We start with how you estimate.
Before we recommend a platform or write a line of code, we learn how your business takes off, costs, prices and quotes work today.
Four stages, from first call to handover.
- Step 01
Discovery
Review your current spreadsheet, quotes and pain points.
- Step 02
Process mapping and recommendations
Map takeoff, costing, pricing and quoting, then recommend the simplest platform — Excel, web or hybrid — complete with costings.
- Step 03
Build and test
With your estimators, on real jobs, checking edge cases.
- Step 04
Hand over and support
Documentation, training and ongoing support.
Three things, and we can start.
Your current workbook
The estimator as it is today, warts and all.
Sample jobs
A handful of recent quotes, ideally including a difficult one.
A key estimator’s time
Regular short sessions with the person who knows the logic.
Practical, reviewed, and used where it removes real manual work.
- We use AI to process Word documents and PDFs — schedules, specifications, BOMs and supplier documents — into structured items and measurements.
- It is not fully automatic and it is not error-free. Every extraction is reviewed by an estimator before it is priced.
- We run a joint review for outliers and anomalies, and refine the extraction as we learn your documents.
- Where AI does not save meaningful time, we do not use it.
The principles behind every system we build.
- Pillar 01
Capture and encode line items and project components accurately
Ensure that take-offs, products, services, treatments, options, quantities, units and source information are encoded consistently so that the resulting cost or price is reliable and explainable.
- Pillar 06
Check, flag and approve unusual results
Identify missing information, anomalous quantities, inconsistent units, low margins and other exceptions before a quote is issued, with appropriate review and approval controls.
- Pillar 07
Configure quotation presentation to match your client expectations
Separate internal calculation from external presentation, supporting item, component, package, project and combined quotation formats according to the client’s requirements.
Spreadsheet fixes & rebuilds from NZ$1,000 · Web apps & hybrid systems from NZ$5,000 · Fixed price after scoping
The estimating division of XLS Experts
Estim8 Labs is the specialist estimating division of XLS Experts. XLS Experts builds Excel, VBA and automation solutions for New Zealand businesses. Estim8 Labs brings that experience to one job: costing and quoting for construction and trade businesses.
Need Excel work outside estimating — reporting, dashboards or automation? Visit XLS Experts → (opens in a new tab)
Let’s solve your estimating problem.
Book a discovery call or get in touch. Attach your current spreadsheet and we'll tell you what we'd keep, fix and automate.
We typically reply the same business day. Fixed-price quotes after scoping. Your files stay confidential.