Faulkner University · Center for Continuing Education

Afternoon Exercise - Part 1

Sample text for the estimating and bid support session. Tap Copy, then paste into whichever AI tool you have open.

Every company, price, warranty and address on this page is invented for the exercise. Nothing here is a real bid.

Activity 1 — three bids for the same job

Read them if you like, but you do not have to. Copy all three and let the tool build the table.

The job: replace the HVAC system in a 2,100 square foot single-family home — Lot 14, Fairview Crossing.

Calhoun Heating & Air

$11,400
Equipment
3-ton system, 14.3 SEER2
Included
New air handler, coil, line set, programmable thermostat, haul-away of the old unit, permit fees
Warranty
10 years on parts, 2 years on labor
Start
Within 2 weeks of a signed contract
Payment
50% at start, 50% at completion

Sandhill Mechanical

$9,850
Equipment
3-ton system, 14.3 SEER2
Included
Air handler, coil, line set, programmable thermostat, haul-away of the old unit
Not included
Permit fees — permits by owner
Warranty
1 year on parts, 1 year on labor
Start
Within 3 weeks of a signed contract
Payment
30% deposit, balance due on completion

Two Rivers Climate Control

$10,600
Equipment
3-ton system, 14.3 SEER2
Included
New air handler, coil, line set, haul-away of the old unit, permit fees, duct inspection
Warranty
10 years on parts, 1 year on labor
Start
Next available opening — approximately 5 weeks
Payment
Net 30 after completion

Prompt 1

Paste this first, then paste the three bids underneath it.

Bid comparison

I received three bids for the same job. Make a table comparing them: total price, what is included, what is excluded, warranty, schedule, and anything one bid mentions that the others do not. Then list the questions I should ask each bidder before choosing. Do not add anything that is not in the bids; if something is not stated, write "not stated."

[then the three bids]

Activity 2 — a scope of work you have been asked to price

Same job, different document. This one is what landed in your inbox.

Plumbing scope of work (excerpt) · Lot 14, Fairview Crossing

  1. Contractor furnishes and installs all plumbing fixtures shown on the drawings — toilets, sinks, tubs, and shower valves.
  2. Fixtures in the primary bathroom are an upgraded finish, to match existing.
  3. The owner has set aside a fixture allowance. Amount to be confirmed.
  4. Secondary bathroom fixtures: builder standard.
  5. Provide a rough-in for a future basement bathroom.
  6. All work to be coordinated with the framing schedule.
  7. Trim-out happens after drywall. Hardware is supplied by the owner.
  8. Contractor to verify water pressure at the meter before bidding.

Prompt 2

Paste this first, then paste the scope of work underneath it.

What is missing before I can price this?

Here is a scope of work I've been asked to price. List everything that is unclear, missing, or could change the price, as questions I would need answered before I could give a firm number. Group them by who would answer them (customer, designer, supplier). Do not answer the questions yourself.

[then the scope of work]

Before you say it worked

  1. Did it notice the missing thing?
  2. Did it invent anything?
  3. Would you put your name on it exactly as written?

Try it yourself: the two-chat test

The demo from the session. Open two brand-new chats in the same tool, paste this into each one, then compare the stud count and the drywall sheet count.

Framing and drywall

A rectangular room is 14 feet by 16 feet with 9-foot ceilings, one 3-foot door, and two 3x4-foot windows. List the materials and quantities needed to frame the four walls with standard lumber and hang drywall on the inside. Show your math.

Now fix it: give it your rules

In the two-chat test, anything the prompt leaves out gets guessed, and guessed differently each time. This version gives the chatbot the measurements and your rules, and makes it show its work. Replace each [bracket] with how you build, then run it in two new chats again. This time, any difference shows up on a line you can check.

Framing and drywall, with your rules (RACE)

ROLE: You are an assistant to a residential estimator. You apply my rules to my measurements. You do not estimate or guess.

ACTION: Turn the measurements below into a material list for framing the four walls and hanging drywall on the inside.

CONTEXT: Measurements (I took these from the plans): a rectangular room, 14 feet by 16 feet, 9-foot ceilings, one 3-foot door, two 3x4-foot windows.
My rules:
- Studs: [spacing, for example 16 inches on center]
- Corners: [how I frame corners]
- Plates: [top and bottom plates]
- Door and window openings: [how I frame each opening]
- Drywall: [sheet size and which direction I hang it]
- Waste: [waste % for each material]
- Round up to whole pieces.
Use only these measurements and rules. Do not fill gaps with “typical” values.

EXPECTATION:
1. A table: Item | Wall | Measurement used | Rule used | Math | Quantity | Unit
2. The same math as Excel formulas I can paste into a spreadsheet
3. ASSUMPTIONS: anything you decided that I did not tell you
4. MISSING: anything you need from me. “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer.

Before you trust the numbers

  1. Check the “Measurement used” column against your plans.
  2. Read every line under ASSUMPTIONS. Each one is a guess.
  3. Paste the formulas into a spreadsheet and let it do the math.

Not sure how to write your rules? Ask the chatbot first: “What decisions does a framing and drywall takeoff depend on? Give me a checklist to fill in.” You supply the answers. That part only you know.

The test: if you would have to re-measure everything to trust the answer, it didn’t save you anything.