Frequently Asked Questions

For every project, BuildVision shows where your products are basis of design, where you're listed as an alternate, and where you have a matching product but weren't named. That tells you which bids to chase and which engineers to call without anyone having to read the whole package first.

Today a bid desk coordinator opens emails, downloads files, reviews documents, and types data into the CRM. With BuildVision, a bid invite that lands at 2am is ready by morning: equipment pulled, matched to your line card, CRM updated. You review and decide what to quote. Your process and your relationships stay the same.

Every page of every document, labeled by type. From there: basis of design, listed alternates, equipment specs (tonnage, voltage, efficiency, coil types, filter ratings, sound criteria, and dozens more), engineer of record, project details, and links back to the source pages. Data is structured so you can do whatever you want with it: CRM, reporting, territory planning, or your own analysis.

You do. The data BuildVision pulls for you is yours to use however you want. We don't sell it or share it with third parties.

For every equipment package on every project, BuildVision identifies which product is basis of design, which are listed alternates, and which are a product match but not listed. Sales managers can see across their territory which engineering firms are specifying their products and where they're losing position.

Yes. BuildVision captures the engineer of record on every project, so you can see BoD rates by engineering firm across your territory and know where to focus relationship time.

Yes, both. We work with manufacturers that sell through independent reps and with manufacturer direct sales offices. For independent reps, a data sharing agreement spells out what flows where. Your markup, margin, and confidential transaction data stays with you.

Yes. BuildVision monitors your email inbox, picks up incoming bid requests, downloads the files, and runs them through extraction automatically.

Applied HVAC equipment is our specialty, and we're going especially deep on airside. That includes air handlers, rooftop units, fan coils, VAV terminal units, split systems, fans, ERVs, louvers, and dampers.

It depends on document quality and how your account is tuned. During the pilot, we tune extraction to your equipment manufacturers and agree on accuracy targets up front. You can see our production track record at buildvision.io/benchmark.

Thousands per customer. We already handle the full incoming bid volume for reps with national sales networks.

PDF and Word drawings and specs, plus the other document types that usually show up in bid packages. The Outlook and BuildingConnected integrations download files automatically.

A typical commercial project with a few hundred pages takes minutes. We're working to bring that down further.

For equipment counts, yes. BuildVision counts equipment by tag and marks where each one sits on the drawings, so you can check the count instead of trusting it blindly. It's live for some equipment types, like grilles, registers, and diffusers, and in progress for others. We focus on counts, not linear takeoffs like ductwork runs.

Microsoft Outlook and BuildingConnected. BuildVision monitors your inbox, syncs project invitations, and downloads documents as they arrive. We add integrations based on what customers ask for, so tell us what you use.

Anthropic and Google, through enterprise agreements with dedicated model access. No open models and no shared API endpoints. Models get better and cheaper every few months, so we don't lock into one. We use whichever model meets our accuracy bar for each step, and when a better one comes out, we switch. Nothing changes on your end.

No native app. BuildVision runs in a web browser on desktop and mobile.

It depends on how you're structured. BuildVision supports centralized or regional admin with project-level access controls, and we configure it with you before rollout.

A formal data sharing agreement decides what flows where. Manufacturers can see pipeline and equipment data such as project details, basis of design status, specs, and engineer of record.

No. We don't sell customer data, and we don't aggregate it for competitors, research firms, or anyone else. Each organization's data is kept separate. We make money from customer contracts, not from your data.

Encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access controls, and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance. Each organization's data is kept separate.

We're SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and have completed formal data audits. Start your security review early, since it usually takes the most time on your side.

Because that's where the work already happens. A decade ago, construction software tried to pull everyone off email and Excel and into a new platform. We think that's backwards now. BuildVision meets you where you are: forward an email, get structured data back in your inbox, your CRM, or your spreadsheet. The best software does the job without asking you to change how you work.

Mechanical and electrical equipment is roughly 10 to 15% of every construction dollar, and most construction software ignores it. Unlike drywall or paint, equipment is engineered, made to order, and has long lead times, so counts, specs, and timing have to be right. It's also where reps, manufacturers, engineers, and contractors all meet, which makes it the right place to build.

Only a small slice of every construction dollar goes to software, and most construction tech companies fight over that slice. The bigger money is everywhere else: procurement, schedule, rework, and how buildings perform. We'd rather help reps win more of the equipment dollar than sell another seat license.

On a typical job, the owner's model gets flattened to 2D and sent to several GCs, each GC sends it to several subs, and the reps take it off again. The same quantities get counted over and over. Drawings also leave things out, and experienced people fill those gaps. So we don't chase perfect takeoffs. We pull what reps need to decide and sell (equipment, counts, basis of design, alternates) and show our work so you can verify it.

No. Technology is a small part of anyone's job in construction. As software gets cheaper and more alike, people become the difference: their relationships, judgment, and know-how. That's especially true for reps. Our job is to take the busywork off their plate so they can do more of what wins jobs.

You shouldn't have to pick the right tool for each task, and context gets lost when work is split across several. BuildVision works as one system that sees the whole opportunity and acts on its own. A bid that lands overnight is already triaged when you get in, before anyone asks.

Construction runs on disconnected documents, emails, and systems. The value comes from connecting them so one opportunity can be followed from first invite through every addendum to the final decision. That's why every BuildVision record is structured and linked to its source, and why the data belongs to you to use in your CRM, your reports, or your own AI tools.

Venture-backed, with a Series A led by Norwest Venture Partners.

Mike Powers and Christophe Prakash. Mike bought equipment at scale at Source Blue, then ran enterprise sales at BuildingConnected (acquired by Autodesk), where he worked with Christophe. Ben Lyddane is COO. He sold HVAC equipment for more than 10 years before moving into software.

Independent rep firms, manufacturer direct sales offices, and HVAC manufacturers. We're happy to connect you with a team that works like yours.

Our co-founder Mike Powers co-hosts ConTechPod, a weekly show where construction tech founders and contractors talk about AI, software, and where the industry is headed.

No. Start with a pilot and expand based on how it goes for your team.

Yes. Pilots usually start with a few sales offices and run about six months. We send a pilot proposal with scope, success metrics, and accuracy targets.

Three phases: define requirements, run live projects with our engineers checking quality, then evaluate and scale. We agree on metrics, data governance, and accuracy targets before we start.

Access to the participating sales offices, a look at how your CRM is set up, and ideally a few test projects. Start your security review early.

Most pilots go live 2 to 3 months after the first conversation. We can run sample projects right away while the agreement is finalized.

Email hello@buildvision.io or reach out through someone you already know here. If someone referred you, let us know.