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What does construction software in Tradecraft actually do?
Construction software in Tradecraft covers the two halves of a small-project or remodeling business: winning the work and running it. On the bid side, a bid desk reads the packages you upload, extracts the specification line by line, and cites the exact page each requirement came from, so your estimator can price from the document instead of a PDF and a highlighter. Addenda that change the scope are flagged, and RFIs are tracked with due dates and assignees on the bid itself.
On the delivery side, it is the system your office uses to turn the accepted bid into work: a quote the customer approves, a crew schedule, job documents with e-signature, and an invoice that matches what was agreed. It is aimed at construction and remodeling companies doing service and small-project work, not at enterprise general contractors who need a full construction ERP. The bid desk and the bid network are Business plan features.
How Construction and remodeling companies use Tradecraft
Win the bid
Read the bid package before you price it
Upload the package and the bid desk reads it: every requirement is extracted line by line with a citation to the exact page it came from, tagged by trade, and organized for review. When an addendum lands and changes the scope, the affected lines are flagged so nothing gets priced against yesterday's documents. Your estimator reviews the extracted takeoff, corrects it, and prices from the reviewed scope.
- Specification takeoff extracted line by line from the documents you upload
- Every requirement cites the exact page it came from
- Addenda that change the scope are flagged against the affected lines
- Estimate lines for labor, equipment, subcontractor work, and allowances
Who decides
Your estimator reviews every extracted line and sets the price. The takeoff organizes the document; it does not decide what the work is worth.
bid · kitchen remodel
- estimator uploaded: bid package
- bid desk read: cites every page
- bid desk takeoff: line by line
- bid desk addendum flag: tile scope changed
- estimator reviewed: takeoff confirmed
Takeoff reviewed against today's documents · priced by your estimator
Win the bid
Track RFIs and requirements where the bid lives
The questions that decide a bid usually live in an email thread nobody can find later. In Tradecraft, each RFI is written on the bid with a due date and an assignee, moved through statuses as it is answered, and kept with the package it belongs to. When the response changes the scope, the requirement it touches is right there. Your bid record stays the single place the story of the package is told.
- Each RFI carries its question, due date, assignee, and status
- Statuses move from drafted to answered as your team works them
- Responses stay attached to the bid and its requirements
- The requirement list and the RFI list read from the same documents
Who decides
You decide which questions go out, who owns each one, and when an answer closes it. Tradecraft keeps the record; it does not write your RFIs for you.
bid · kitchen remodel · RFIs
- estimator RFI drafted: tile transition
- estimator sent: RFI 03
- architect answered: RFI 03
- bid desk scope line: updated for review
- estimator confirmed: the change
RFI answered and closed · scope line updated on the bid
Win the bid
Draft the proposal from the reviewed scope
The proposal is written from the reviewed scope and estimate, not from a blank page. Sections cover the work, the requirements you are carrying, and the numbers, and your team revises them in the proposal studio until the package reads the way you bid. When it is ready, it is exported and submitted through whatever channel the package requires.
- Proposal sections generated from the reviewed scope and takeoff
- Estimate lines carried through, including subcontractor and allowance lines
- Revised in place with your team's edits
- Exported for submission when it is ready
Who decides
Your team writes and revises every proposal. Tradecraft carries the reviewed scope into the draft so the numbers and the words stay the same.
proposal · kitchen remodel
- estimator scope reviewed: takeoff lines confirmed
- proposal studio drafted: sections from the scope
- you revised: in the studio
- you approved: proposal v3
- proposal studio exported: for the bid deadline
Proposal exported for submission · words and numbers match the scope
Run the work
Turn the accepted bid into the running job
When the customer says yes, the accepted scope becomes a quote they approve and a job on your schedule. Crews go on the board with the dispatch copilot suggesting who has room in the week, and the same record carries the documents, the e-signatures, and the invoice at the end. If the work changes on site, the revised quote goes back for approval so the invoice still matches what was agreed.
