can send to the relevant architect or designer.

If your plans include a window and door schedule, Blu can extract that information and turn it into costed estimate line items.

For example:

Add the window and door schedule to my estimate.

This saves you from manually reading the schedule and creating each estimate item yourself.

You can also ask Blu to pull specified items from your plans or specifications into the estimate.

For example:

Add the specified fixtures and finishes.

Blu can use the information in the documents to identify the relevant items and add them to your estimate.

Have a supplier quote for the project? You can give it to Blu and ask it to use the information to update your estimate.

For example:

Update my estimate with the prices from this quote.

Blu can read the supplier quote and use the relevant items and pricing in your estimate.

This can save you from manually transferring supplier pricing into individual estimate line items.

One of the useful ways to use the Assistant is as a final check before sending your quote.

You can ask Blu to compare your finished estimate against the plans and identify anything that may be missing.

For example:

What have I missed in this estimate compared to the plans?

Blu can review the information in the plans and compare it with your estimate to help identify potential gaps in scope.

This gives you another opportunity to catch something before the quote goes out.

The Assistant can also help turn the information in your estimate and project documents into trade-specific documents.

For example:

Create a Scope of Works and a quote package for the framing carpenter.

Blu can create a trade-by-trade Scope of Work and a quote package that you can use when requesting pricing from subcontractors.

Blu Estimator can help you work through a lot of the estimating process, but it's still important to review the final result before sending your quote.

Use the Assistant to help you find information, make changes and catch potential gaps — then give the estimate a final check yourself.