How to do a takeoff in Excel with BidScreen XL

Most takeoff tools live outside your estimate. You measure in one program, then re-key the numbers into the workbook where the bid actually gets built. BidScreen XL skips that hand-off: it adds a tab inside Excel, you measure right on the PDF plans, and every quantity writes itself into the cell you picked. Your formulas never change.

How a takeoff works in BidScreen XL

1. Load a drawing. Bring in a PDF page (vector or raster), a TIFF, or a CAD file. Single pages or a whole multi-page set.
2. Set the scale. Pick a preset page scale or use AutoScale: click two points, type the known distance, done.
3. Digitize the quantity. Select a cell, pick Area, Count, Section Lengths, or Continuous Length, and click points on the drawing. Snapping keeps you on the vector lines, and the arc tool (Alt+A) handles curves.
4. Cut out what does not count. Draw negative areas around islands and voids so they never touch your total.
5. The quantity lands in the cell. Hit the checkmark and the square footage is in your worksheet, tied to the drawing it came from. Click the cell later to reopen and revise the takeoff.

Your formulas stay the same

Because the measurement is just a number in a cell, everything downstream keeps working. In the asphalt template from the video, one measured area drives square yards, cubic yards of base and top coat, and tons, all from the formulas already in the sheet. Any estimating workbook you use today works the same way.

If your estimate already lives in Excel, the fastest way to see it is to try it on one of your own sheets. Download the BidScreen XL trial at vertigraph.com and run a takeoff on your next set of plans.