- The accepted scope becomes the quote, the job, and the schedule entry
- Dispatch recommendations explain why a crew was suggested
- Documents with e-signature stay attached to the job
- The invoice is created from the accepted quote, not retyped
Who decides
The copilot recommends. It never assigns a crew on its own. Every assignment is applied by a person on your team, and every revised scope goes back to the customer for approval.
job · kitchen remodel
- customer accepted: the quote
- dispatch suggested: crew with room
- dispatcher applied: Dale's crew
- board scheduled: start week
- invoice created: from the accepted quote
Accepted scope, crew, documents, and invoice on one record
Example workflow: a small remodel from package to final invoice
A fictional Wednesday in March for a five-person remodeling company. Names and details are illustrative. The steps are the ones Tradecraft supports today.
The package lands on a Wednesday
A kitchen remodel bid set arrives with two addenda. The office uploads it to the bid desk, where the specification is extracted line by line, each requirement citing the page it came from.
An addendum changes the scope
Addendum two swaps the backsplash tile. The affected lines are flagged, and the estimator reviews them before pricing rather than catching the change after submission.
The estimator prices the reviewed scope
The estimate carries labor, equipment, the subcontractor line for the electrical rough-in, and an allowance for the customer's fixtures. She corrects two extracted lines and sets the price.
An RFI goes out on the island transition
A question about the tile transition at the island is written on the bid with a due date, assigned to the estimator, and answered before the deadline. The response stays with the package.
The proposal is drafted from the scope
The proposal studio writes its sections from the reviewed scope and estimate. The team revises the wording, exports the package, and submits it through the channel the documents require.
The customer approves the quote
Three weeks later the remodel is awarded. The accepted scope becomes a quote the customer approves online, and the job goes on the schedule with a start date.
The work runs and the invoice matches
The crew week is built with reviewed dispatch recommendations, job photos and signed documents stay attached to the job, and the invoice is created from the accepted quote with an online payment link tracked until it is paid.
See this Construction workflow with your own jobs
Bring a real week from your shop. We will walk through intake, the schedule board, quotes, and invoices using your scenario.
What Tradecraft does not do for construction companies
Clear boundaries save you a demo you do not need. Tradecraft runs service and small-project construction work.
- The spec takeoff reads documents and cites pages. It does not measure drawings, count from plans, or set prices.
- It does not run progress billing, retainage, AIA pay applications, or submittal workflows.
- It is not a construction ERP. Deep project controls for enterprise general contractors belong in the tools built for them.
- The bid desk and the bid network are Business plan features. The network is invite-only, not an open lead marketplace.
- The dispatch copilot recommends technicians. It does not assign them automatically, and it does not promise arrival windows to customers.
- AI usage beyond the included monthly credits is billed as additional usage. The platform fee does not include every call at any volume.
How to choose construction software
Ask every vendor these questions, including us. The honest answers for Tradecraft are next to each one.
- Can it read the bid package, or only store it?
- Tradecraft: On Business, the bid desk extracts the specification line by line and cites the page each requirement came from. Your estimator reviews and prices it.
- Where do RFIs and addenda live?
- Tradecraft: On the bid. RFIs carry a due date, assignee, and status; addenda that change scope flag the affected lines.
- Does the price rise with every crew member?
- Tradecraft: No. Technicians are unlimited. You pay for office seats: 3 on Shop, 10 on Business.
- How is AI usage billed?
- Tradecraft: Included credits each month, 1,000 on Shop and 5,000 on Business, with additional usage metered after that.
- Does the accepted bid connect to the running job?
- Tradecraft: Yes. The accepted scope becomes the quote the customer approves, the job on the schedule, and the invoice at the end.
- Who controls dispatch decisions?
- Tradecraft: Your dispatcher. Recommendations explain their reasons and are applied by a person.
- Does it replace our accounting system?
- Tradecraft: No. It connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero, which stay the books of record.
- Can we see it with our own package before buying?
- Tradecraft: Yes. Bring a real bid package to a demo and we will read it together.
How Tradecraft compares for construction companies
Construction and remodeling companies often shortlist one of these. Each comparison explains where the other product fits and where Tradecraft fits better.
