Bobyard, a provider of artificial intelligence software for the construction sector, has released a major update to its platform. The new version, Bobyard 2.0, became available for landscaping contractors on April 8. It is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of project cost estimation, a critical process known as takeoff.<\/p>\n
The update introduces a unified interface for its AI tools and several features aimed at streamlining workflow. Company officials state the goal is to reduce manual measurement errors and the time estimators spend on preliminary project calculations.<\/p>\n
Takeoff is the process where estimators analyze project plans to calculate the quantities and types of materials needed. This forms the basis for a project’s budget and bid. Bobyard 2.0 integrates material data and costs, employing a ‘measure first, price later’ model intended to minimize mistakes from the initial takeoff to the final bid submission.<\/p>\n
A key new feature is called Multi-Measure. It allows an estimator to draw a single line or shape on a digital plan. The system then automatically calculates all related measurements, such as area, perimeter, and volume, simultaneously. This eliminates the need to create separate drawings for each type of measurement.<\/p>\n
The platform’s various AI tools have been consolidated into a single AI Workbench. This includes a Review Workflow option, which lets estimators examine and choose to accept or modify the AI’s calculations before incorporating them into the final takeoff.<\/p>\n
Other updated features provide greater flexibility. The Legend Manager offers a dedicated space to create and manage symbols and pattern legends used in plans. The Text Count feature can convert written words or labels within a drawing into quantifiable count measurements.<\/p>\n
According to the company, the updated platform is designed to create a seamless transition from takeoff to finalized estimate. Importing pricing data and assemblies into the Estimate Table is described as more streamlined. The intent is to allow users to generate a production-ready estimate without exporting data to external spreadsheet programs or rebuilding information for a different view.<\/p>\n
Navigation improvements and a new cross-page search function aim to enhance ease of use. The overall workflow from initial takeoff to a completed, usable estimate is contained within the platform, reducing the need to switch between different software tools.<\/p>\n
Bobyard reported raising $35 million in Series A funding last year. The investment round was led by 8VC, with participation from Pear VC and Caffeinated Capital.<\/p>\n
The company claims its platform currently automates up to 70% of the quantity and material takeoff process. Contractors using Bobyard report an average reduction in takeoff times of 65%. Estimators are said to be submitting between three and five times more bids while achieving more accurate results, which can improve profit margins and project win rates.<\/p>\n
Michael Ding, founder and CEO of Bobyard, stated that customer feedback directly influenced the changes in version 2.0. “Every change we made was driven by what our customers told us they needed to move faster, stay in control, and spend less time doing work that software should be doing for them,” Ding said. “This is our answer to that, and it’s only the beginning.”<\/p>\n
Marty Grunder, founder of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping, provided a user perspective on the AI capabilities. “The AI tools are on another level. We’re talking cutting takeoff time in half on real jobs. If you’re trying to level up your estimating this season, there’s nothing else like this on the market,” Grunder remarked.<\/p>\n
The release for landscaping contractors is the first phase of the rollout. Bobyard 2.0 is expected to become available for additional construction trades by the end of April. The company’s development roadmap suggests further updates and feature expansions will follow based on ongoing user input and technological advancements in AI-assisted estimation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bobyard, a provider of artificial intelligence software for the construction sector, has released a major update to its platform. The new version, Bobyard 2.0, became available for landscaping contractors on April 8. It is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of project cost estimation, a critical process known as takeoff. The update introduces a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[662,701,702],"class_list":["post-639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-updates","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-construction-technology","tag-project-estimation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildconsole.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}