# How to Generate a Scope of Work from Plans and Specs > Generate a scope of work from plans and specs: split the job into trade packages, map each spec section to a trade, and list what it must furnish and install. - URL: https://consight.ai/articles/generate-scope-of-work-from-plans-and-specs - Published: 2026-10-06 - Updated: 2026-10-10 - Topic: [Scope of Work](https://consight.ai/articles/topics/scope-of-work) - Author: Chris Toubia **Short answer:** To generate a scope of work from plans and specs, split the project into trade bid packages, map every specification section and drawing note to the trade that carries it, list each item the trade must furnish and install, and call out exclusions and interfaces with other trades. Consight does this with AI: upload the plans and specs and it drafts bid packages, scopes of work and bid forms for the estimator to review and edit. ## Key takeaways - Start from the documents, not last job’s scope. Map every spec section to a trade. - Write scope as line items a subcontractor can price, so bids can be leveled later. - Name the interfaces between trades. That is where scope gaps start. - AI can draft the packages and scopes. The estimator still reviews every line before it goes out. ## What goes into a scope of work generated from plans and specs? - **Trade bid packages.** One package per subcontract, usually by CSI division or your own cost codes. - **Spec sections per package.** Every section of the specifications assigned to the trade that will carry it. - **Line items.** What the trade furnishes and installs, with quantities and units where they matter. - **Drawing references and notes.** The sheets and notes that apply to that trade. - **Exclusions and interfaces.** Work that belongs to another trade, the owner or the GC, stated plainly. - **Addenda.** Changes from each addendum carried into the affected packages. ## How do you generate a scope of work from plans and specs by hand? 1. Read the spec table of contents and assign each section to a trade package. 2. Walk the drawings sheet by sheet and note trade-specific work and general notes. 3. Write the line items for each package from the spec sections and drawings. 4. Add the interfaces: who carries pads, curbs, firestopping, temporary power, cutting and patching. 5. Fold in every addendum and mark what changed. 6. Turn the line items into a bid form so every bidder prices the same scope. For a checklist of what each scope should say, read [how to write a subcontractor scope of work](https://consight.ai/articles/how-to-write-a-subcontractor-scope-of-work). ## How does AI generate scopes of work from plans and specs? Consight reads the plans and specifications you upload, splits the work into trade bid packages, and drafts the scopes of work and bid forms an estimator would otherwise write by hand. It flags missing and conflicting scope: a scope overlap when the same scope is carried in two bid packages, and, once bids arrive, a spec conflict when a bid contradicts the plans or specs, with a citation to the source it checked. Addenda are added to the project as document revisions, and every line stays editable before the package goes out. ![Consight drafting a subcontractor scope of work for an earthwork bid package from the project documents](https://consight.ai/_astro/generate-scope-menu.DK_o61-Z.png) You can also start from what you already have. Upload a takeoff from Togal.AI, Bluebeam or OST and ask Connie, Consight’s AI assistant, to recommend bid packages from it. Or import your internal estimate from Excel, Bluebeam or OST, and Consight turns each line into a scope item on the scope sheet. ## Why does generating scope first make bid leveling easier? The scope sheet becomes the baseline every bid is measured against. When bids arrive, Consight maps each bidder’s items to your scope items, so missing work shows up as a gap on a line instead of a surprise after buyout. Read [how to compare subcontractor bids](https://consight.ai/articles/how-to-compare-subcontractor-bids) and [scope gap detection software](https://consight.ai/articles/scope-gap-detection-software). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can AI write a scope of work from construction drawings? Yes. Consight reads drawings and specs and drafts trade bid packages, scopes of work and bid forms. The estimator reviews and edits every line before it goes to bidders. ### What file types can Consight read to generate scope? PDF, Excel and Word documents, plan sets and specification books, takeoff files, and screenshots or scanned pages. Clean, text-based PDFs process fastest. ### Can I use my own cost codes? Yes. Consight works from CSI MasterFormat cost codes, your own custom cost code list, or a plain list of trades in your own words. See [AI scope generation in Consight](https://consight.ai/features/generate-scope) or [talk to sales](https://consight.ai/talk-to-sales).