- vs URBLDTrade-tuned AI OS vs general contractor OSURBLD positions as an AI business operating system with Jarvis-style workflow execution for service companies. Choose URBLD if a general contractor OS narrative fits; choose Tradecraft for a trades-specific AI OS with clear Shop/Business economics.Read the comparison
- vs SimproTrade AI OS vs project-heavy contractor ERPSimpro targets contractors with project, service, and job-costing depth; pricing is typically quote-led. Choose Simpro for large project-oriented contractor ERP needs; choose Tradecraft for AI-native service-ops without ERP weight.Read the comparison
- vs QuoteIQFull trade OS vs AI estimating CRM suitesQuoteIQ markets AI estimating, virtual call team, and contractor CRM features with credit-style packaging often cited from low entry monthly prices. Choose QuoteIQ if AI estimating is the wedge; choose Tradecraft when the full field day needs one AI OS.Read the comparison
Plans for Construction and remodeling companies
Flat platform fees billed monthly. Technicians are unlimited on every plan; you pay for office seats and get a pool of AI credits each month. AI usage beyond the pool is metered as additional usage, and card processing fees apply to online payments.
Shop
$199/mo
- Technicians
- Unlimited
- Office seats
- 3 office seats
- Included AI
- 1,000 AI credits per month
Inbound AI voice and chat agent, scheduling and dispatch recommendations, quotes, invoices, documents with e-signature, online payments, internal assistant, and team chat.
Business
$399/mo
- Technicians
- Unlimited
- Office seats
- 10 office seats
- Included AI
- 5,000 AI credits per month
Everything in Shop, plus outbound AI text and call follow-ups, the fleet console, the bid desk, advanced reports, and more integrations.
Enterprise plans have custom pricing and unlimited office seats. Full plan details and annual billing
Construction questions, answered
Can Tradecraft handle construction bid packages?
Yes, on the Business plan. You upload the package and the bid desk extracts the specification line by line, with each requirement citing the exact page it came from and tagged by trade. Addenda that change the scope flag the affected lines, RFIs are tracked with due dates and assignees, and the proposal is drafted from the reviewed scope and estimate. Your estimator reviews every extracted line and sets the price; the takeoff organizes the document, it does not price the work.
Does the spec takeoff measure drawings?
No. The takeoff reads the documents you upload and extracts the specification text with page citations. It does not measure drawing geometry, count from plans, or set prices. Quantities and pricing are decided by your estimator on the reviewed lines. If your process depends on graphical drawing measurement, that work stays in your estimating tools.
How does scheduling and dispatch work for construction crews?
The accepted bid becomes a job on the same schedule board the rest of your work runs on, with crew and unassigned views and a live map. When a job needs a crew, the dispatch copilot scores active technicians on skills, distance, and workload and writes a recommendation with its reasons. Your dispatcher applies the recommendation, changes it, or assigns someone else. Assignments are always made by a person.
Will the AI ever assign a technician without our approval?
No. The dispatch copilot only writes recommendations. Applying an assignment is a human action from the schedule board or the internal assistant, and each assignment is recorded in an audit trail with who made it and why. If nobody acts on a recommendation, it simply expires after the window you set and the job stays unassigned until your team decides.
What does it cost as we grow?
The platform fee does not change when you add technicians or crews. Shop is $199 per month billed monthly with 3 office seats and 1,000 AI credits. Business is $399 per month billed monthly with 10 office seats and 5,000 AI credits, and it includes the bid desk and the bid network. AI usage beyond the included credits is metered as additional usage, and payment processing fees apply to online payments. Full details are on the pricing page.
Does Tradecraft replace our construction ERP?
No. Tradecraft is built for construction and remodeling companies doing service and small-project work. It does not run progress billing, retainage, AIA pay applications, or submittal workflows, and enterprise general-contractor project controls belong in the tools built for them. It connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero, which stay the books of record for the accounting side of the business.
What is the bid network?
The bid network is an invite-only place to find and share bid opportunities with partners you already trust: postings, a partner directory, and links between related businesses. It is not an open lead marketplace, and it is included with the Business plan alongside the bid desk. If you already have your subs and partners, the network simply keeps that work discoverable inside the same system you run the jobs in.
Other trades and more to explore
Bring a real bid package to a demo
Show us a package you are pricing. We will read it together, walk the takeoff and the RFI list, and follow the job all the way to the invoice.
Built by a team from the trades. Read our story