Preconstruction software built by a preconstruction manager
Preconstruction is three jobs: control the documents, run the bidding, and get the numbers right. Planroom covers the first two. For the third — takeoff and estimating — our founder built ScopeTakeoff. One stack, from bid set to buyout, by someone whose actual job title is the thing you just searched.
What preconstruction software actually is
Strip the category down and precon is three jobs. Every tool in this space does some mix of them:
Control the documents
Bid sets, specs, and addenda — current, versioned, and distributed with proof. Every busted bid starts with someone pricing the wrong set.
Run the bidding
Invitations out, coverage tracked by trade, bids collected and compared. The difference between bid day and bid-day panic is whether this is a system or an inbox.
Get the numbers right
Takeoff and estimating — a genuinely different discipline with its own tools, its own craft, and no business being an afterthought tab in a document platform.
One founder, both tools
Map the precon workflow to the stack — every row is a job Keaton does on his own projects:
| Preconstruction job | How it’s handled | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Distribute bid sets & addenda, with proof | Version control + logged transmittals — “which set did you price?” is a lookup | Planroom Documents |
| Invite subs & track coverage | ITBs by trade, responses tracked, thin coverage flagged early | Planroom Bidding |
| Pre-bid questions | Routed, answered, and on the record before numbers are due | Planroom RFIs |
| Takeoff & estimating | Quantities and pricing in a purpose-built estimating tool | ScopeTakeoff |
| Award & buyout | Winning bid, its document set, and acknowledged addenda flow into the project record | Planroom |
The keyword you searched is his job title. Keaton Bandhoesingh runs preconstruction across three construction firms — Walmart retail work, Atlanta commercial flatwork, and MBE government contracting — with $100M+ directly awarded in seven years. Planroom and ScopeTakeoff are the two tools he built because the precon stack he wanted didn’t exist at a price a normal contractor would pay. Read the story →
How to choose preconstruction software — from someone who buys work for a living
Match the tool to how you buy work
An estimating-first platform suits teams whose bottleneck is takeoff speed; a documents-and-bidding platform suits teams bleeding margin to addenda chaos and coverage gaps. Diagnose your actual leak before you shop — most demos are built to sell you the other one.
Do the per-seat math honestly
Precon touches estimators, PMs, and principals. Per-user pricing quietly triples between the demo and reality. Flat pricing — or unlimited seats — is worth more than most feature differences.
Ask what happens after award
If the bid record dies at buyout, you’ll re-enter everything into whatever runs the project. The winning bid, its document set, and its addenda should flow into the project record — that continuity is where disputes get won later.
Weigh implementation like a cost, because it is
Enterprise precon suites commonly carry five-figure implementations and weeks of onboarding. If you’re not doing nine figures a year, a tool your team can self-serve this afternoon beats a platform you’ll be “rolling out” next quarter.
And one hard rule: never let a bidding tool talk you into its bolted-on estimating, or an estimating tool into its bolted-on bidding. They’re different crafts — buy each from someone who treats it as the whole job.
The stack vs. the alternatives
| Planroom + ScopeTakeoff | Email + spreadsheets | Enterprise precon suites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bid documents under version control | ✓ Logged, provable | ✗ Reply-all and pray | ✓ Yes |
| ITBs, coverage & bid comparison | ✓ Built in | ✗ Phone-call census | ✓ Yes |
| Purpose-built takeoff & estimating | ✓ ScopeTakeoff | Manual | Often bolted on |
| Record continues after award | ✓ Same platform runs the project | ✗ | Often a second system |
| Self-serve, priced in the open | ✓ $149/mo published | ✓ | ✗ Quote + implementation |
One price. Everything included.
Planroom is $149/month flat — bidding, documents, and the whole project platform. ScopeTakeoff is priced separately, just as openly, at scopetakeoff.com.
- ✓Bid management — ITBs, coverage & comparison
- ✓Bid documents & addenda under version control
- ✓Pre-bid RFIs on the record
- ✓The full project platform after award
- ✓No setup fee, no per-seat pricing
Good to know
What is preconstruction software?
Software for the phase before ground breaks: controlling bid documents, running the bidding process, answering pre-bid questions, and producing the estimate. Different platforms weight those jobs differently — estimating-first suites, bidding networks, and document platforms are all sold under the same label, which is why knowing your own bottleneck matters more than any feature list.
What does Planroom cover, exactly?
The documents and the bidding: bid sets and addenda under version control with logged distribution, ITBs, coverage tracking, and bid comparison, and pre-bid RFIs — flowing into the full project platform after award.
Does it do takeoff and estimating?
No — deliberately. Estimating is its own craft, and bolted-on estimating is how precon suites end up mediocre at everything. Our founder built ScopeTakeoff for exactly that job; together the two tools cover preconstruction end to end.
Who is this for?
Small and mid-size GCs and subcontractors — the teams enterprise precon suites price out with quotes and implementations. If you’re doing nine figures a year with a dedicated precon department, the enterprise platforms are genuinely built for you.
How much does it cost?
Planroom is $149 a month flat — every module, whole team, no per-seat pricing, no contract. ScopeTakeoff is priced separately and just as openly on its own site.
Run precon like it’s your job title.
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