The Challenge

A leading fire protection contractor, specializing in passive fireproofing solutions for major commercial projects, needed accurate, fast, and repeatable quantity takeoff services. For each new project, the client had to estimate intumescent paint and fireproofing compound quantities in line with project specifications often within a few days to prepare competitive bids or procure materials.

However, with a small internal team and reliance on 2D drawings, the client faced a bottleneck in estimation accuracy and speed. The challenge was to support them with a scalable, BIM-driven workflow that enabled reliable quantity outputs even when dealing with varied input formats and tight timelines.

Client’s Initial Hurdles

• Short bid submission deadlines requiring accurate takeoffs within 1–4 days
• Estimation dependent on manual methods using PDF drawings
• Lack of an internal BIM team to process and extract data from 3D models
• High risk of quantity errors due to manual calculations and version inconsistencies
• Pressure to bid accurately across multiple simultaneous projects

Why This Was Critical

Why couldn’t traditional takeoff methods suffice?

The client’s estimators worked primarily with 2D PDF drawings, which made it difficult to extract consistent quantities, especially when specs varied across projects. Manual errors, version mismatches, and missed penetrations impacted both accuracy and confidence in the estimates.

Why was time a key factor?

Each estimation was either part of a bid package or an urgent procurement request. Any delay in submission or errors in the quantities could lead to losing project opportunities or procurement misalignment.

Why was BIM essential for this workflow?

Using BIM models allowed for intelligent filtering, visual verification, and rule-based automation which could never be achieved with 2D workflows. It also offered scalability when multiple projects came in parallel.

What would have gone wrong without intervention?

Without an accurate and automated solution:

• Estimators would continue spending excessive time on manual reviews
• Errors in paint and compound estimation could inflate costs or reduce margins
• The client would lose bidding speed and competitive advantage

Why was Desapex brought in to support these projects?

The client lacked internal BIM expertise. They needed a digital partner who could work across PDF and 3D model formats, interpret fireproofing specs, and deliver clean, validated takeoffs all while keeping up with the rapid project flow.

Gaps in Existing Information

Each project came with varying documentation from PDF-based steel layouts to .IFC, .RVT, or .NWD files of the full model. However, penetrations, sleeve details, and metadata for exposed elements were often incomplete or not properly labeled. A major part of the effort involved interpreting, classifying, and structuring the model data before quantities could be extracted.

Why Specific Requirements Mattered

Fireproofing estimations aren’t simply about surface area they also depend on material type, exposure level, element size, and penetration density. Without filtering by paint specification, steel type, or duct/cable opening size, estimators would either under- or overestimate quantities. That level of granularity demanded a BIM-driven, rules-based approach to estimation.

The Desapex Solution

• 2D PDF-Based Takeoffs Used Bluebeam Revu with custom toolsets, dynamic fills, and measurement tracking to standardize takeoffs. This reduced manual effort and enabled clear QC verification later.
• BIM-Based Takeoffs Leveraged Autodesk Revit for filtering exposed vs. unexposed elements. Scheduling tools and metadata tags ensured only relevant structural elements were included in quantity outputs.
• Automated Sleeve Placement with Dynamo Created Dynamo scripts to detect MEP penetrations (ducts, pipes, cable trays) and place sleeves automatically across the model. This drastically reduced the time required to map fireproofing openings.
• Quantity Extraction & Reporting Used Excel and model-linked schedules to export categorized quantities for intumescent paint and fireproofing compound, based on size, type, and exposure.

Project Timeline & Milestones

• Day 1: Project onboarding and review of input files (PDF, RVT, NWD, specifications)
• Day 2–4: Execution of takeoffs, Dynamo automation, and QC of extracted data
• Final Day: Submission of validated, formatted quantity sheets for client use

Software & Technology Used

• Bluebeam Revu 2D quantity takeoff & markup tracking
• Autodesk Revit 2021 3D BIM model filtering and scheduling
• Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2021 Model review and coordination
• Dynamo Scripted automation for sleeve placement
• Microsoft Excel Quantity breakdown and submission formatting

The Real Business Value Delivered

• Reduced estimation turnaround time from days to hours for repeat workflows
• Enabled accurate budgeting across multiple fast-paced projects
• Improved quantity confidence by eliminating manual count errors
• Supported bidding for more projects simultaneously
• Provided a scalable BIM workflow to bridge the gap between engineering intent and estimator needs

What This Means for Future Projects

Speed and precision don’t have to be mutually exclusive especially when data is on your side.

This project proves that when estimation is driven by intelligent tools rather than manual guesswork, the advantage goes far beyond faster bidding. It creates consistency. It builds trust in the numbers. And it frees up internal teams to focus on strategy, not spreadsheets.

In an industry where margins are tight and timelines even tighter, being able to estimate quantities across multiple bids in parallel isn’t just helpful it’s transformative. Each model, each drawing, each specification becomes part of a repeatable, digital-first process that helps fire protection contractors stay ahead not just in speed, but in certainty.

That’s how you build a foundation for smarter, more confident decisions project after project.